STARKVILLE — Entering the last week of the regular season, the Mississippi State baseball team has a chance to win a division title or to be left out of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
As unlikely as the possibility of missing out on a trip to Hoover, Ala., the site of the eight-team SEC tournament, might seem — MSU would have to lose all three games this weekend to LSU and have the other three teams tied for the SEC Western Division lead win at least one game — the chances of winning the West are even more complicated.
The most logical way for the Bulldogs to claim their first piece of league hardware since 1989 — when they won the SEC tournament — is to sweep LSU. MSU (32-19, 13-14) would then need to rely on Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn — all tied at 13-14 in the SEC — to lose at least one game this weekend.
The scenario gets muddier if MSU loses one or two games to LSU and any of the three aforementioned teams finish with corresponding league records. Should that scenario play out, MSU only has a tiebreaker against Auburn to work in its favor.
If all four teams win two games, Alabama would win the Western Division, though if MSU and Auburn are the only teams of the four to win two games, MSU”s tiebreaker would come into effect.
Confusing? MSU coach John Cohen agrees.
“Just listening to them explain it gives me a headache,” Cohen said. “What I know is we have to win baseball games, and that”s all that really matters to us. Thank goodness for us, I feel like everything”s in our hands. If we take care of our own business, nothing else really matters. I think that”s all you can ask for in the best league in America this time of year.”
MSU”s late-season form has helped it overcome a string of missed chances to win SEC series” against Western Division opponents, including a pair of one-run losses to Alabama and a one-run loss to Arkansas. The Bulldogs, however, have won eight of their last nine. And despite Cohen ruing over a 12-3 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, he believes his senior class has been and will be the catalyst for getting the team to Hoover for the first time since 2007.
Cohen said the team”s elder statesmen are sick of “talk” without tangible results to show for it.
“They are so aware of it (what”s at stake),” Cohen said. “I hope they didn”t sit in their apartments or dorm rooms last night and go over every possibility, but I”m sure they did. That”s what kids do.
“I think in some cases it might be difficult for our kids, but we have some older kids, and older kids have the ability to focus at a different level, and I think that”s what”s carried us through this stretch. We”ve got some older kids who say, ”Listen, we”ve been through these stretches before and we”re gonna focus on the task at hand and that”s (tonight”s opponent) Memphis.” ”
MSU will look to keep its hot streak going when it visits AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., for a 6:30 p.m. start against the Tigers (27-23).
Memphis has swept the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which beat MSU, and won a game against Ole Miss this season. Memphis also won a series against Conference-USA leader Southern Miss, which is No. 16 in the RPI, according to Boydsworld.com.
Game 3 pitching slot vs. LSU “TBA”
It was initially thought Cohen”s most recent pitching rotation shakeup would aid sophomore right-hander Chris Stratton the most.
With more rest and extra days to watch the opponent, Stratton had the chance to give MSU the Game 3 stalwart it has lacked for much of the season.
Stratton was solid in his start at the University of Tennessee two weeks ago, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Against Ole Miss, Stratton went just 2/3 of an inning after giving up six runs, three of which were earned, on six hits.
Stratton (5-6, 5.17 ERA) was solid against Tennessee and Alabama, giving up just two earned runs in each start. But the sophomore right-hander gave up five earned runs or more to Florida, South Carolina, and Arkansas in consecutive weeks.
Cohen addressed Stratton”s need to work through the mental issues that are holding back his game, but against the Rebels he said Stratton wasn”t fully fit for the start.
“I just think there was some soreness,” Cohen said. “That”s the life of a pitcher. Whenever I”m around big-leaguers — a Jeff Brantley, a Jay Powell or Roy Oswalt — I always ask them, ”How often do you feel good when you take the mound?” The usual answer is about 30 percent of the time they feel great. About 70 percent of the time they don”t feel good. I think Chris was one of those 70-percent times, although in college I think it”s different, especially in the case of him having six days off between starts.
“In some cases, kids respond differently. Some kids work on four days rest better; some kids work on five or six. I think in this case, it”s just one of the things where he wasn”t feeling it.”
Cohen said he”ll stick with Luis Pollorena as his Game 1 starter and Nick Routt for Game 2 against LSU, which will be Thursday and Friday, respectively.
MSU”s coaching staff will wait to see how Stratton feels before making a decision. Stratton has been a starter since he debuted for the Bulldogs, but Cohen hinted at using him out of the bullpen against LSU”s right-hand dominant batting lineup.
“We”ve got Chris” back in that we know how good he can be, we know how hard he works at it, and how conscientious he is,” Cohen said. “We”re gonna do whatever we can to get him going because he”s worth the effort. Whatever role we ask him to help us win a baseball game, I know he”ll do it.”
Parks one of three nominees for Ferriss Trophy
MSU senior third baseman Jarrod Parks of Madison, is one of three finalists for the 2011 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy.
The trophy, named in honor of former MSU and Boston Red Sox pitching great and Delta State University baseball coach Dave “Boo” Ferriss, will be presented at a luncheon May 23 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson.
Entering the final weekend of league competition, Parks leads the SEC in batting average (.396) and on-base percentage (.538).
The other two finalists are senior outfielder Tyler Koelling (.374) and junior shortstop V.A. Vollmuth (.305), both from Southern Miss. The finalists were selected by a panel of 25 voters that includes collegiate coaches, Major League scouts, and a media member.
MSU junior pitcher Caleb Reed, of Cleveland, was among the other candidates receiving votes for the eighth annual award presentation.
Preseason back surgery sidelined Parks a year ago, but he has paced the SEC in hitting the second half of this season. He has hit safely in 43 of his 50 games, leading MSU in hits (67), runs scored (43), slugging percentage (.538), walks (36), and hit by pitches (17). He also has starred on defense at the hot corner, committing but four errors (.960) in 50 games.
Parks is the fifth MSU player to be named a finalist for the Cellular South Ferriss Trophy, joining Brad Corley (2004), Thomas Berkery (2006), Ed Easley (2007), and Connor Powers (2010). Berkery and Easley won the award.
Staff reports were included in this report.
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