STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s baseball team capped a landmark weekend Saturday with a double-header win and weekend sweep of Youngstown State.
The Bulldogs (3-0) beat Youngstown 14-2 in Game 1 and 7-0 in Game 2. MSU crushed Youngstown 14-3 on Friday night after debuting statues of Bulldogs greats Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro outside of now-completed Dudy Noble Field.
The opening weekend results, along with a string of festivities to celebrate the “New Dude” and former MSU greats, contrasted a disastrous opening weekend just a year ago, when MSU traveled to Southern Miss and lost all three games while Dudy Noble Field was under construction. Their coach at the time, Andy Cannizaro, was embroiled in a personal scandal and resigned a day after the sweep.
The Bulldogs rebounded from the embarrassment and reached the College World Series, hired a new head coach in Chris Lemonis and debuted the completed, $50 million “New Dude” this weekend with a dominant sweep: MSU scored 36 runs on the weekend and gave up just five.
“Playing in front of the best fans in college baseball will give you an adrenaline rush and get your heart beating, and it gave us a lot of energy,” said Tanner Allen, who finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the nightcap Saturday.
Allen was part of a weekend explosion of offense, driving in 13 runs in three games. He put Game 2 away with a two-out, two-RBI double down the right field line to give MSU a 6-0 lead.
“When you got guys hitting in front of you like (Jake) Mangum, Rowdey (Jordan) and (Jordan) Westburg, you’re gonna get a lot of opportunities,” Allen said. “I took advantage of that this weekend.”
Lemonis said he expected MSU’s offense to be good, noting returning hitters Jake Mangum and Elijah Macnamee, but he was eager to integrate new hitters in the lineup, like freshmen Jordan Landon and Hayden Jones, who hit his first career home run in Game 2.
“I’ve been hoping for that next step,” Lemonis said. “… Putting them together as a group and playing as a unit, you’re seeing some guys do some special things.”
In the nightcap Saturday, Keegan James pitched five scoreless innings and gave up just four hits to earn the win for MSU. He struck out six and walked two.
“(James) pounded the zone and made pitches when he had to,” Lemonis said. “His velocity was really good, especially early. I thought he threw some nice curveballs later. He’s been working on his breaking ball a lot.”
Riley Self, Trysten Barlow, Jared Liebelt and Brandon Smith finished off the game with four strikeouts. They gave up just three hits over four innings.
Barlow was one of a pair of Bulldog pitchers to return from injury this weekend. He hurt his pithing arm last year against Jackson State. Game 2 on Saturday was his first appearance since then, and he finished with 19 pitches, two strikeouts and two hits conceded. Spencer Price, who had Tommy John surgery last year, pitched a scoreless inning, gave up one hit and struck out a pair in Game 1.
“It was emotional for (Price),” Lemonis said. “It took a lot for him getting out there.”
Lemonis will wait until Monday to name a starter for the Bulldogs’ game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Wednesday.
Game 1
MSU 14, Youngstown State 2
Mississippi State true freshman pitcher J.T. Ginn picked up his first win of the season, and Mississippi State beat Youngstown State 14-2.
Ginn, picked 30th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, made his first career start for the Bulldogs in the first game of Saturday’s double-header. Ginn pitched five innings, gave up two runs and struck out seven.
Ginn got off to a rocky start in the first inning, plunking Youngstown’s Cameron Murray in the head and giving up a two-out, two-run home run to Youngstown third baseman Blaze Glenn. But Ginn rebounded nicely, giving up just one more hit the rest of his way and facing no more than four batters before Jack Eagan replaced him in the sixth inning.
Ginn said he “had some butterflies” early in the game but settled in after giving up the homer.
“My fastball command was a lot better later in the game, and the breaking-ball, too,” Ginn said.
Ginn was a multi-position prospect coming out of Brandon High School, where he was a five-time letter-winner for former New Hope coach Stacy Hester. Ginn was the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018 after hitting .419 with nine homeruns, but it was his 5-1 pitching record and 0.36 earned run average that enticed scouts and coaches at MSU.
Ginn was one of four first-round picks in 2018 not to sign with their respective MLB club. He reportedly turned down a $2.4 million contract to attend MSU. Ginn will be eligible for the 2020 draft, but Saturday, he continued to set high expectations for his career as a Bulldogs starter, as MSU looks to replace starters Konnor Pilkington and Jacob Billingsley in the rotation.
Ginn said his first career start was “everything I imagined.”
“You can’t really beat this place,” Ginn said. “It’s awesome. The atmosphere, you can’t put it into words until you experience it.”
MSU scored its 14 runs through the first five innings, powered in the second inning by a Tanner Allen three-run home to right center after Youngstown starter Chad Coles hung one high in the middle of the plate. Allen had a three-RBI double in third, finishing 2 for 2 with six RBI, two runs and a walk.
Elijah Macnamee and Jake Mangum each went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.