All eyes will be on All-American Brad Corley when Mississippi State takes the field this afternoon in their season-opening baseball game against Eastern Illinois.
In December, Corley became the 35th All-American in school history, joining accomplished players such as Will Clark, Rafael Palmiero, and Jeff Brantley.
However, Corley remains unfazed by the attention, insisting that his only goal is to help this year’s team achieve all it can.
“Of course, people are going to expect me to put up the same types of numbers I did last year,” Corley said. “But right now I’m just trying to focus on helping Mississippi State win. If that means hitting 19 home runs again, or getting walked 50 times, it doesn’t matter to me. I’ve got hitters around me that are just as capable.”
The Bulldog outfielder has had a phenomenal career for the Diamond Dawgs. After graduating from Pleasure Ridge Park High School, Corley was immediately plugged into a starting position in the Bulldog outfield.
He hit .321 as a freshman, notching 72 hits including 15 doubles.
Last year, Corley dominated the league in just his sophomore season, lighting up opposing competition for a .380 batting average while also slamming 19 home runs, the second highest in the league, and driving in 55 runs.
He led the SEC in slugging percentage with a .678 average, legging out 12 doubles and two triples on the campaign.
Corley usually arrives at the stadium before the other players in order take a little extra batting practice off a tee before warm-ups. After loosening up, Corley is ready for the game, and ready to do some damage at the plate.
“I try to keep my swing short, go into the game with a positive attitude, be confident with myself, and just trust my abilities to take over on the field,” Corley said. “(Then) I just try to stay patient and stay within myself, and go up there and put a good hit on the ball.”
Corley says that although the off-the-field accolades are nice, once the first pitch is thrown there is only one thing on his mind.
“Definitely just winning,” Corley said. “When I’m on the field, I’m not thinking about anything but us being on top at the end of the ninth inning.”
Winning is something this year’s Bulldog team hopes to improve on. Ranked as high as 19th in some preseason polls, Coach Ron Polk will return six starters in the field, plus 12 of 13 pitchers from last year’s squad which finished 35-24 and went to an NCAA regional.
“I think we’re gonna be a lot better than last year,” Corley said. “We had 31 freshmen and sophomores last year, so we have a lot more experience. We’ve all played in the SEC and know what to expect.”