STARKVILLE — Reid Humphreys saw last season how not having a closer affected the Mississippi State baseball team’s confidence.

It was evident in an 8-7 10-inning loss to Ole Miss on May 9. MSU led 7-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, but the Rebels scored five runs to force extra innings before winning in the next inning.

The loss epitomized the struggles of a team that had nine saves and only 15 opportunities because it didn’t have a reliable closer. This season, the Bulldogs have several options to fill the role, including Humphreys, who also will compete for playing time at third base and in the outfield.

Humphreys will have to wait a few more days to see if he gets the first call for No. 20 MSU’s season opener against Florida Atlantic at 4:30 p.m. Friday (SEC Network+) at Dudy Noble Field.

“Our whole season could have been completely different last year if we had success in the eighth and ninth innings,” said Humphreys, when asked about how not having a closer affected the team in a 24-30 season. “We were clearly missing that one piece. I think it is very important, and I think we have at least four guys in the running for that closer spot.”

MSU coach John Cohen and first-year pitching coach Wes Johnson also are considering junior right-hander Zac Houston, junior college transfer and right-hander Blake Smith, and sophomore right-hander Jacob Billingsley. Cohen and Johnson agree Houston has the ability to be a starter and might be used in save situations. Smith recorded a 0.45 ERA last season, the lowest single-season ERA in Shelton State (Ala.) Community College school history. Billingsley redshirted in 2014 and sat out last season after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his throwing shoulder.

Humphreys, a right-hander, hasn’t pitched since his junior season in 2012 at Northwest Rankin High School. He had Tommy John surgery before the 2013 season and didn’t pitch as a senior.

The 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi came to MSU as one of the top hitters in the state of Mississippi. He wasn’t expected to be a part of the pitching staff, but he decided to give pitching a try at the end of fall practice last year.

“I threw one bullpen and liked where I was, and we moved on from there,” Humphreys said. “Coach Johnson came in (to replace former pitching coach Butch Thompson) and has helped me come a long way from where I was. I feel really comfortable pitching now.”

Humphreys said he could always throw well, but he said he would be sore after 15 pitches. He said the soreness carried over for four days. Now, though, he said he hardly feels any soreness, which is due in part to the way Johnson treats his pitchers.

Johnson said MSU is bringing Humphreys along slowly and said he would be shocked if Humphreys threw more than one time this weekend. But he likes how Humphreys has developed and can see him being a force as a closer.

“He can be one of the best guys in the country. He’s got that kind of stuff,” Johnson said. “The question can is he do it with everything we need him to do in the field as well. That’s why were going to take it slow with him out of the gate. We’re going to need him toward the end of the season more than the beginning of the season.”

Humphreys said he wants to be in the lineup every day. He will get his chances in the outfield and at third base, but he feels Johnson has a good plan for him being a closer.

In a Feb. 5 scrimmage, Humphreys struck out two and topped out at 94 mph to pick up a save.

“I think Reid can be a one-inning save guy,” Cohen said. “He has a really good slider and has a great arm. In his first two years here, his arm was still coming back. Now his arm is where he wants it to be. He is smart enough to know how to take care of it. Coach Johnson has done a fabulous job of helping him manage his arm on a day-to-day basis, which is really important.”

The Bulldogs had 16 saves in 2014 and 24 in 2013 when they were runner-up to UCLA in the College World Series Championship Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Jonathan Holder had a single-season record 21 saves in 2013, and saved a school-record 37 games in his three-year career.

Humphreys said he is excited about the responsibility of finishing games. He said he hopes he can develop an attitude similar to the one that helped Holder be so successful.

“The last three outs are the toughest to get,” Humphreys said. “It is almost what you make it out to be. I think if you say, ‘I am going to go get these three outs like it is the first inning,’ then you will have success. I just want to go out there and get the job done.”

n In other baseball news, MSU announced probable starters for this weekend.

Dakota Hudson will start Friday. Austin Sexton and Daniel Brown will start Saturday against Florida Atlantic and South Dakota State. It hasn’t been determined who will go first in the doubleheader. MSU hasn’t named a starting pitcher for its game against South Dakota State on Sunday.

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.