The Mississippi State Bulldogs used a balance of a strong bullpen and timely hitting to open its 2013 campaign with a four-game sweep of the Portland Pilots last weekend. The Dogs won Friday 16-1, Saturday 2-1 in win number 1,000 at Dudy Noble Field and swept a doubleheader by scores of 7-1 and 6-0 on Sunday.
Although the Pilots may not seem to be a quality opponent in the eyes of fans, MSU coach John Cohen said last week’s opposition prepared his team to face valuable pitching later this season.
“They’re a solid club. They’ve won more than they lost last year in a very good league, and they can pitch,” he said. “I think it was three years ago they were third in the country in ERA. They know what they’re doing.”
Senior catcher Mitch Slauter helped lead the Dogs offensively, as he collected six hits and four RBIs in nine plate appearances on the weekend including a home run in game one on Sunday. Preseason All-American shortstop Adam Frazier also added eight hits and three RBIs and anchored the team defensively. 
On the mound, 14 different players saw action for the Maroon and White, as solid pitching silenced the Portland bats. The pitching staff allowed an average of five hits per game and tallied 36 strikeouts in the series.
Kendall Graveman guided the pitching staff as he went 6.1 innings in game one Sunday, surrendering only two hits, striking out four and keeping the Pilots off the board. Graveman, Jacob Lindgren, Luis Pollorena and Ross Mitchell each earned wins in the series, and sophomore Jonathan Holder earned a save in Saturday’s win, striking out four of the six batters he faced to close the game.
The strong pitching continued to shine with MSU’s relievers. The bullpen threw 15.2 innings and allowed only one run in all four games.
Pollorena, who struck out seven in five innings of work in two appearances, said the bullpen’s performance gives confidence to the whole team.
“Knowing that the pitching is still here, but now we got that hitting, so now we know that when we get runs we just hand it off to whoever is going to come in next,” Pollorena said. “We say ‘whoever is on the mound is our number one pitcher,’ and that’s the motto we’re going with.”
Cohen said pitching and defense will be the emphasis of this year, and leadership is the difference between this season’s team and squads of recent years.
“I think the thing with our club, and we’ve said this over and over again, is pitching and defense. I think the difference between this year and last year is we have more experience,” he said. “I think the (veteran players) are seeing the ball better and are taking better swings than they did a year ago.”
Five newcomers saw action last weekend and Cohen said he thinks experience for these players will be an asset to the team at the plate.
“We have more options, and I think it’s going to help us as an offensive ball club,” he said.
Freshman outfielder Jacob Robson collected a pair of hits and an RBI in three games played and said the team chemistry will be key for success this season.
“I really was so impressed with the team effort,” he said. “The name of the game is to be one with the team, and I think that this team is really good at that this year, and I think that will take us a long way.”
The Dogs return to the field tonight against Grambling State (0-3) before hosting Purdue (2-2) and Samford (3-1) this weekend in the Diamond Classic. Purdue finished last season ranked in the top 20 and hosted a coveted regional tournament in last year’s post season.
The bigger story of the weekend will be the matchup against the Samford Bulldogs. MSU fell twice to Samford in last year’s Tallahassee Regional to end the 2012 season.