STARKVILLE — The training room in the Mississippi State University baseball team’s clubhouse is getting a little too crowded.
Senior outfielder Brent Brownlee and redshirt sophomore pitcher Ben Bracewell were scheduled for MRI scans Monday to determine their health.
Bracewell, the Bulldogs’ opening-night starting pitcher, had to be removed from the game Friday against the University of Connecticut due to soreness in his right pitching elbow, according to MSU coach John Cohen.
Cohen confirmed after the win Bracewell (0-0, 0.00) was in enough pain to be relieved after just three innings and 42 pitches into his third start.
Cohen said later in the weekend team physician Dr. Rusty Linton examined Bracewell’s elbow and indicated there was little concern about possible ligament damage to the throwing arm. However,
the MRI scan results weren’t made public, and the right-hander’s status for this weekend remains unknown.
“Just having that guy healthy would be a major plus,” Baseball America national writer John Manuel said. “Having Bracewell healthy allows you to have a guy like Chris Stratton as your long relief guy and bullpen stopper role where he’s really valuable.”
Bracewell has yet to throw more than 60 pitches in a game this season. He has allowed just six hits and two unearned runs in 10 1/3 innings.
Brownlee, who has started six games in right field, has experienced right knee pain after suffering the injury two weeks ago.
“We thought he could’ve played (Sunday, but) I just didn’t want to do it if I didn’t have to,” Cohen said.
Brownlee would be a likely candidate to get his first start in center field at 6:30 p.m. tonight against Penn State because sophomore C.T. Bradford, the Bulldogs’ normal starter at that position, will start on the mound. Bradford will make his second career start in series opener against the Nittany Lions.
The 2011 Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team selection, earned a save and had 10 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings last season.
Junior designated hitter Trey Porter also was held out of the final two days last weekend after fouling a ball off his right shin. The Gulf Coast Community College transfer, who is hitting .400 with three home runs and eight RBIs and has a .800 slugging percentage, was cleared to play, but Cohen held him out of the lineup as a precautionary measure.
“He was lobbying to play, but I just didn’t like the way he was running
around,” Cohen said. “I just felt like that would’ve been a mistake this year in the season.”
Bulldogs ranked for the first time this season
Coming out of a second consecutive four-game home weekend tournament sweep, MSU (10-2) is ranked No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and in the Baseball America poll.
“We’re on the Bulldogs’ bandwagon finally at Baseball America,” Manuel said. “That youthful infield has hit and hit for power. That’s what everybody was worried about coming into the season.”
MSU is one of seven Southeastern Conference teams, led by top-ranked Florida, included in the two polls. MSU was ranked as high as No. 15 in the 2011 season-ending polls.
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