STARKVILLE — Gavin Collins doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to play.
Collins arrived in Starkville as a catcher in the fall of 2013 and became the Mississippi State baseball team’s first All-Southeastern Conference freshman. But Collins injured his left hand prior to the 2015 season and had hamate bone surgery that forced him to miss 13 games.
Instead of coming back and taking more abuse to his non-throwing hand having to catch the likes of pitchers Dakota Hudson and Zac Houston, pitchers who constantly hit 95 mph, Collins had decided to move to third base for his junior season in an attempt to help No. 20 MSU put its best eight position players on the field.
MSU will see how Collins and his healed left hand fare at third base at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, when MSU plays host to Florida Atlantic in its season opener at Dudy Noble Field.
“If me playing third base gives us the best nine guys on the field, that’s where I’ll play,” Collins said. “I had a talk with the coaches and thought that it would help get the hand back into the swing of things, and I think it was an opportunity to help the team out somewhere else.”
After his All-SEC campaign, the Lake Forest, California, native was voted the preseason All-SEC catcher prior to his sophomore season. But the hand injury prevented him from starting at catcher until a game against Auburn on March 27, the 28th game of the season. He started only 25 games at the position last season and also made five starts in right field. In his absence, Josh Lovelady and Cody Walker worked the majority of innings.
This season, Lovelady, a senior, will compete with freshman Elih Marrero and junior college transfer Jack Kruger for playing time at catcher. Lovelady proved last season he could handle the defensive responsibilities of the job, while Marrero and Kruger have the offensive game to go with the defensive part. That’s another reason Collins decided to make the move because he knows the Bulldogs have plenty of depth.
Collins’ transition to third base began in the fall during practice. He said he feels comfortable working at the new position after a few months.
“It’s gone great,” said Collins, who played third base as a senior year at El Toro High School. “It’s taking a lot of reps every day, taking a lot of reps, a lot of ground balls, and making sure I have that locked in.”
MSU coach John Cohen believes Collins’ athletic ability and his knowledge of baseball enable him to play any position.
Even after the surgery last season, Collins’ hand was sore, so he had another surgery in the summer. Cohen said the move to third base also will help Collins’ offense.
“Playing him at third base allows him to concentrate a little more on the bat and there’s just not as much punishment on his receiving hand,” Cohen said. “I’m really excited about how he has progressed at third, and think he can really help us there.”
As a freshman, Collins hit .304 with 19 RBIs and one home run in 48 games. Last season, he hit .228 with two home runs. In SEC play, Collins hit .248 and had all 16 of his RBIs.
Collins said the hardest thing bout playing third base, the “hot corner” as it is called, is making sure he is mentally prepared before every pitch and he is in the right spot to make a play.
“Ball’s come off a little bit harder, some rockets,” Collins said. “I think you’ve got to be more attentive to your surroundings and everything that’s going on in the game. It’s a lot of little things that don’t happen in high school that happen at this level. Making every play really counts. I think that’s the biggest thing. It doesn’t matter what kind of play it is, you’ve got to get an out, especially at third base.”
Collins is no stranger to balls coming hard and fast at him or taking a weird hop. He faced that every day playing catcher. Collins said playing catcher prepared him for the transition to third base.
“If there’s a line drive one-hop hit at me, I feel comfortable going down to both knees just to block it, keep it in front and to throw it to first,” Collins said. “I think that plays a big part in it going from catcher to third.”
In Friday’s open scrimmage, he showed he was comfortable in his new position. Collins ran down a ball in foul territory and made an over-the-shoulder catch for an out. He had to run about 60 feet and was up against the wall when he made the catch.
“We try and force our kids to make that play every single day, and I think he’s somebody who’s very capable of making a ton of plays,” Cohen said. “There’s going to be a learning curve playing third base in the Southeastern Conference, but I think he is somebody who can make that adjustment.”
Cohen said Collins still will catch this season, but the move to third base seems to be permanent. Junior Luke Reynolds, who started three games at third base last season, is competing with Collins for playing time at the position.
The move to a new position is rare for a veteran like Collins. Many upperclassmen wouldn’t want to transition to a new position midway through their career, but Collins has a selfless attitude.
Cohen said he hasn’t been surprised by how Collins has accepted the move.
“He is somebody who is thought very highly of in our clubhouse,” Cohen said. “He’s very well respected, and I think he’s somebody who just loves to compete. I think that just commands respect on a ball club. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing third, behind the plate, or in the batter’s box. He’s going to compete his heart out, and I think our kids respect that.”
n On Friday, Hudson, a preseason All-American, edged junior left-hander Daniel Brown in a pitchers’ duel in a 4-0 victory in a six-inning scrimmage at Dudy Noble Field.
Hudson struck out four in as many innings and allowed three hits and three walks. Brown allowed one unearned run in four innings. He struck out five strikeouts, walked none, and allowed two hits.
Freshman southpaw Kale Breaux threw a scoreless fifth inning. Junior right-hander Reid Humphreys closed out the victory with two strikeouts in a hitless sixth.
Redshirt freshman Cole Gordon went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, sophomore Ryan Gridley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and senior Mike Smith was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Maroon team.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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