STARKVILLE — The idea started as a self-deprecating joke. It ended in Riley Self doing something he’s never done before — and doing so wildly successfully.
Before this weekend, Mississippi State’s freshman relief pitcher had never pitched in all three games of a three-game series and had never pitched in two games in the same day. He did it all in impressive fashion, allowing just three hits, one run and no walks over a total of 4 innings pitched; all of his innings came in high-leverage situations as he helped MSU (28-14, 13-5 Southeastern Conference) sweep Alabama (15-25, 2-16 SEC).
“After the first game (of Friday’s doubleheader), we (Self and MSU coach Andy Cannizaro) kind of joked around, ‘Hey, be ready for the second game,'” Self said. “I told Coach I feel good, so he could use me. He was like, ‘Really?'”
Cannizaro took Self at his word, using him to record five outs in the first game then for three more in the second, throwing a total of 43 pitches in the outings. Self said he didn’t feel physically tired — he’s thrown 40 or more pitches in four outings this year — just, “mentally drained.”
Self got his outs in a unique way.
“I threw fastballs every single pitch,” he said. “No breaking balls, all fastballs.”
Gridley relishes Rooker’s walks
By this point, as the SEC’s well-established best sluggers, Brent Rooker has been receiving his fair share of walks. Some are declared intentional, some might as well be as pitchers make an effort to stay out of the strike zone.
In either scenario, the result is an at-bat with at least one runner on base for shortstop Ryan Gridley. He knows better than to take it as an insult, as if the opponent is anxious to get him in the batter’s box; he simply treats it as an opportunity.
“I love it. It’s awesome,” Gridley said. “I know it’s coming most of the time, I mean the guy’s hitting .420-whatever, Golden Spike whatever, so they’re going to want to face me. It just gives me a chance to show what I can do, so it fires me up.”
Gridley added he does not change his approach in those at-bats: “Stay aggressive, look for a pitch up in the zone, get ready to drive it.”
Gridley took advantage in his first such opportunity of the weekend, giving MSU a tying run in the third of Thursday’s game. After Rooker was walked on four pitches, Gridley laid down a bunt single that forced a throwing error, scoring Rooker.
Cannizaro enjoyed bobblehead giveaway
The first 1,000 fans into the stadium for Thursday’s series opener were treated to a bobblehead of Cannizaro with a dumbbell in his hand. Cannizaro, well noted in the college baseball community for his enjoyment of weightlifting, loved it, but with one exception.
“I told our marketing guy Rhett (Hobart), I said I was a little disappointed that the dumbbell was only 50 pounds, it kind of undersold me a little bit, you’ve got to give me more credit than that,” Cannizaro joked. “I think my wife Allison will probably make fun of me for the rest of my life for having a bobblehead; (his daughters) Gabriel and Pierce are pretty excited, they can’t wait to get one.”
Pilkington in a slump?
MSU’s ace starting pitcher Konnor Pilkington maintains one of the best earned run averages in the conference, 3.30, but for the most part of conference play it has done nothing but rise.
Pilkington started conference play by throwing an eight-inning complete game and a season-high 125 pitches in a loss at Arkansas; since then, three of Pilkington’s five starts have featured three or more earned runs allowed while never pitching seven or more innings, something he did in four of his first five starts including at Arkansas.
In his four starts before Arkansas, Pilkington had a walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) of 0.923; in the five starts since, it’s 1.077.
Pilkington downplayed the idea of the Arkansas outing impacting his performance since.
“I just felt like I need to keep working on my game, my leg strength, my rhythm and everything and keeping the ball down in the zone,” he said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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