STARKVILLE — Ask any pitcher on Mississippi State”s roster who has had the greatest impact on their success this season, and they”ll all point to catcher Wes Thigpen.
The senior is having a career year at the plate in his second season in Starkville, but his defensive play and leadership in helping develop MSU”s pitching staff has been invaluable.
Thigpen has developed a close relationship with pitching coach Butch Thompson, which has led to more trust in letting him call his game.
Prior to this season, Thompson called the pitches and had catchers Thigpen and Cody Freeman relay them to the mound.
The result was a slower pace that allowed hitters to adjust quicker.
Thigpen and MSU (24-16, 7-11 Southeastern Conference) will try to capitalize on that pace this weekend when they play host to the University of Alabama (26-18, 9-10) at 2 p.m. Saturday in a doubleheader that kicks off a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field.
Though Thigpen is noted as a better defensive receiver than Freeman, he had to make coach John Cohen and Thompson feel comfortable he could call the game like they wanted. That process began last fall, Thigpen said.
“(We) really started breaking down film, how to break down a hitter, what to look for when I was watching him, and what weaknesses that can be exposed by what they do inside their swing,” Thigpen said. “Before games started we were doing that and going over scouting reports every day. We meet with the pitchers to have that triangle going on and make sure nobody”s clueless.”
Thigpen said “countless hours” go into studying hitters, planning for a game, and relating that plan to the starting pitcher each game.
And with the change in bat regulations that has reduced the exit velocity from the bat, which reduces the “pop” off the bat, the style of the game has changed and introduced a different way for pitchers to attack hitters.
“I really wanted to focus this year on making our pitching staff that much better,” Thigpen said. “I knew they had the potential to get over the top, and I wanted to worry about them before I worried about myself.”
The result is glaring: The Bulldogs” ERA is 4.09, compared to 6.87 last season. Opposing batters are hitting .256 this year after hitting a league-high .315 last season.
Reliever Caleb Reed, who went 1-7 last season with a 6.99 ERA, has enjoyed his best season at MSU this year. The junior, who leads the team with seven saves, has a team-best 0.81 ERA in 33 1/3 innings.
Reed”s dedication to getting in better shape and mastering his command has played a major role in his performance, but he said Thigpen deserves just as much credit for helping dictate the tempo of the game.
“It basically takes a load off the pitcher”s shoulders,” Reed said. “The pitcher might know what he wants to call, but Wes is already one step ahead of me with knowing what pitch I want to throw. He”s done a great job with the scouting reports, knowing the pitchers, and working with coach Thompson. Pitcher by pitcher, he”s done a terrific job.”
The Bulldogs have just one full-time starter — Chris Stratton — back from last year”s weekend rotation. Devin Jones, who started eight games this season, started two last season. Nick Routt was limited to six appearances last season before being shut down for the year to have surgery on his elbow.
In the wake of inconsistent starts on the mound in the past three weeks, Thigpen has helped make it easier for the Bulldogs to rely on Reed and first-year sophomore Luis Pollorena for 64 innings out of the bullpen.
“We really worked on keeping the ball down in the zone with (Pollorena and Reed),” Thigpen said. “Luis really struggled with it in the fall, so I did a lot more stuff with my setups to help push him down in the zone. He”s done a great job working hard.
“What Caleb is doing with his arm slots is really keeping hitters off balance. It makes it easy on me because if they want to throw it in the dirt I know it”s gonna be in the dirt. I know where I set up, that”s where they”re gonna throw it.”
Thigpen, who for the past two seasons split time behind the plate with Freeman, has started each of MSU”s last six league games and the Governor”s Cup win against the University of Mississippi. He also has started at least two of three games in each league series.
Despite not playing without rest in between games last season, Thigpen tells Cohen he plays better without rest.
“When you really watch the film closely and you analyze him, he has caught so much better on back-to-back days than he does after you give him a break,” Cohen said. “The days he was coming back when he didn”t catch on a Saturday and he caught on a Sunday he would not be really sharp.
“He”s just such a great leader on the field for us. It”s like having another coach on the field. We just feel like having he and Cody in the same lineup is beneficial to our club.”
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