STARKVILLE — Jacob Robson doesn’t take being a leader lightly.
The Mississippi State junior center fielder has seen leaders come and go in his first three years with the program and knows how important they are to the success of the team. He said he always thought of himself as a leader, and that was reaffirmed by his teammates when they voted him one of three captains for this season.
Robson is ready for the serious duty of leading No. 20 MSU when it opens the season Friday, Feb. 19, against Florida Atlantic at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs started practice Friday, but Robson struck all three times in an open scrimmage. MSU will scrimmage at 1:30 p.m. today.
“I think having the title as captain, it’s a prestigious title here at Mississippi State,” said Robson, who will share the honor with junior right-hander Dakota Hudson and sophomore outfielder Brent Rooker. “Thankfully I was voted by my teammates, and I think my coaches are confident I can be one of the three guys to lead the team.”
Even though Robson has played only two full seasons with the Bulldogs, he has experienced many highs and lows as a player. As a freshman in 2013, the Bulldogs advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, and played in the national championship series, losing to UCLA. He played in 47 games (25 starts) and hit .206 with 16 RBIs, 11 walks, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, and two doubles.
After redshirting as a sophomore with an injury, he played in all 54 games last season (50 starts). The Bulldogs finished 24-30 last season. They went 8-22 in the Southeastern Conference, which was last in the league, and failed to qualify for the SEC tournament.
It was a challenging year for Robson, but it taught him a lesson about leadership. He did his best to fill that role last season, leading MSU in batting average (.324), hits (60), runs (41), and stolen bases (21). He was second in total bases (68) and walks (37) and third in on-base percentage (.436).
“There were some things last year I wanted to change for myself and I wasn’t really in a position to do it and I kind of let it slip out of my hands,” Robson said. “This year, I’m starting to take more control with the other captains and have things the way we want them. I’m confident that is going to be the case this year.”
Robson has had to grow up in a short amount of time. The Windsor, Ontario, Canada, native came to MSU in the fall of 2012 when he was 17. MSU coach John Cohen said Robson’s biggest improvement has been his maturity.
“Forgot about baseball and athletics, put a 17-year-old on any college campus, what’s the biggest thing that’s going to happen to them during a four-year period is maturing, growing up, getting used to your surroundings and getting confidence,” Cohen said. “I think he’s been able to do that.”
Robson has had good players to look up to. When he was a freshman, the Bulldogs were loaded with leaders like pitcher Kendall Graves and Wes Rea. Robson said he looked up to Adam Frazier. The shortstop was a big reason the Bulldogs advanced to Omaha, as he set a single-season school record with 107 hits.
Frazier, who will be in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates after hitting .324 in Double-A last year, has been a source of information for Robson.
“We still talk every day, every other day,” Robson said. “We bounce things off each of other. I really liked the player he was. Not to take anything away from him, but not the most talented player on Earth. He earned every bit of where he’s at right now. Guys like that, they must be doing something right. On top of that, he’s a friend of mine. He’s passed on information to me about problems he’s struggled with, what he likes to do, his tendencies, and his routine.”
Robson was expected to be a big part of the team as a sophomore in 2014, but an injury to his right elbow took its toll and cut his season short in March after only 18 games. He said sitting in the dugout and not playing was hard because he never missed that many games. Robson said he began to understand everything wasn’t going to be perfect, so he had to learn how to deal with highs and lows. He decided to make the most of it.
“You have to learn to overcome them and be patient,” Robson said. “There were times where I hated it. I learned a lot and I gained a lot of patience from that. I learned a lot of the game without being actually in the game. I think it’s helped me become the player I am today.”
Known for his speed and his defensive abilities, Robson said he has been working on swinging the bat harder and has seen a big jump from his freshman season. He said he is still going to play his game and look for any way to get on base, but he wants to improve his hitting.
Cohen is really happy about his three captains and the leadership of the entire team. He especially likes that Robson has been learning from every difficult situation and been working to improve his all-around game.
“When guys are healthy and confident, it really adds to their value as a leader because it’s not only what you say and how you act, it’s also the production level on the field, and those guys are being pretty productive for us,” Cohen said.
The Bulldogs have a good mix of experienced players and young talent, which is why they are ranked so high after a losing season. Robson said he wants to have a big impact, but he isn’t focused on personal achievements, which is another reason he has fit nicely into his role as captain.
“I want to help the team win as much as I can,” Robson said. “Whatever it takes to do that, I’m willing to do. I think I can speak for the rest of the team, they’re also willing to do that. I think the personal achievements and accolades will take care of themselves as long as we’re the best team we can possibly be.”
n On Saturday, junior left-hander Vance Tatum threw three scoreless innings as Maroon picked up a 7-1 win against Gray in a five-inning scrimmage.
Tatum picked up the win with three strikeouts, walking none and surrendering one hit. Junior right-hander Reid Humphreys, junior right-hander Logan Elliot, and freshman left-hander Jared Padgett also had shutout outings.
Freshman outfielder Jake Mangum (2-for-3, stolen base) started the scoring with a two-out single through the right side in the bottom of the second inning. The hit allowed redshirt freshman Cole Gordon (2-for-2) and freshman Hunter Stovall (1-for-3) to score.
Junior Gavin Collins added a two-run home run over the Left Field Lounge.
Gray scored its only run of the game in the fourth with a two-out single by junior Luke Reynolds (1-for-2).
Maroon capped the scoring with runs scored by freshman Elih Marrero (1-for-2) and Mangum.
n On Friday, junior Austin Sexton threw three shutout innings to lift Gray to a 3-1 victory against Maroon in a five-inning scrimmage.
Sexton struck out two and allowed one hit and one walk, outdueling preseason All-American Dakota Hudson. Hudson struck out four in two innings in the loss, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. Sophomore transfer Ryan Rigby struck out the final batter with the bases loaded to end the game and pick up the save.
The difference was two two-out RBI hits by Humphreys (1-for-3) and Stovall (1-for-2) in the top of the first. The rally started with a two-out single through the six hole by Collins (1-for-2, walk). Following a walk by junior Nathaniel Lowe (2-for-2, walk), Collins scored on a bloop single down the right-field line by Humphreys. Lowe scored on the next at-bat when Stovall cranked out a double to the gap in left.
Lowe gave his team an insurance run in the fifth with a double to left that scored junior Cody Brown.
Maroon’s run came in the fifth when Gordon scored on a single to left field by Mangum.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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