BY BEN PORTNOY
Sophomore Rowdey Jordan’s name echoed across Dudy Noble Field in the early stages of Saturday’s 7-2 win over Central Michigan.
His second RBI single of the day in the second inning brought the chants to a fever pitch.
“Rowdey! Rowdey! Rowdey!” the Mississippi State faithful roared.
“He’s huge,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis said of what Jordan adds to the lineup. “He’s a really special hitter.”
After his second big night in as many days, Jordan is now 6-for-9 with five RBIs and a home run in this year’s NCAA tournament.
For a player who has struggled mightily for much of 2019, this weekend has been a validation of the talent he flashed as a freshman.
In his inaugural campaign in Starkville, Jordan batted .321 with 37 RBIs, 15 doubles and seven home runs.
This year had been a stark contrast from last season’s freshman All-American numbers until recently.
Jordan exited the opening series of 2019 against Youngstown State batting .250. From there, his average sporadically declined, bottoming out at .151 on March 19 against Arkansas-Little Rock.
Since then, Jordan has steadily improved, reaching the .300 mark with a 4-for-5, three RBI night against Southern.
Saturday, his recent tear continued. Jordan finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He now has multi-hit games in eight of his last 10 games and his average has climbed to .306.
“He’s done it two years in a row in college and the last two nights have been great,” Lemonis said of Jordan executing at the plate.
With Jordan’s emergence, MSU now boasts eight players hitting .300 or better in the starting lineup.
Senior Elijah MacNamee and sophomore Jordan Westburg are the only two starters below the mark, though both are close at .293 and .295, respectively.
Following last week’s SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama, there were legitimate questions as to where MSU’s offense stood.
The Bulldogs had combined for just eight runs in three games during the tournament, with Westburg and senior Jake Mangum slumping hard.
But with the emergence of Jordan’s bat in the back end of the MSU lineup, the Bulldogs’ bats have come alive — totaling 18 runs on in two games of regional play.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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