STARKVILLE — KC Hunt’s return to the East Coast was spent on sacred baseball ground at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, where he spent his first day of practice with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League.
A die-hard Yankees fan, Hunt still found a way to appreciate the moment.
“That was my second time playing there,” Hunt said. “But it was a cool experience being there again.”
There sure are a lot of worse things that Hunt, a relief pitcher for Mississippi State, could be doing with his summer. He could be filling out job applications and ironing suits and ties. Could be working on his “hitter’s swing” golf game, like so many retired baseball players.
Hunt wants no part of either of those things right now. That’s why he’s back in Boston, pitching in the Cape Cod League for the second time.
This was never Hunt’s plan, until it had to be.
“I was planning to keep playing college baseball, hopefully through Omaha,” Hunt told The Dispatch in a recent phone interview. “That didn’t work out, so I didn’t really have a plan. I sat down with my Dad and worked out a way to continue playing. I felt like Falmouth was the best spot.”
At the root of Hunt’s decision to play another year of summer ball is the MLB Draft. It had been nearly a month since MSU’s season ended on May 20 with a home loss to Texas A&M. Hunt’s season ended two days earlier when he threw 102 pitches in 4 2/3 innings of relief in a walk-off win over the Aggies. Hunt’s year ended on a positive note, allowing 2 earned runs in 10 innings across his last four appearances, but he still finished the season with an 8.54 earned run average, his highest since 2020, when he made one appearance as a true freshman before the pandemic ended the year.
Going to The Cape was a fresh start at a crucial time in his baseball career.
“It was a down year for almost everyone, but looking to get a clean start,” Hunt said. “I think the repertoire is pretty good, and the pitches are pretty good.”
In three appearances so far with Falmouth, Hunt, from Mahwah, New Jersey, has thrown 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out 11 batters. It’s numbers that scouts want to see leading into July’s MLB Draft.
It’s numbers that scouts did see two summers ago in his first Cape stint, where he pitched 11 1/3 innings, striking out 14 and allowing seven earned runs (six of which came in one outing).
A year later, Hunt was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
“I was at a high school track running with my girlfriend and brother and got a call saying the Pirates were taking me,” Hunt said. “It was pretty cool. But it’s the same thing this year. I had to go play again and hope to see what happens.”
Hunt hopes another month against college hitters, in the most pro-ready summer baseball league there is, gets the attention of big-league scouts again.
“I haven’t heard much (so far),” Hunt said. “Usually when it comes closer to the draft they will reach out. But I just wanted to have their eyes seen on me for as long as I could. We haven’t been playing for over a month now, so I feel like just playing and showing what I have would help me. Just get eyes on me and from there, see what happens.”
Hunt, who’s been in Starkville for four seasons, does have an option to return, due to that lost COVID year.
He said there is a compelling case, after the hiring of Justin Parker from South Carolina as the program’s new pitching coach.
“It’s a big-time hire,” he said. “Especially getting him from a really good SEC opponent this year. It’s an awesome hire for coach Lemonis and everyone. I haven’t talked with him yet, but I am sure he is making his calls. I am excited for everyone. It could weigh a little into my decision.”
Ultimately, Hunt hopes the draft makes that decision for him.
“I’m open to coming back, but the goal is to play professional ball,” Hunt said. “Kind of go from there and see what happens in July.”
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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