STARKVILLE — Baseball season is upon us.
After a year’s worth of uncertainty and a season that was stopped in its tracks, Mississippi State is scheduled to open its season Saturday against No. 9 Texas as part of the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
With a slew of returners and a number of new faces that should make an immediate impact, MSU has one of its most talented rosters in recent memory. That said, let’s dive into who the Bulldogs will trot out on Opening Day.
Infield
If there are any question marks for the No. 7-ranked Bulldogs, it’s in the infield. MSU must replace first-round MLB draft picks Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg at second base and shortstop, respectively, in addition to the pop they brought in the middle of the order the past three years.
But for as big as the holes are left by Foscue and Westburg, they should be fillable. Jacksonville graduate transfer second baseman Scotty Dubrule has 194 starts in 197 career games for the Dolphins. Dubrule also ranks second nationally among active players with 249 career hits, while his 770 at-bats, 197 games played and 138 runs scored stand second, third and 15th in the country.
At shortstop, hard-swinging freshman Kamren James is the most logical option to slide into Westburg’s spot after he spent the bulk of last year’s COVID-19-shortened campaign at third base. James flashed impressive range and athleticism on the corner of the infield a year ago and adds a similar power profile to what Westburg brought in the middle of the lineup.
As for the rest of the infield, first base will fall on junior Josh Hatcher, one of three fourth-year juniors alongside Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan who, in a normal year, would be off playing professional ball.
Catcher could be a rotation of sorts between Logan Tanner and Luke Hancock. Both players saw action a season ago and flash similar skill sets at the plate.
Third base is perhaps the biggest position battle of any for MSU between freshman Kellum Clarke and sophomore Landon Jordan. Jordan has been a utility player throughout his MSU career but has an impressive feel at the plate and could be a candidate for a breakout spring, if he’s afforded the opportunity.
Clarke falls into a similar category as Hatcher, Allen and Rowdey Jordan. Rated among the best high school prospects in the 2020 MLB draft, Clarke instead decided to go to college in a huge get for head coach Chris Lemonis and his staff.
Outfield
Though a few positions remain an ongoing competition in the infield, MSU’s outfield is generally settled. After transitioning to the outfield a season ago, Allen should again stick in right field, while Jordan will enter his second year in the center field spot vacated by MSU legend Jake Mangum after the 2019 campaign.
Left field is the lone slot in the outfield that should see much of a rotation. One-time junior college transfer Brandon Pimentel struggled to a .183 average in 13 starts a season ago but showed serious home run power in the shortened season.
JUCO transfer Brayland Skinner should also see some time, whether that’s spelling Jordan in center or as a starter in right. Skinner was a late addition from Northwest Mississippi Community College who Lemonis said was initially signed to replace Jordan in center had he gone off to pro ball. With both back in the fold, Skinner gives MSU an interesting defensive utility piece.
Pitching
To say MSU’s pitching staff is loaded is almost an understatement. Speaking with Starkville Rotary Club on Tuesday, Lemonis said as many as 14-15 players on staff have touched 95 miles per hour on the radar gun this offseason.
MSU’s starting staff should see some changes in the midweek, but the weekend staff stacks up with the best of them nationally. Sophomore Christian MacLeod dazzled onlookers with a 0.86 ERA in 21 innings pitched a season ago. Now back for another year, MacLeod should anchor the staff as the Bulldogs’ Friday starter — a spot vacated by MLB draft pick JT Ginn.
Also in the weekend rotation will be sophomore Eric Cerantola and Will Bednar. Cerantola has spent the bulk of his MSU career on a steady trajectory. Struggling with command as a freshman, he improved on his location and showed top-level stuff before last season came to a close. Scouts have told Lemonis that Cerantola’s spin rate is the highest in college baseball, and should he be able to control his off-speed pitches while backing it up with a fastball that can reach 97 miles per hour, he’ll be as good as any starter in America.
Bednar arrived at MSU as a possible weekend guy and proved it in a short stint. The Pennsylvania native boasted a nearly 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio in four appearances last season and is the most likely candidate to be MSU’s Sunday starter.
Other possible starters this season could include freshman Landon Sims — who Lemonis has called the team’s X-factor on multiple occasions this offseason — seventh-year senior Carlisle Koestler and former Itawamba Community College starter Houston Harding.
In the bullpen, MSU has an embarrassment of riches, including sixth-year senior Spencer Price, senior Riley Self and sophomore Brandon Smith. Sims should also see action as a long reliever.
Other names to know include Jaxen Forester, Jared Shemper and Chase Patrick, all of whom saw significant time out of the pen last spring. Freshmen Jackson Fristoe and Mikey Tepper should also see some innings as well.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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