STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball program has already benefitted from the improbable once. In the coming days, it could happen again.
MSU’s already high expectations for the 2019 season were given a jolt when J.T. Ginn, the 30th overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, chose to pass that opportunity and enroll at MSU. It could do it again with Carter Stewart, the Eau Gallie, Florida, right-handed pitcher that was drafted 9th overall by the Atlanta Braves.
Stewart’s deadline to sign with the Braves passed a few weeks ago, meaning his options are to follow his commitment to MSU or enroll in a junior college, the latter giving him the opportunity to get to the minor leagues quicker.
“We’re talking with Carter, we’re working through some things,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis said. “It’s been a tough month for him and his family, as you can imagine, but we’re talking with Carter weekly. We’re still working on it.
“It’s going to be coming soon, because school will get started, but we don’t have a date that way.”
MSU’s registrar website lists August 1 as the deadline for a student’s enrollment specifics to be finalized; students risk class schedule cancellation if not fully enrolled by then.
Full staff
Foxhall’s introduction completed the first Lemonis staff at MSU.
Lemonis retained Jake Gautreau, the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, and filled his staff with two staffers from his Indiana tenure. He brought Kyle Cheesebrough to be the volunteer assistant/camp coordinator, who was an assistant and recruiting coordinator under Lemonis at Indiana, and brought his director of baseball operations, Roger Rodeheaver.
“Trust is a big piece, but he’s also a tremendous recruiter,” Lemonis said of Cheesebrough, who Lemonis coached at Louisville. “I haven’t seen him in three weeks, he’s been recruiting.”
MSU is expected to hire a strength and conditioning coach in the next week.
Faster under Foxhall
MSU’s new pitching coach Scott Foxhall may be best known for deep bullpens and efficient pitchers, but he also knows there are few equivalents for velocity. That’s why, in recent years, he has taken more of an interest in the strength and conditioning side of the program, using it to hopefully develop the velocity in his pitchers.
“You develop velocity like you develop anything else: you measure it, you measure it again and see what works for you,” Foxhall said. “I’ll work closely with (the strength and conditioning coach) and we’ll have a great relationship. Myself, the strength and conditioning coach and the trainer will talk constantly to make sure we’re doing the right thing with the pitchers.”
Two Bulldogs gone
Lemonis confirmed The Dispatch report from July 12 that pitcher Graham Ashcraft is transferring from the program, but added one more name that will be doing the same: outfielder Hunter Vansau.
The Crawford, Texas, native was a pivotal part of MSU’s 2017 team, growing into a starting role on that team’s run to the Baton Rouge Super Regional. In 2018, however, his .191 batting average bumped him out of the starting lineup by mid-April; he started just three times in May and June combined, amassing all of six at-bats in the NCAA tournament.
Lemonis also said the program is, “working through some things right now,” with starting shortstop Luke Alexander, things he cannot comment on. Alexander hit .221 last year but played the hero by record walk-off hits against Ole Miss twice and against Washington in MSU’s first game of the College World Series.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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