Ole Miss Baseball Player Spotlight: Freshman LHP Walker Hooks

The Ole Miss Rebels have often been able to recruit and develop left-handed pitchers as names like Doug Nikhazy and Hunter Elliott come to mind in recent history. A freshman from Brandon, Mississippi, now looks to fit that profile to a tee.

Walker Hooks is a big lefty, someone who looks like he could play linebacker for Pete Golding and the Rebels football defense, standing at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds. The Mississippi native led the Brandon Bulldogs to a 7A State Championship, and he looks to help bring those winning ways to Oxford.

He has certainly started off the season with a bang.

Hooks' first appearance came in mop up duty with the Texas Longhorns during the Shriners Children's College Showdown last weekend, going 2.2 innings while racking up four strikeouts and not allowing a hit in his college debut.

He followed that performance with a one-inning outing against Arkansas State on Tuesday where he allowed one hit and struck out one batter in a game the Rebels were able to win in walk-off fashion in extra innings.

Hooks looks like a solid piece to the Rebels bullpen, but could we see his role grow? Ole Miss closer Connor Spencer has struggled in the early going, so could we see Hooks get some late-inning work or maybe even plug in as a Sunday starter, putting Mason Nichols into the backend of the bullpen?

Wherever Hooks' role is down the road this season, he has given the Rebels some quality innings and should continue to give Ole Miss a chance when head coach Mike Bianco and pitching coach Joel Mangrum give him the baseball.

The Rebels and Eastern Kentucky are ready for a three-game series this weekend as the first pitch on Friday was moved up to 2 p.m. CT due to some forecasted winter weather. You can see the action unfold at Swayze Field on SEC Network+.

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