STARKVILLE — Hunter Hines is starting his senior season 13 home runs shy of the Mississippi State program record, set 40 years ago by Rafael Palmeiro. But every homer he hits this year will mean more than just the pursuit of history.
Bulldogs pitcher Stone Simmons has teamed up with Hines for an NIL partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi. For each Hines long ball in 2025, Simmons Erosion Control will donate $1,000 to Make-A-Wish Mississippi, and MSU fans are encouraged to contribute to the Home Runs for Wishes campaign as well.
Simmons did some volunteer work for Make-A-Wish last spring, and volunteer wish granter Craig Peterhansen approached him about the partnership. Given that he has never batted in his collegiate career, Simmons reached out to Hines to see if he would be willing to participate, and Hines was immediately on board.
“I was able to go to their gala last year, and I watched a few wishes be granted live,” Simmons said. “Just being able to see what some of these children and their families go through and be given a little bit more hope, it’s just a really powerful thing. I was inspired when I went there. For the rest of my life, I’ll be a Make-A-Wish fan. Hunter and I are blessed with platforms to be able to give back a little bit, so we’d like to take advantage of that.”
Hines grew up in Madison, Mississippi, and started every game for the Bulldogs as a freshman, batting .300 with 16 home runs. He blasted 22 homers as a sophomore in 2023 and 16 more last spring. But Hines was not selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, so he opted to return to Starkville for one final season and a shot at etching his name into MSU’s record books.
“I did not expect (to be) coming back for my senior year,” Hines said. “At the time, I was very disappointed, very hurt, but now looking back on it, I’m so excited I get to do this and help other people. The home run record would be awesome, but this (partnership) is probably the highlight of my career.”
Simmons has had his own turbulent journey as a Bulldog. After helping MSU win the 2021 national championship, he pitched three times the following year before sustaining a season-ending elbow injury that kept him out for all of 2023 as well. He was on his way back for the 2024 season, but another UCL tear sidelined him once again. He is scheduled to start Sunday against Manhattan for his first appearance in nearly three years.
The Home Runs for Wishes campaign had raised $300 as of Thursday afternoon, the day before the Bulldogs’ season opener. Simmons said one donor has pledged to give a certain amount of money for every batter he strikes out this year, with additional donations for every win he and the team earns.
“I’ve been through a little bit of adversity in my baseball career, and it does not even begin to compare to the adversity that these children are facing and that their families are facing,” Simmons said. “The fact that we’re able to use our platforms to help in any way possible, it’s just something we’re really grateful for.”
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
