While the Mississippi State baseball team discovered its postseason matchup Monday morning, senior outfielder Elijah MacNamee’s next move remains uncertain.
MacNamee has been hampered by a recurring foot injury that he aggravated in a May 12 win over No. 22 Ole Miss.
MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said that MacNamee would begin swinging this week and that his availability could be known by Wednesday or Thursday.
His bat would be a welcome addition to a lineup that mustered just eight runs in three games at last week’s Southeastern Conference tournament in Hoover, Alabama. He is hitting .303 with 44 RBIs and six home runs in 52 starts this season.
Beyond the numbers, MacNamee also brings a clutch factor. His walk-off homers against Vanderbilt and Florida State in last season’s NCAA tournament helped MSU to its first College World Series appearance since 2013.
“Mac’s going to do anything he can to get out there,” senior center fielder Jake Mangum said. “He’s not going to miss this.”
Whose turn is it anyway?
MSU’s weekend rotation has been steadily solidified over the past month with senior Peyton Plumlee locking down the No. 3 spot.
But with the SEC tournament schedule forcing an adjusted rotation, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff is a bit off its pattern heading into this weekend’s regional opener against Southern University.
MSU will likely save redshirt junior Ethan Small for a Saturday matchup against either Miami or Central Michigan given the team’s 5-0 record against Southwestern Athletic Conference – the conference which Southern University, MSU’s Friday opponent, is a member – opponents this season.
Freshman Brandon Smith started the SEC tournament opener against LSU and is a logical candidate to get the nod against the Jaguars Friday. Smith tossed 4 1/3 innings, giving up just two runs on five hits while striking out five against the Tigers.
Plumlee is another option for Friday’s start, as he did not start a game last weekend in Hoover. His only action came in one inning of no-hit relief against Vanderbilt.
Raking in the batter’s box, Allen scoops up another award
Tanner Allen’s breakout sophomore season continued over the weekend as he was named to SEC All-Tournament team Sunday.
Allen finished the three-game swing going 5-for-16 with two RBIs and doubles against LSU and Vanderbilt.
The honor comes after he was named an All-SEC first team performer last week. Allen currently boasts a batting average of .346 with six home runs and 61 RBIs.
“I feel pretty good at the plate,” Allen said. “Been swinging it good the last few weeks and going to keep going about my business, doing what I’m doing, using the same approach and same preparation for the games and hopefully keep swinging a hot bat.”
The sooner, the better
The Bulldogs will get their postseason run started slightly earlier than initially thought. MSU and Southern will meet in the early game Friday at Dudy Noble Field with first pitch scheduled for noon.
Miami and Central Michigan will follow at 7 p.m.
Of the 16 regional hosts, just five — including MSU — will play in the early session of their respective brackets.
The Bulldogs last played in the first game of a Starkville regional in 2016. MSU advanced to a super regional against Arizona that year before being swept by the Wildcats.
By playing in the day game, MSU also grants its pitching staff a chance for a bit of extra rest should they advance to the winner’s bracket contest scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday.
“From a strategic point it’s just the best thing to do, especially with rain and anything else that happens,” Lemonis said. “I know it’s been done like that here in the past so I didn’t have a problem going with it.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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