STARKVILLE — Asked late Sunday afternoon if Mississippi State’s baseball team will have more pop in its lineup this season, sophomore Reid Humphreys didn’t hesitate.
“I definitely think we do,” Humphreys said. “I think with the new guys we have and the guys we have returning, we have a lot of players on this team who can change a game with one swing of the bat.”
Humphreys put that ability on display Sunday afternoon.
A day after No. 23 MSU held its first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring, the team was back at it Sunday. Following a 2-1 final result Saturday, MSU enjoyed an offensive explosion as the Maroon and Gray squads combined for 12 runs in an 8-4 victory by the Gray in four innings.
On a warm but windy day at Dudy Noble Field, Humphreys kick-started the offense with a solo home run in the first inning, a mammoth shot that landed near a building that houses restrooms behind the Left Field Lounge.
It was an early statement from Humphreys, a player MSU coach John Cohen plans to depend upon in 2014.
“We need his bat in the lineup,” Cohen said of Humphreys, a sophomore from Northwest Rankin High School. “He has worked extremely hard in our strength and conditioning program, and he’s a very talented hitter. We just need Reid to stay healthy. If we can keep Reid healthy for the next five or six months, then we’ve got something.”
If Humphreys stays healthy, he could be a middle-of-the-order hitter with the ability to go deep, which is why Cohen and his coaches have decided to do whatever is necessary to keep the former third baseman in the lineup. To that end, Th The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Humphreys, who hit .241 with a home run and eight RBIs in an injury-plagued freshman season, moved to the outfield in the offseason. He will compete for playing time in that crowded group, and also could see time at designated hitter.
Humphreys said it doesn’t matter what position he plays.
“I’m still trying to get used to everything (in the outfield),” Humphreys said. “It’s kind of a different world. I’ve enjoyed it, learning a new position. I just told the coaches that I want to play anywhere on the field that will help the team. Infield, outfield, designated hitter, I’ll do anything.”
Freshman Cole Gordon, junior Josh Lovelady, and senior Cody Walker also had doubles in the scrimmage.
“We had a good day today, were able to deal with a lot of stuff,” said Cohen, whose team will open the season Feb. 13 when it plays host to Cincinnati. “We had to deal with the wind, a little rain, some shadows on the field. We were able to do a lot today, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to get done as far as the full checklist goes.”
Searching for relief
One of the strengths of MSU’s teams under Cohen in recent years has been a durable, dominating bullpen, which has produced MLB draft picks each of the past two seasons.
This season, Cohen and pitching coach Butch Thompson will have to deal with the losses of former relief specialist Trevor Lindgren and closer Johnathan Holder, who have moved onto the professional ranks.
For Cohen, who is two years removed from guiding his team to the brink of a national championship, the uncertainty of late-game relief remains one of the biggest questions as the season opener approaches.
“I think the biggest thing for us is to put as many guys in the role of seventh, eighth, ninth inning relief to see who can come in there and spin a breaking ball to make people swing and miss,” Cohen said. “That’s the one thing we look at that can make or break us. We’ve been so good in the late innings the last four years, and that’s something we need to continue.”
Cohen expects the fight for late-inning work will continue early in the season.
“I like having as many early games as possible because it forces us to get a lot of guys in there and see them work,” Cohen said. “I think we have as much depth in our starting rotation as we’ve had in a while, but those late innings are so critical. You really can’t judge that until you’ve put guys in those situations.”
Lineups coming
While he wasn’t shy about expressing the need to have Humphreys’ bat in the lineup every day, Cohen wasn’t nearly as eager to commit when asked about his plans to set a lineup for the start of the season.
“Coaches don’t make lineups, players do,” Cohen said. “The guys who stick out and do so with their actions are the guys that force their way into the lineup. The good thing is we are hoping to have nine more scrimmages before we play a game, so all of that will take care of itself.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
