STARKVILLE — Life can be daunting for a freshman baseball player in the Southeastern Conference.
So when Ryan Gridley, a middle infielder from Macon, Georgia, arrived at Mississippi State last fall, he was looking for help.
That help arrived in the form of MSU’s team captain.
“The first person who reached out to me and started to hit with me was Seth Heck,” Gridley said. “That really meant a lot to me. (It) showed me he is a leader on this team. He leads in the weight room, leads in the locker room. He is the definition of a leader.”
Such is the impact of Heck on MSU’s baseball team. It’s a spot he has earned in 12 months since arriving in Starkville as a junior college transfer from Tacoma (Wash.) Community College. As a junior last season, Heck became the heir apparent to former shortstop Adam Frazier, turning in a .299 batting average while fielding at a .984 clip in the final 55 games, all starts.
Less than a month before the 2015 season opens Feb. 13 against Cincinnati, Heck finds himself as one of MSU’s most consistent weapons and one of its most valuable leaders.
“I’m in a more familiar setting,” Heck said. “I know what it’s like to play at this level. I know what to expect, I know what the coaches expect. I know what the crowds are going to be like, what the atmosphere is going to be like. I think that helps in being more comfortable.”
While Heck’s consistency — he struck out 23 times and hit .302 in the SEC play — will be key, it’s the intangible leadership quality that sets the Tacoma, Washington, native apart.
“Seth is a special, special person,” MSU coach John Cohen said in the fall. “He is also a young man who doesn’t make Bs (in the classroom). He is a straight-A student. He is coming off being the SEC Scholar-Athlete. He was first-team defensive All-SEC. If he gets to a ball, he is going to make the out. He doesn’t do it due to great arm strength or great range. He just has a nose for the ball.”
For a squad looking to return to the College World Series, a place MSU visited two seasons ago in advancing to the Championship Series, Heck’s versatility and calming influence could be critical. The Bulldogs have one of the country’s most balanced rosters as far as experience goes, boasting eight seniors, 10 juniors, 10 sophomores, and 10 freshmen.
Heck believes that balance could make a difference in a year he said will only be successful “If we win a national championship.”
“We have a mix of guys who have been there before and know how to handle it, and we have a mix of guys that are younger, extremely talented,” Heck said. “We have the veterans to lead these younger guys and show them what to do.”
Far from home
Heck arrived in Starkville the fall prior to the 2014 season. He quickly assimilated to life in the Deep South, saying, “When I went home for Christmas break, all my friends and family said they could tell I had been living down South. Apparently, I was saying some words differently. But I love it here. I’m used to the people, the way they treat you, and the food.”
Despite blending in off the field, Heck didn’t get his chance immediately. Instead, he watched as Cohen tried several combinations at shortstop early in the season. It wasn’t until the ninth game of the year that Heck received his first start. He then started every game the rest of the way.
“There was definitely an aspect of me having to prove myself,” Heck said. “I come from the Pacific Northwest, which is not typically a region that Mississippi State recruits, so I wasn’t the type of player fans here are used to.”
Heck proved himself by delivering hits in 61 of 204 at-bats and scoring 30 runs. He also provided lockdown defense up the middle. All the while, he flashed a gritty, hard-nosed style of play that endeared him to MSU fans and Bulldogs’ coaches.
“They always joke the Cohen-type player is not as physically gifted as maybe others in the SEC, but he’s a guy that finds a way to get the job done in other ways,” Heck said. “I think that fits me.”
As well as he fit into MSU’s style of play, MSU also turned out to be the perfect fit for Heck. Lightly recruited out of high school and junior college, Heck finally began to generate interest, which came from Cohen. Heck fell in love with the school and the program on his official visit to the school.
“There’s nothing like this out in the Northwest,” Heck said. “Mississippi State was one of the first schools that really showed interest. They brought me down here on a visit. They showed me the facilities, showed me the stadium, showed me the Left Field Lounge. … It was just nothing like any of the stadiums I had known in college baseball. In the Northwest, the support and the crowds and the atmosphere are not nearly the same.”
Heck believes he made tremendous strides offensively in the offseason, an opinion shared by Cohen.
“He stays on the breaking ball better,” Cohen said. “He has gotten better strength at the point of contact.”
For the 5-foot-11, 187-pound Heck, any offensive improvements have been a result of hard work, work that is ramping up with the season approaching. Even with the work being put in, Heck believes the experience of playing in the SEC will make a difference.
“I think just having the year of experience will allow me to make adjustments within a game, within a weekend, and even throughout the season as far as recognizing how pitchers are attacking me,” Heck said. “Now they have a year’s worth of scouting reports they can go and look at and try to find ways to attack me. I think my experience will help me counter that.”
Heck maturity and improvement could be a key for a MSU team that will try to erase the memory of a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in the NCAA Regional. With seniors like Heck, left-handed pitcher Ross Mitchell, and first baseman Wes Rea leading the way, Collegiate Baseball has MSU No. 20 in its preseason rankings.
“We are excited,” Heck said. “We are definitely ready. It’s a month away, and it’ll be here before we know it. I think we still have some spots where we have a bunch of guys competing to fill those spots. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s just that we have some depth and guys have to fight for their spot.”
For Heck’s teammates, particularly the younger ones, the story about him isn’t about his defense, though it’s a strength. It’s not his offense, though he’s expected to be a key table-setter. Instead, it’s his ability to lead through words and, more importantly, through actions.
“I think he is vocal. He says the things he needs to say,” Gridley said. “He also is the type of guy who’s going to get here first, who’s going to take every rep at full speed. Then he’s going to take more reps when nobody is looking. That’s the mark of a true leader.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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