STARKVILLE — The Central Michigan baseball team was threatening.
With Mississippi State leading 6-2, senior third baseman Marshall Gilbert ranged to his left and sprawled his glove out. Swiping down, he snatched a low, hard-hit grounder and flung it to sophomore second baseman Justin Foscue. With a quick transition and a snap throw, Foscue fired to sophomore Tanner Allen at first base.
Just like that, CMU’s threat was eliminated.
For a team that struggled defensively in the middle infield early in 2019, the play was latest display of fluidity and sharpness from the Bulldogs.
Last weekend in the NCAA tournament’s Starkville Regional, top-seeded and No. 6 national seed MSU had two double plays in key moments. The first was the aforementioned 5-6-3 turn. The second occurred in the sixth inning Sunday in 5-2 victory against Miami.
On a ball hit toward shortstop, sophomore Jordan Westburg secured it, made the transfer, and threw to Foscue at second. Tapping the base, Foscue delivered a strike to Allen for the Bulldogs’ second double play of the night.
“He is turning that double play and cutting down that distance as good as a guy as I have had,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis said of Foscue.
Although Miami’s Gabe Rivera scored from third, the double play gave redshirt junior reliever Trysten Barlow the defensive backing he needed to escape a bases-loaded jam. He then retired Alex Toral on a fly out on the next pitch.
MSU’s recent propensity for double plays is three-fold. First, there’s Gilbert’s transition from catcher to third.
Stuck behind junior Dustin Skelton, the senior shagged balls on the corner during batting practice midway through the year. After coaches took notice, Gilbert was thrust into a rotation with junior Gunner Halter and freshman Landon Jordan. It didn’t last long. Gilbert has started 17 games in a row and has 27 assists in that time.
Foscue’s move from third to second has stabilized the right side of the infield. In 31 games at second and third base, his fielding percentage jumped from .887 at third to .997 at second. Foscue has 86 assists and three errors at second. Halter, whom he replaced, posted 39 assists and had five errors in 28 games.
“Shame on me probably for putting Justin Foscue at third base earlier in the year,” Lemonis said. “But moving him to second base has been a huge part of our defense getting a little bit better.”
Westburg also has settled down at shortstop. Struggling through a slump at the plate in the past month, he has committed only three errors in his last 33 games. He had nine errors in his first 28 games.
With the middle-infield defense playing as cleanly as it has all season, coupled with an offense that appears to have added senior center fielder Jake Mangum and Westburg out of their slumps, MSU appears to be peaking ahead of this weekend’s Super Regional showdown against No. 11 national seed Stanford at Dudy Noble Field. The winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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