STARKVILLE — In Landon Gartman’s first start for the Mississippi State baseball team, he gave up a run before ever recording an out.
Gartman was charged with two more runs in the third inning of that start, which came Feb. 19 against VMI. There was tough luck involved: After a one-out double to left center field, no ball left the infield. Gartman gave up a pair of infield hits and a fielder’s choice on another ball into the hole on which MSU failed to get an out.
But it didn’t faze him.
Gartman completed the inning, struck out the side in order in the fourth and fanned two more Keydets in a scoreless fifth frame.
“They had a lot of ground balls that kept finding holes, but he pitched out of innings and gave us a chance to win,” Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said.
That’s what Gartman, a transfer from Memphis, has done for the Bulldogs through the first two weekend series.
Now a senior, the Bogue Chitto native is in his first year in Starkville after two years at Pearl River Community College and a year with the Tigers.
He’s been a steady presence in Mississippi State’s rotation in a pair of Sunday wins so far in 2023.
“He’s the old man on the staff,” Lemonis said. “He’s done it. He’s been there.”
Gartman is 22 years old, seasoned at the junior-college and Division I levels and, Lemonis noted after his first start, already married. The pitcher wed Brooke Foster back on Dec. 10.
More to the point, Gartman has enough pitching experience to carry a young Bulldogs staff.
“He’s just pitched and won a lot of games,” Lemonis said.
Gartman owns 15 strikeouts — eight against VMI and seven in Sunday’s win over Arizona State — in just 10 innings pitched. The picture of consistency, he tossed five innings in each start and gave up no more than three runs in each.
The right-hander features a fastball in the low 90s but also an impressive change-up.
Gartman said he works a lot on throwing the offspeed pitch for strikes while refusing to show his hand.
“I just try to mimic everything I do with my fastball — same body language, same arm speed and same slot,” he said.
An impressively fast worker, Gartman needs no reminders to get things in gear between pitches. He’s practically back on the mound by the time his last offering hits the back of his catcher’s glove.
It’s why the pitch clock — nothing new to college baseball but certainly new to the Major Leagues this spring — has never fazed the Bulldogs right-hander.
“I like to work quick anyways, and anything to speed me or the hitter up, it doesn’t bother me at all,” Gartman said.
That’s what Gartman does and has continued to do early in the season for Mississippi State.
After MSU conceded its first run on a well-executed double steal in the first inning Sunday against Arizona State, Gartman allowed a leadoff home run to begin the second.
From there, he allowed just two hits and two walks the rest of the way, giving up just four hits in all and getting the win.
“He made some great pitches early in the game to some of their better hitters,” Lemonis said. “It’s not overpowering. It’s just four pitches in for strikes whenever he wants.”
Gartman’s stability has been important for a Bulldogs team in need of pitching help.
KC Hunt was tagged for five runs in two innings in his first start Feb. 18 against VMI; the Sun Devils put seven runs on Cade Smith’s line in three innings Friday.
Gartman has yet to experience any such blow-up, and Lemonis doesn’t think one is coming for a pitcher like Gartman.
“It’s just calm and cool,” Lemonis said. “He just keeps pitching.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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