STARKVILLE — Jesse McCord just wanted another chance.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman right-hander from Spanish Fort, Alabama, made the most of it Tuesday afternoon.
McCord rebounded from a disappointing debut in the Mississippi State baseball team’s third game of the season to throw 5 2/3 innings in a 10-2 win against Alcorn State at Dudy Noble Field.
McCord, who gave up four runs in the first two innings of his start against Cincinnati on Feb. 14, struck out six and allowed three hits to get the win.
“I just wanted to get back out there, get another chance,” McCord said. “It was fun to get out there with the guys again, build a little confidence back out there.”
McCord, sophomores Austin Sexton and Zac Houston, and freshman Logan Elliot combined to allow only four hits to help No. 14 MSU improve to 9-0.
McCord labored at times. He gave up a solo home run to catcher Dervincent Hamilton in the third and allowed another run in the sixth, but he was composed and calm, the complete opposite of his first outing.
“I thought it was really important tonight Jesse go out and have a quality start,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “We just really believe he’s going to be a great pitcher. When you have a true freshman, is he going to be great in a week, a month, or a year? You just don’t know, but he really gave us some signs tonight that he’s going to be a great pitcher.”
McCord said he had to keep it simple if he was going to make the most of his second start.
“I just needed to get into a rhythm, throw strikes,” McCord said. “I got into a rhythm a few times, but I still struggled with my fastball and my curveball. But it was much better than the last time I was out there.”
McCord was part of the story on a day MSU became the first Division I team in the country to reach 9-0. The other part of the story was freshman second baseman Ryan Gridley, who had a career-high four hits, including an RBI double in the sixth that helped MSU gain separation.
Gridley, who is from Milton, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, entered the game with nine hits in his first 17 at-bats. Seven games into his MSU career, Gridley has 13 hits in 22 at-bats and has scored 12 runs, which is second on the team. He scored two more runs and had two RBIs Tuesday.
“I just try to put good swings on the ball and keep my barrel flat,” Gridley said. “Good things are happening. I think it’s credited to the coaches because they prepare us so well. The offseason workouts, all the drills we do, it’s brutal stuff, but it has really prepared me for the games.”
Gridley paced an offense that had 14 hits and scored double-digit runs for the fourth time in nine games. While Gridley wasn’t the only offensive hero — center fielder Jacob Robson, shortstop Seth Heck, and right fielder Jake Vickerson had two hits — Cohen noticed Gridley’s latest exploits.
“You really don’t have an expectation of freshmen, but we knew he was a gritty, gutty player who mixed in well with our guys from the minute he got here,” Cohen said. “The thing he does that most freshman don’t do is he makes the game simple. Most freshmen go out and overthink things, they start thinking about the wattage of the lights here at the stadium or how many blades of grass are on the field. He doesn’t do that. He keeps things simple, puts the barrel of the bat on the ball.”
Gridley’s performance came one day after he earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors for his work in wins against Alabama A&M and Marshall this past weekend.
But the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder said he isn’t focused on awards.
“It was a big deal for me to receive that,” Gridley said. “But now it’s over. To be honest with you, we need to move on. We have to play Arizona Friday, so I can’t look back on SEC Player of the Week because that’s behind us.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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