STARKVILLE — Reid Humphreys is getting into a groove at the plate.
The Mississippi State baseball junior didn’t live up to expectations as a freshman and sophomore, but he had obstacles to overcome, whether it was injuries or adjusting to the speed of the college game. But it was a learning experience that prepared him for the here and now.
Humphreys showed how far he has come going 3-for-5 with two home runs and two RBIs as the No. 10 Bulldogs beat Georgia 9-2 Thursday night at Dudy Noble Field to open a three-game Southeastern Conference series.
“(Coordinator of baseball camps Will) Coggin has done a good job of giving me some things to do on the side,” Humphreys said. “I feel good, but a lot of these guys have been behind me the whole year and really encouraged me.”
The 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi came to MSU with high expectations and he was expected to make an immediate impact. He hit .241 with one home run and eight RBIs as a freshman and .247 with five home runs and 27 RBIs as a sophomore.
But he was learning how to compete in the SEC and seeing the different types of spin pitchers used, something MSU coach John Cohen said current San Diego Padre Hunter Renfroe was dealing with his first two years on campus. Renfore broke out as a junior and was taken 13th overall by the Padres in the Major League Baseball First-Year Draft in 2013.
Cohen really believes it was playing every day this past summer that helped Humphreys the most.
“I think the other thing that helped with Reid is this was the first summer he was able to play summer baseball because of a few injuries he had,” Cohen said. “Playing in the Cape (Cape Cod League), seeing good stuff day in and day out up in the Cape and realizing he is a premier player.”
Humphreys has hit three home runs in the last five games this is his second two-home run game in his career (March 22, 2015 at Kentucky).
Tied at 1-1 in the fourth inning, the Brandon native hit a solo home run to left field to give MSU (16-6-1, 3-1 SEC) a 2-1 lead. Humphreys has had two robbed in left field already and he said he wasn’t sure it was out until he rounded second base.
“He didn’t hit that ball that good and it still got out of here,” Cohen said. “That tells you how strong he is.”
That led to a seven-run inning and seven-straight hits for MSU, which took an 8-1 lead.
Humphreys doesn’t believe his home run was the spark but felt like it shifted the momentum to MSU’s side permanently.
“Everybody was taking good swings,” Humphreys said. “It wasn’t a matter of loosening up, it gave us a reason to loosen up, but everybody came out swinging it well.”
Gavin Collins had a two-run single, Jack Kruger and Elih Marrero had RBI doubles and Jacob Robson and Luke Alexander had RBI singles in the fourth.
After taking a 1-0 lead on a Nathaniel Lowe groundout in the second, MSU starting pitcher Dakota Hudson allowed Georgia (14-9, 1-3) to tie things with an RBI single by Trevor Kieboom in the fourth.
Hudson said when he got to the dugout, he was met by some of his teammates.
“I had two guys come up to me, I think it was Gavin and (Brent) Rooker, and they said, ‘Hey, we’re going to get you some runs right here, don’t worry about it.’ They ended up getting seven so you can’t argue with that,” Hudson said.
Hudson (3-1) recorded his fourth quality start with seven innings, one unearned run on eight hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Hudson has not allowed an earned run in 21 2/3 innings.
Humphreys hit a solo home run to right-center field in the seventh and had a double in the second.
MSU had 15 hits, with Robson, Kruger, Lowe and Marrero each having two.
“We scored a lot of runs and we got a lot of hits from other guys and it kind of made it easier for everyone else to loosen up,” Humphreys said.
MSU and Georgia play 6:30 p.m. today (SEC Network+) as MSU tries to clinch the series.
Humphreys said with the talent MSU has it will be someone else who steps up today, but Cohen likes where Humphreys is right now and wouldn’t be surprised if he stepped up again.
“When he’s squaring balls up to the pull side and the opposite way, he’s a tough guy to try and pitch to,” Cohen said. “He’s worked so hard on his swing with coach Coggin and coach (Nick) Mingione. He has really figured his swing out for right now. He may never truly have it figured out, but he’s got a good swing working right now and I’m really proud of his progress.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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