Ole Miss football, baseball player Austin Simmons has elbow injury in throwing arm

OXFORD — Ole Miss quarterback and pitcher Austin Simmons has an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury in his left throwing elbow, according to Rebels baseball coach Mike Bianco.

Simmons left Thursday's game against Alabama after throwing just four pitches. Five days prior, he'd pitched twice in the same doubleheader vs. Georgia.

After the Rebels beat Alabama 9-8 on Friday, Bianco opened his postgame press conference with a statement on Simmons' prognosis.

Bianco said the severity of the injury is unknown at this time, with more clarity expected next week.

"The MRI has already been sent to several orthopedics that specialize in this injury," Bianco said. "Because of what type of athlete he is, some of them have been football as well. So again, that's all I really know."

UCL injuries are sometimes – but not always – addressed with Tommy John surgery, in which surgeons harvest a ligament from elsewhere in the body to replace the torn or damaged UCL. Recovery from Tommy John surgery generally takes nine months to a year, though timelines in regard to throwing a football can be different.

Simmons has been among the most reliable relievers for Bianco as a true freshman. The former four-star prospect has not yet appeared for Lane Kiffin's football team.

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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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