Mississippi State’s offense was not the reason the Bulldogs finished 9-21 in Southeastern Conference play for the second straight year in 2023 and again failed to reach the conference tournament.
MSU was in the top half of the SEC in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging and returns a good chunk of that offensive production for a critical 2024 season. The Bulldogs may have lost outfielders Colton Ledbetter and Kellum Clark to the MLB Draft, but top contributors Hunter Hines, Dakota Jordan and Amani Larry, among others, are back in the fold.
Hines, primarily MSU’s designated hitter as a freshman and sophomore, will be moving to first base when the Bulldogs open their season Friday against Air Force at Dudy Noble Field. He followed up a 16-home run, 52-RBI 2022 season by hitting 22 homers and driving in 61 runs last spring.
“I don’t want to look out there and see him taking practice swings in the middle of innings on defense,” head coach Chris Lemonis said. “He loves to hit. I joked with his parents this weekend at Fan Day, he’s in such a good mood when he gets a couple hits.”
Jordan will shift from left field to right field — his natural position — and had a breakout freshman year with a .333 average in SEC play and also boasts a strong, accurate throwing arm. He was named a third-team preseason all-American by Baseball America and earned a spot on the SEC coaches’ preseason all-conference second team.
“I feel really good this year, way better than I did last year,” Jordan said. “The confidence level is way up in the sky. I expect big things from me. I’m ready. I’m getting the chills right now just thinking about it.”
Larry is back for his senior season after going undrafted last year and will hold down second base as well as the leadoff spot in MSU’s batting order. He hit .297 last year with a team-high 16 doubles, and drew 34 walks while striking out just 26 times. He is also a threat on the basepaths, with 19 stolen bases on 21 attempts.
After starting his collegiate career at East Central Community College and then transferring to New Orleans, Larry made the adjustment to the SEC look easy, going 5-for-10 in a series against Auburn and launching two home runs, including a walk-off shot, in the opening game of the season’s final series against Texas A&M.
“He’s a stat stuffer. He does a little bit of everything,” Lemonis said. “He walks more than he strikes out, he takes the HBP, he can steal a base, he can lead off the game with a home run. As you look at him across the board, he just does a lot of things. He’s 23 years old, he’s gone through the SEC, he’s just an older player. He had a great fall and was one of the better offensive players this fall, which was fun to see.”
A mix of veterans and newcomers
David Mershon made 17 starts at shortstop as a freshman and figures to remain the starter there, but he is currently day-to-day with an injury. Mershon stole 12 bases and was only caught once last year and also walked more than he struck out, getting on base at a .427 clip. At third base, Memphis transfer Logan Kohler will slot in after hitting .330 with a .574 slugging percentage with 11 home runs and 34 RBI last year for the Tigers.
Joining Jordan in the outfield will likely be Bryce Chance in left field and Connor Hujsak in center. Hujsak, a part-time player last season whose path to a starting role was blocked by Ledbetter and Clark, had an outstanding summer with the Sanford River Rats of the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Chance started 27 games as a redshirt freshman and batted .330, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors after the opening weekend of the season.
“I’m getting most of my work in left field. I feel like that’s where I’m going to be Opening Day,” Chance said. “But if something were to happen, I need to be able to play the infield too. It needs to be that next-man-up mentality, and then we can plug somebody else in the outfield who might not be able to play the infield. Just becoming more versatile as a player is something that’s important to not only myself but the team.”
Behind the plate, incumbent starter Ross Highfill is available to hit but is still working his way back to catching duties. A pair of transfer portal additions — Pittsburgh’s Johnny Long and Cincinnati’s Joe Powell — will handle the pitching staff in the meantime.
Highfill slugged an impressive .521 in his freshman year with nine home runs and eight doubles, while Long made 28 starts for the Panthers and had big games against Virginia Tech, Penn State and California.
Powell transferred from Cincinnati to Texas A&M in 2023 but never suited up in a game for the Aggies. With the Bearcats in 2022, though, he put up a .326/.422/.574 triple slash with 12 doubles and four triples and also played error-free defense all year.
“They can really catch and throw, and that’s an area that we’ve really improved in over the last year,” Lemonis said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on the run game. Our pitchers have done a better job, but also that’s kind of their strength, Johnny and Joe, they’re probably a little more defensive than they are offensive. Even though in our scrimmages, they’ve done a nice job offensively too.”
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