STARKVILLE — In a game teetering on becoming a blowout in favor of the hosts, Mississippi State freshman shortstop Dylan Cupp made a heads-up play to prevent a late Evansville rally.
With a runner on second and one out, Evansville’s Simon Scherry hit a hard ground ball toward shortstop, and Cupp immediately threw to third allowing Logan Kohler to tag Mark Shallenberger for the second out of the inning.
“It’s something that anytime a guy’s on second, I told (Kohler), ‘Hey, ball this way, I’m coming to you,’” Cupp said. “We practice it. It’s just a baseball play. … I don’t think much of it. It’s just common sense to me.”
That play doesn’t stand out much in the final score, a 13-3 run-rule defeat of the Purple Aces on Sunday to secure a second-straight weekend series sweep, but it’s a perfect description of Cupp’s emergence on the Bulldogs (12-4).
He was entrusted with the starting shortstop position, and not only has he played the part defensively, his bat is coming around quickly.
“I think he’s relaxing,” head coach Chris Lemonis said. “Those first couple weeks were tough, but he’s starting to understand what people are trying to do to him. … The two big hits on the backside were huge. It’s just about loosening up and playing.”
Coming into Sunday’s game, Cupp was hitting a shade under .200 through his first 15 collegiate games. Hitting was not coming easy for the Cedartown, Georgia, native, but the switch flipped on Sunday.
Cupp went 4-for-5, driving in three runs on a pair of run-scoring hits to the right side of the field, and also scored twice.
It was a career day offensively for the freshman, and possibly a sign of things to come.
“I felt like early, I was pressing, trying to be a little too perfect,” Cupp said. “Just relaxing and going back to me. Hit the fastball and everything will take care of itself.”
Cupp’s maturity has shined through, especially considering the responsibility of playing a premium position on the infield.
He and Kohler are a dynamic duo on the left side of the infield, a shortstop/third base tandem that could be key to limiting runs in SEC play.
Confidence breeds confidence and both Cupp and Mississippi State are as confident as ever, riding a nine-game winning streak after Sunday’s win.
“Cupp shows so much poise for a young kid,” Lemonis said. “… Across the board, it’s a mindset right now. There’s a lot of pride in it. They’ve made a lot of good plays.”
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