STARKVILLE – Jesse McCord can’t wait to get back out there.
His coach seems to agree.
McCord, Mississippi State’s freshman right-handed pitcher from Spanish Fort, Alabama, struggled in his first career start for MSU last Saturday, failing to get out of the second inning while allowing four runs against Cincinnati.
Now, as MSU heads into its second weekend of the season, MSU coach John Cohen says he will not hesitate to put McCord back out there again.
“Absolutely we want to see him out there again soon,” said Cohen, who has his team off to a 4-0 start. “He had a freshman moment. He really struggled but he’s a great young pitcher is going to have a good career here at Mississippi State. There have been a lot of guys who have gone on to have outstanding careers after having freshman moments.”
For McCord, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, the outing was an educational experience. He gave up four earned runs on two hits and three walks and departed with just one out in the second inning.
“There was a lot of learning,” said McCord. “It was fun though. I’m excited to get back out there and compete with the guys.”
McCord’s shaky performance was one of the only hiccups during a nearly flawless opening for MSU’s pitching staff. The Bulldogs allowed just 15 runs over the first 36 innings of the season, and 10 of those came against McCord and fellow freshman Paxton Stover.
The Bulldogs sent 14 pitchers to the mound in three wins over Cincinnati and another over Miami University, and 12 of those – aside from McCord and Stover – combined to allow five runs in 34 innings on work.
Among its starting rotation, MSU sent four different arms to the hill and two – right-hander Preston Brown and left-hander Lucas Laster – turned in quality starts. Brown earned MSU’s first win of the campaign, pitching five strong innings in the opener against Cincinnati, allowing two runs on seven hits with a career-high seven strikeouts.
A third starter, Asutin Sextown, allowed one run in two innings of work before being pulled early on a bitterly cold Sunday game against Cincinnati.
But that’s all old news. What’s new is MSU’s upcoming weekend, which will include a pair of games against Marshall – today at 4 p.m., tomorrow at 4 p.m. – and two more against Alabama State. After getting through the first four relatively unscathed as a pitching staff, MSU enters the second big set of the season knowing who will start on the mound, for the most part. It’s when they will start that hasn’t been determined yet.
“Looking at it, we haven’t finalized anything yet,” said Cohen. “Obviously we will start several of the same guys. Looking at the right-lefty matchup, it looks like Laster might go in the opener against Marshall. Then we could go with Austin Sexton in Game 1 on Saturday and have Preston Brown ready to pitch. But we won’t know until tomorrow what we’re going to go with.”
Cohen stopped short of committing to a fourth starter, but left the door open for McCord, the highly touted freshman who started on the wrong foot last Saturday. For his part, McCord is eager to get another chance.
“I’m just loving going out every day and playing baseball, something I love to do,” said McCord. “We get to go out and compete, it’s great. I don’t know the coaches’ plans yet, but they know I’m ready if I’m needed.”
Also ready is Ross Mitchell, MSU’s crafty senior star who is equally adept at pitching out of the bullpen and as a starter. Last weekend, it was Mitchell who relieved Lasted with one out in the fourth inning and promptly tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to pick up his 25th career win against just five losses.
To Mitchell, it doesn’t matter when he enters a game.
“It’s all about getting outs,” said Mitchell in the preseason. “We really don’t know what’s planned for us but the key is to be ready whenever your number is called.”
n Rea doubtful: Off to the best start of his career, MSU senior first baseman Wes Rea may have to wait a while before his next at-bat. After recording three hits in his first eight at-bats – which included a grand slam and an RBI double – Rea sat out MSU’s 16–7 win over Cincinnati on Sunday after being hit by two pitches on Saturday. Despite the week of rest, Cohen indicated that Rea might not play at all against Marshall or Alabama State.
“It’s looking like he probably won’t play,” said Cohen of the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder. “It’s just rest for him, and his current injury doesn’t really do well in cold weather. We will re-evaluate it and I can’t say there’s a 100 percent chance he won’t play, but certainly the possibility is there that he will miss the weekend.”
In addition to Rea, Michael Smith, the Bulldogs’ starting right fielder, is also expected to miss the weekend. Smith was injured on his first at-bat of the season, an RBI double. He hasn’t played since the opener.
n Billingsley out: While Rea and Smith are expected back in the MSU lineup soon, the same can’t be said for redshirt freshman relief pitcher Jacob Billingsley, who Cohen said “will not pitch this season.”
A 6-foot-1, 188-pound right-hander from Senatobia, Billingsley has yet to pitch in an MSU uniform. According to Cohen, Billingsley is ruled out for the season because “He’s got a couple of situations with his arm that need to be fixed.”
Cohen did not elaborate on the extent of the injury.
Billingsley was 10-0 with a 0.54 earned run average with 82 strikeouts as a senior at Magnolia Heights School in 2013.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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