The University of Mississippi Athletics

Jacob Gonzalez Tim Elko

Ole Miss Baseball: Elko, Gonzalez Join Forces in Double-A

5/30/2024 | Baseball

By: Kyle Wakefield, OleMissSports.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jacob Gonzalez was recently called up to the Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate, reuniting with Tim Elko for the first time since leading Ole Miss baseball to the 2022 National Championship. Both Gonzalez and Elko are picking up right where they left off two years ago in Omaha.
 
Elko has been turning heads with the Birmingham Barons since the start of the season, and that has only continued since he was joined by his former Rebel teammate. Gonzalez, meanwhile, wasted no time getting hot at the Double-A level—a vision come to reality for the pair.
 
"It's been awesome," Elko told WLOX. "We've been talking about it since he got drafted, just how cool it'll be when we get to play on the same team again. To have it happen here, it's been awesome, just reconnecting and have him throw it to me from wherever he's playing."
 
"We've been talking about it since the draft that we wanted to play with each other again and we finally get to," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully, we keep moving up fast and get to play in the big leagues together. That would be awesome."  
In the first nine games after the former All-American's call-up, he has recorded five multi-hit games with four doubles, a home run, and eight RBI at the dish. Gonzalez's red-hot debut for the Barons earned him the Southern League Player of the Week last week as the Rebel duo led the Barons to a six-game road sweep of the Biloxi Shuckers.
  "All of our teammates have been saying, oh you're back in Mississippi so you guys are hitting," Elko said. "Just getting the Mississippi air here on the coast has been great and the team is rolling right now."
 
Elko has been arguably the hottest bat in the Barons lineup all season. Elko went deep for the sixth time in Tuesday night's 4-0 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas. After earning a spring training invite in the offseason, Elko hasn't disappointed, hitting .289 with six home runs, and 21 RBI on the year with the Birmingham Barons.  
Elko's performance could see him rise to the top of the White Sox top prospect rankings. He was tabbed as the organization's No. 39 prospect by SouthSideSox.com going into the season. Jacob Gonzalez is currently ranked No. 7 by MLB in the White Sox farm system.
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Players Mentioned

25

Tim Elko

IF/OF
/ Baseball
7

Jacob Gonzalez

IF
/ Baseball

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