STARKVILLE — It was in the sixth inning of the March 11 game against Vanderbilt when the Mississippi State baseball team desperately needed a run. Down 4-2 to the Commodores with the threat of being swept, MSU turned to Jordan Westburg — with a rousing five collegiate plate appearances to his name, 20 games into the season.
There was no conversation with Westburg to warn him this might be coming. This was the understanding all along.
“I think it was known by me and the coaching staff I had to be ready at all times. I was the next man up,” Westburg told The Dispatch. “I never knew when my name was going to get called; it happened to get called that Sunday in a big spot, I was ready and did something good.”
Westburg has started every game since.
The freshman from New Braunfels, Texas, might have played his way into a command over MSU’s starting third base role as the Bulldogs go to LSU (16-10, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) for a weekend series beginning 7 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network). He’s held onto it by going 8-for-26 (.307) in his six starts since the pinch-hit RBI single against Vanderbilt.
“After that Sunday, it was just me getting better in practice each and every day, continuing to be patient and when I get my opportunity, not let it go,” Westburg said. “I think it had something to do with it, but it had started long before that in (batting practice) and in practice. I had a different demeanor, I think. Just trying to get myself ready for when that opportunity comes, I can get a knock and hopefully sustain it whether I started the next game or came off the bench the next game.”
In a word, that new demeanor can be described as confidence. Westburg described it as, “knowing whoever is on the mound, I’m going to get the best of you.” It’s a mind-set that is not the easiest to adopt after five non-conference plate appearances going into the rigors of a SEC schedule; Westburg credits assistant coach Jake Gautreau for installing it in him.
“In practice, he stayed on me, telling me I’m here for a reason and I can play with the best of them,” Westburg said. “I think that’s really what clicked in my mind: if I have teammates and coaches behind me, I know when I have my opportunity I’m going to make the most of it.
“Taking a deep breath, trying to slow the game down and play with the mentality of whoever is on the mound, you’re not better than me and I’m not going to let you win. If you win, I’m going to tip my hat and get you in the next at-bat.”
It all started with Westburg taking the first pitch of that Sunday Vanderbilt game for a RBI single. MSU will need much more like it to get out of its current slump.
MSU (13-13, 1-5 SEC) has lost three of its last four and four of its last five away from home as it enters its three-game stint in Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs’ 1-5 conference mark currently has them in a tie for last with Alabama and South Carolina and more of the same could give MSU an uphill climb to make the SEC Tournament.
“We’ve got to go out and prove that we can win a series on the road. We need to prove that to ourselves,” MSU interim coach Gary Henderson said in his Monday media availability. “You have to earn it. Nobody gives it to you.”
That message has been the most prominent one within the team in recent days. Even in the moments immediately after MSU lost to Nicholls State 7-4 on Tuesday, Westburg was confident in his teammates’ ability to execute it.
“We can’t keep looking back on that as a team, we know that. As a team, now that it’s over with and it’s done, we can take a deep breath and start a new season Thursday at LSU,” Westburg said. “I think everybody’s mind-set is still on we’re good enough to beat anybody we play. All of us still have confidence that we’re a really good team and we’re going to turn it around.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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