STARKVILLE — The X-rays for Hunter Renfroe delivered good and bad news for the Mississippi State University baseball program.
MSU coach John Cohen revealed the bad news is the junior outfielder has “a very, very small fracture” in his throwing hand. Renfroe suffered the injury Saturday afternoon after he was hit in the hand with a pitch in a 8-2 victory against Samford University. He stayed in the game and also played in the nightcap of the doubleheader against Purdue University.
Renfroe, who leads No. 5 MSU (9-0) in home runs (two), RBIs (nine), extra-base hits (five), and slugging percentage (.750), was held out of the lineup Sunday for the first time this season, and was seen in the dugout with a protective wrap on his right hand.
“He said he could’ve played and came up to me (Sunday morning) and said, ‘Coach it’s really sore, but I can play today,’ ” Cohen said after an 8-1 victory against Samford. “We decided to not risk it and let Derrick (Armstrong) get his first career start out of the way.”
The good news is MSU team doctors and coaches believe Renfroe may not miss significant playing time. According to texts from Cohen to The Dispatch, the fracture is located on one of the small bones on the opposite of the palm and doesn’t restrict him from gripping a bat or ball comfortably. Renfroe could be fitted for a right hand/wrist support brace if he chooses to play right away. The fracture also is small enough that it could heal in the 18 days before MSU opens Southeastern Conference play March 15 against No. 9 LSU (6-1) in Starkville.
Renfroe got the hand X-rayed early Monday morning. Cohen told The Dispatch the coaches feel he could play this weekend against St. Joseph’s University in a four-game series that starts Friday evening at Dudy Noble Field.
Players had Monday off to prepare for the first of back-to-back games against the University of Rhode Island (0-6) at 4 p.m. today.
“The concern about (Renfroe’s injury) doesn’t reach a high level until somebody on our medical staff comes to me and says we have a big problem here, and that hasn’t happened,” Cohen said Sunday.
Injuries haven’t been an issue for Renfroe in his three-year career at MSU.. Last season, he started 60 of 61 games. He even took over in center field after C.T. Bradford twice went to the disabled list with a shoulder injury that needed offseason surgery to correct.
Wes Rea, Renfroe’s protection in the middle of the order, could return to the starting lineup today from a quad injury he suffered before the end of spring scrimmages. Rea has been used late in games as a defensive replacement, but he hasn’t started in the past seven games.
“Whether we decide to (use Rea today or Wednesday) is something we’ve haven’t decided,” Cohen said.
Rea, who has suffered shoulder injuries in each of his first two seasons at MSU hoped to stay healthy to provide power in the middle of the order with Renfroe, junior Daryl Norris, and senior designated hitter Trey Porter.
In his first swing this season, Rea homered in a 16-1 victory against the University of Portland in the season opener.
In Rea’s absence, junior Alex Detz has started seven straight games at first base, a position he played for the first time three weeks ago in the final spring scrimmages. Detz hit .324 with a .451 on-base percentage in 2012 for Cuesta (Calif.) College. Since getting the start last Saturday, Detz is hitting .316 with seven RBIs, two doubles, and seven walks. He also has played errorless defense.
NOTES: In addition to its ranking in the Baseball America poll (No. 5), MSU is No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, No. 10 in the NCBWA writers’ poll, and No. 13 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches’ poll. … WKBB-FM (100.9), the flagship station for MSU athletics, will carry today’s game, while WNMQ-FM (103.1) will air Wednesday’s game. Live audio and multi-camera video streaming for the two games will also be available online to HailStateTV subscribers (http://www.hailstate.com/hstvlive).
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