STARKVILLE — Each member of Mississippi State’s baseball team expected the Bulldogs’ starting lineup to feature a little more thump this season, as a mix of newcomers and talented returning players figured to boost the power numbers.
On Monday morning, though, those hopes took a big hit when MSU coach John Cohen announced sophomore catcher Gavin Collins, the team’s best returning hitter, is expected to miss three to five weeks due to an injury to his hand.
The injury resulted in surgery to the hamate bone of Collins’ left hand. Collins, who missed the team’s scrimmages Saturday and Sunday while wearing a soft brace on his left wrist, started 45 of 48 games as a freshman. He turned in a .304 batting average with one home run and eight doubles. He was expected to be a key contributor in the middle of lineup.
Cohen said he “expects a full and quick recovery.”
That would be best for the Bulldogs, who had 16 home runs last season on the way to a 39-24 record. Collins’ maturation and the emergence of a number of others gave several Bulldogs hope the team could see a shift in its power numbers.
“I definitely think we will have some more pop in the lineup,” MSU senior shortstop Seth Heck said. “You look at a guy like Gavin, who is just a great hitter all around. Then there’s Wes Rea and Reid Humphreys, guys who can all change a game with one swing of the bat. I think we are due for a bigger year as far as power goes.”
Cohen, two years removed from leading MSU to the College World Series championship series, agreed.
“Certainly you talk about a Reid Humphreys, who has really come along and become a guy that can provide some power in the middle of our lineup,” Cohen said when asked of MSU’s potential for more production offensively. “He had a really nice first year, but I think he’s ready to take that next step forward. Wes Rea is somebody we need to have a great year. He’s very capable of that, and he’s worked hard on his swing. This being his senior year, he wants to go out on top. Gavin Collins, down the road, is going to be very productive for our baseball team. I think he’s a really productive hitter, and I think we have some new components also that are going to be really good players for us as well.”
Rea led MSU with five home runs as a junior.
And while the loss of Collins is substantial, Rea believes the Bulldogs’ improvement at the plate will continue because MSU has placed an offseason emphasis on creating more extra-base hits.
“That was our philosophy going into this season,” Rea said. “We said we have to be aggressive and drive the baseball. Even the smallest guys on the team have had that mind-set. I think it has shown up a lot.”
But Collins, who led MSU’s catchers in starts in 2014, will be missed as much for his reliability behind the plate as he will for his bat. Collins’ injury means senior Cody Walker, a 5-foot-9, 210-pounder, and junior college transfer Josh Lovelady, a 6-foot, 205-pound junior from Shelton State (Ala.) Community College, will compete for playing time.
“Cody Walker is coming back and has really been very good for us in terms of calling a game, receiving, blocking,” Cohen said. “He’s really improved his game as an offensive player.”
Walker hit .222 (six starts) last season, while Lovelady had 15 RBIs as a sophomore despite missing most of the season with a broken jaw.
“I think Josh Lovelady is going to be a really dynamic leader and defender,” Cohen said.
MSU will play host to Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m. Friday in its season opener.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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