STARKVILLE — Denver McQuary has the talent to become a consistent starting pitcher in the Southeastern Conference.
But the right-hander from Houston lacked the confidence to realize that potential early in his freshman season with the Mississippi State baseball team.
With seven regular-season games remaining, McQuary has come into his own thanks to hard work, dedication, and help from the coaches. As a result, he has become MSU’s starting pitcher for the second game of SEC weekend series.
McQuary’s next start, his second consecutive in that role, will come at 3 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) when No. 6 MSU (32-17, 16-8 SEC) takes on Georgia (20-29, 7-17 SEC). The three-game series in Athens, Georgia, begins at 6 p.m. Friday.
McQuary (2-1, 3.57 earned run
average in 16 games) has drastically improved since he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen between March 21 and April 25.
“The confidence leads to really good pitches,” MSU catcher Josh Lovelady said. “He’s throwing a really good breaking ball. The fastball is staying down in the zone and getting swung through.”
McQuary arrived at MSU as one of the state’s most decorated all-around athletes. As a defensive back at Houston High, he started all four years and left as the state record holder for interceptions. A few months later, McQuary started on the mound and led the Houston High baseball team to a state championship.
Those accomplishments helped McQuary believe he would hit, play in the field, and pitch for MSU. In the fall. MSU’s coaches told McQuary he would focus on pitching. After receiving the news, McQuary turned to Houston High baseball coach Scott Gann.
“He took it as, ‘They don’t think I can play defense or hit at this level,’ ” Gann said. “I told him pitching is your ticket.”
It took a few weeks for McQuary to buy in, but once he did, the results were obvious. From March 28 to now, McQuary has shaved nearly a run off his ERA. Moving from the bullpen to a starting role has accelerated that drop. In starts against Ole Miss in Pearl and at Texas A&M, McQuary threw a combined 10 1/3 innings and allowed three runs and eight hits.
“The one thing I worked on coming out of those weeks is an out pitch,” McQuary said. “I don’t really have an out pitch. I have a breaking ball. It’s not really swing and miss, but I have a breaking ball. We’ve been working on the slider more. That’s what you have to have as a starter to get you through at-bats, that out pitch.”
As McQuary’s confidence in his five-pitch arsenal grows, MSU pitching coach Gary Henderson sees some of those pitches as works in progress. Henderson sees them as short-term projects, saying he thinks McQuary could have command to throw all of them for consistent strikes as early as next spring.
The returns have come as McQuary’s stamina has increased. McQuary went six innings in his first two starts in March. Since then, he has pitched at least five innings in his last two starts.
McQuary credits the progress to long toss sessions and pushing for more in bullpens. Henderson credits a mental tweak.
“He’s done a really good job of staying calm,” Henderson said. “I think the stuff getting better is as much a product of relaxation, the process of throwing one pitch at a time and really being focused as opposed to all out, throwing everything I got at you every single time.”
McQuary finds it much easier to settle into that process with the support of his coaches. Before he learned he would start against Texas A&M, McQuary said MSU coach Andy Cannizaro texted him the night before to express confidence in him. That’s why McQuary now attacks starts with no fear.
“You see freshmen come in here and be intimidated by a lot of stuff, but I try to come in here and not be intimidated by anything,” McQuary said. “I say to myself, ‘Here’s my best, and you can’t hit my best. If I give you my best, you can’t hit it.’ ”
MSU will hold Dudy Noble Field celebration series vs. LSU
MSU will hold Dudy Noble Field Celebration Series when it plays host to LSU in a three-game set on May 18-20 in Starkville.
The Thursday-Saturday series will celebrate the history of Dudy Noble Field and MSU baseball prior to the start of construction on the school’s new stadium after the end of this season. Game times are 6 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday, and 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
MSU will honor its seniors on the field, highlight the greatest fans in college baseball, and welcome Diamond Dawg greats from all generations.
A host of events and activities are planned. More information will be announced as the weekend nears. Thursday will honor the seniors who brought MSU to the top of the SEC. On Friday, the fans who have built the best atmosphere in college baseball will be recognized. On Saturday, the legends who created the Carnegie Hall of College Baseball will be honored.
General admission tickets to the weekend series, which includes a post-game ceremony Saturday, are available for $10 per game. They can be purchased in advance through the MSU Ticket Office. Reserved, chair-back seating is sold out. All MSU Students and Bully’s Kids Club members will be admitted free.
With a large crowd expected, those purchasing general admission tickets are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat.
Fans are asked to be respectful of the facility and refrain from defacing it or taking any mementos. As we look to the future of Dudy Noble Field, many historical aspects of the facility will be re-purposed as a part of our new home, and items that aren’t going to be re-purposed will be made available for fans at an appropriate time.
Cannizaro and the 2017 squad welcomes all former Diamond Dawgs who played at Dudy Noble Field for the event. All Bulldog Baseball Alumni are asked to RSVP in advance. In addition to being part of the post-game ceremony Saturday, alumni will be invited to participate in a pre-game luncheon and will receive a special weekend memento from the baseball team.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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