Exactly one year ago, the Mississippi State baseball team stood near where it stands today.
Last year’s team held a record of eight wins and four losses through the first 12 games in John Cohen’s first year at the helm, and with a win over Western Kentucky Wednesday night, this year’s club is one game better with nine wins and three losses. Last year’s squad finished the year with a 24-29 record overall and a 9-20 record in conference &mdash a stat that would prove to be disappointing if this year’s club were to match.
In his second year as the Bulldogs’ skipper, Cohen is working to get his team back on the national prominence platform. After a rebuilding first year, Cohen has reloaded his squad in the offseason and is on the mark for becoming a contender for a conference title. There are high hopes in Starkville on the diamond as a highly anticipated season looks primed for success.
So far, this year’s team has seen its ups and downs with some mediocrity in between but is continuing to improve.
The Dawgs began the season with a sweep of Rhode Island to help dust off the webs. Not long after, MSU stubbed their toe, dropping three straight to a Southeastern Louisiana team that gave the Dawgs a wake-up call and summoned the team to focus. Even though most would think this was an embarrassing loss, the Lions of SLU are presently 11-1 and ranked 26th in the country according to baseballnews.com.
Having used over nine different lineups through the first 10 games, the Dawgs tried to find a fit for each player as well as a group that would play well together. Newcomers to the team have played a big part in helping MSU find wins. Twelve new faces have seen significant playing time in Dudy Noble, and each has immediately made an impact on the playing field as they try to find their position on the team.
In their latest series, the Dawgs swept a four-game round-robin tournament against Southeast Missouri and Michigan State. Connor Powers led the offense, including another walk-off win in the opening game.
The turning point of the weekend, and perhaps the season, was on day two when signs of the team playing together became apparent.
The Dawgs’ rookie players came forth and played big factors in earning wins. Six freshmen pitchers each played a key role in the Bulldogs’ success during the weekend, and freshman infielder Sam Frost, transfers Jonathan Ogden, Jaron Shephard, Nick Vickerson, Trey Johnson and Wes Thigpen have each discovered a feel for their role on the team in their first year.
Each of the freshmen will need to keep producing for the success of the team and to keep getting valuable playing time, which will be beneficial when called upon once conference play begins.
Familiar faces like Connor Powers and Luke Adkins have not skipped a beat on the field as they are producing clutch performances. Adkins leads the team in hits as well as batting average. Powers not only leads the team in home runs with seven and RBIs with 28, he also leads the nation in both categories.
The non-conference schedule has helped MSU get ready for SEC play. The Dawgs have played high-caliber teams in Southeastern Louisiana, Michigan State and Southeast Missouri, and look forward to nationally-ranked opponents like UCLA and Oklahoma before beginning conference play.
MSU begins SEC play on March 19 as they travel to Florida and will face a brutal conference schedule as they play eight nationally-ranked teams, including No. 1 LSU.
The conference is loaded with talent and is as strong as ever, and it will be an interesting season for the SEC to see which eight teams earn a coveted spot in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs have come a long way, but still have plenty of work cut out for them as they strive to compete for an SEC title.
John Galatas is a sophomore majoring in communication. He can be reached at [email protected].