STARKVILLE — Ryan Gridley knows he is flying under the radar.
With the likes of Jake Mangum, Jack Kruger, Nathaniel Lowe, Gavin Collins, Reid Humphreys and Brent Rooker at the top of the Mississippi State baseball lineup, the shortstop sneaks up on opposing pitchers at the bottom of the lineup.
Gridley has benefited from the top of the order’s success and is having his best offensive season. Gridley and No. 3 MSU play at Troy 6 p.m. today in a non-conference game at Riddle-Pace Field.
“I like being at the bottom of the order because I like the pitchers to be like, ‘Maybe I can sneak one by him,'” Gridley said. “Maybe they’ll just throw me a fastball down the middle. I like being under the radar.”
Although the sophomore shortstop is eighth on the team with a .277 batting average, he has been a solid contributor. He has 27 RBIs and scored 23 runs. He has hit two home runs, including a solo home run in a 2-1 win over Florida to clinch the series in Gainesville.
MSU coach John Cohen was thinking about Gridley last week and how far he has come since he arrived on the MSU campus in the fall of 2014. Cohen said Gridley has improved in all facets of the game since last season.
“Ryan’s been great for us all year,” Cohen said. “He’s gotten huge hits, especially with two outs and two strikes. He’s such a great leader on our team and he hasn’t even been here two full years. I’m really proud of the progress he’s made. He’s a guy who’s really helped our club.”
The Bulldogs (33-14-1), who swept the Missouri Tigers over the weekend, will throw junior right-hander Zac Houston (3-0, 2.35 ERA), while the Trojans (27-21), who lost two of three to the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, will go with freshman right-hander Cory Gill (3-2, 2.72).
Gridley likes the makeup of the lineup, which is second in the SEC with a .307 batting average. Because of the lineup he feels like the Bulldogs have a “really good shot at winning something this year.”
Gridley hit .243 with 26 runs, 21 RBIs, 14 walks, nine doubles, four stolen bases and one home run on his way to being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team by the league’s coaches last season. He became the second Bulldog to earn the honor (Adam Frazier, 2011).
Coming from Milton, Georgia, where he played for Milton High School, his freshman season was a learning curve that he was glad to experience.
“It was really hard facing really good pitching last year,” Gridley said. “I’m just starting to get more aggressive this year. I was a little bit passive last year, letting pitches go by. I think it’s kind of taught me that I need to throw the first punch, rather than let someone punch me in the face in the beginning of an at bat.”
Over the summer, he played for the Waynesboro Generals of the Valley Baseball League in Virginia. He hit .325 with 15 runs, eight RBIs, four stolen bases, four walks and two doubles in 19 games. His knee was hurting him so he returned to Starkville before the summer was over and lifted weights on his own for an entire month.
He’s glad he did.
“I tried to gain a lot of weight and I ended up gaining 15 pounds and that’s really helped me be able to control my barrel and let the ball go where I want it to go,” Gridley said.
Gridley had a .957 fielding average with 11 errors last season. He has a .965 fielding average with eight errors this season and likes where his defense is. He has mainly played shortstop after playing second and shortstop on a rotating basis last season.
Gridley is happy to be on a team that is so successful after being a part of last season’s 24-30 club that missed the postseason. He doesn’t care about flying under the radar or not being recognized.
“To be honest with you, I just want to play. I don’t really care,” Gridley said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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