HOOVER, Ala. — Mississippi State University baseball coach John Cohen must’ve got the look he wanted from junior right-hander Chris Stratton.
Stratton will start today for MSU when it continues Southeastern Conference tournament play against top-seeded LSU. The game will start approximately 30 minutes following the completion of the elimination game between the University of Mississippi and the University of Arkansas, which starts at 9:30 a.m.
“He’s going to have to look us straight in the eye and say, ‘I feel good and this is something I want to do’ because it’s not a one-way street,” Cohen said. “It’s about the young man and doing what’s in the best interest for our club. If he feels good, he’ll take the baseball Wednesday.”
Stratton (10-1, 2.16 ERA), who leads all SEC starting pitchers in ERA and is second in strikeouts (115), will get a chance to lead No. 24 MSU (35-21) to its fifth win in as many games against a ranked opponent. MSU swept the University of Kentucky last weekend and defeated No. 25 Arkansas 9-1 on Tuesday.
Cohen and his coaches aren’t interested in risking Stratton’s health, especially after asking him to take the mound one day earlier in the series opener against Kentucky last Thursday. A Thursday night start after a Friday outing is something MSU had reservations about after asking Stratton to do it three times this season.
“We’re not going to ask Chris to get out of that six- to seven-day window of rest,” MSU pitching coach Butch Thompson said Monday. “We think he’ll be asked to do that soon enough for another organization.”
However, MSU faces the possibility of advancing through the top half of the SEC tournament bracket to face Kentucky for the fourth time in less than a week. It also is still in the running for a chance to be a NCAA tournament regional host if it has a strong showing at the SEC tournament.
Stratton, a 20, a junior from Tupelo, struck out an SEC-best 17 when he last faced LSU on March 16 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. LSU earned a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. The Tigers (41-14) will go with freshman right-hander Aaron Nola (6-4, 4.03) today. Nola, who was the Tigers’ Sunday starter in the regular season, likely will only be allowed two or three innings before the Tigers go to the bullpen. After winning the Western Division and getting a bye, Tigers coach Paul Mainieri is saving ace Kevin Gausman (9-1, 2.86) until Thursday.
“If we were on the NCAA bubble to make a regional appearance then I’d probably have Kevin Gausman pitching in our opening game,” Mainieri said Monday. “Outside of that and the idea you’re not going to extend one pitcher into an area he hasn’t been before, I think nothing changes in how we approach the game.”
Arkansas has two players injured in loss to MSU
Not only was the opening game of the SEC tournament against MSU miserable for Arkansas on the field, it also was depressing in the training room.
Arkansas’ Matt Reynolds and Derrick Bleeker suffered injuries Tuesday that left their status for the rest of the tournament unknown.
Reynolds, the Razorbacks’ third baseman, three-hole hitter, and leading run producer (41 RBIs), was hit in the elbow in the first inning by starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. He suffered dizziness and nausea in the tunnel after the inning. Jimmy Bosco replaced Reynolds in the lineup, but he wasn’t able to prevent the Razorbacks’ 3-4-5 hitters from going 0-for-10 with three strikeouts.
“(Bleeker) couldn’t go and couldn’t swing back there, and now it’s just
crazy,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “Now we’re down and I’m just desperately trying to keep some offense in there.”
Bleeker suffered a left wrist injury on tag of a runner at first base and would have to be taken out of the game after the seventh. The No. 5 hitter, who is second on the team with six home runs, had been was overmatched by Woodruff before the injury and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He left five runners on base.
Holder’s scoreless streak increases to 24 1/3 innings
MSU freshman closer Jonathan Holder’s scoreless streak has reached 24 1/3 innings.
The relief pitcher from Gulfport entered Tuesday’s game in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead and didn’t allow a hit in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out one.
Holder, who has seven saves, hasn’t allow a run and needs just one more save to break into the school’s top 10 all-time for a season.
Cohen said the most impressive part of Holder’s outing was his ability to sit through the Bulldogs’ six-run ninth and retire the Razorbacks in order in the bottom half of the inning.
“I’m so proud of him because that last inning took a lot of time and that’s good, but that freshman is over there saying I want to get back out there,” Cohen said. “The more time that elapses gives him more time to cool his core body temperature down. It’s just so impressive for him after all that time for him to get it back in the strike zone.”
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