Mississippi State University junior outfielder Hunter Renfroe is posting one of the best seasons in all of college baseball. Gaining national recognition for his performance on the diamond, Renfroe is among the top of almost every offensive category in the SEC. For Renfroe, though, his journey to MSU was not easy.
“Out of high school I didn’t have very many people offer me at the major college level. I had a few junior colleges and State offer, but other than that, no Division 1 college offered me coming out of high school,” he said. “It was one of the best moments when I signed that paper to go to State. It’s always been my dream to come here and play for coach Cohen and play for the Bulldogs.”
The Crystal Springs, Miss., native played high school baseball at Copiah Academy where he was a four-sport standout. The Boston Red Sox selected him in the 31st round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Even though the glamour of the MLB was tempting, he said he always knew he would take the college route.
“(My family) thought about the future and playing in rookie ball, but it really wasn’t that much of a factor. I knew I wanted to come to State. I knew I wanted to play college baseball and experience that and get my education,” he said. “I wanted to come to college and get more mature in baseball.”
In his first year at MSU, Renfroe developed a role as a utility player. Playing mostly catcher at Copiah Academy, Renfroe also pitched and played outfield. After his rookie season with the Maroon and White, he finished with a .154 batting average and a 9.64 ERA in less than five innings pitched.
“It was a very difficult transition coming from the top everything in high school, multi-sport and talented in everything. Then you go to being a freshman in a huge college, and you don’t know anybody, and you’re on the lower end of the totem pole,” he said. “You have to learn a lot of different stuff in a short amount of time.”
Renfroe followed with his sophomore campaign and raised his average to .252 in 61 games played. He finished second on the team with 58 hits and set a school record with 10 outfield assists. Head coach John Cohen said he started to notice Renfroe’s performance spike in a series late in the 2012 season.
“He only had 25 at-bats as a freshman, but I felt like he made some progress. At the end of last year, I thought he really started to take off, especially in the Florida series late in the year,” Cohen said. “Then he went out and had a great summer with a wooden bat and really showed up as a very confident player this fall.”
In the off-season, Renfroe played in the Cal Ripken League for the Bethesda Big Train in Bethesda, Md., and had the best summer a player could imagine. In 36 games played, Renfroe collected 49 hits, 11 doubles and hit .366. He also shattered league records in home runs (16), RBIs (53), runs scored (47) and slugging percentage (.866). By the end of the summer, Renfroe was named the league’s most valuable player and, before the last home game, he was honored by having a part of his legacy left in Bethesda.
“When we walked out on the field, I noticed that there was something on the wall covered up, but I didn’t think anything of it. At the start of the game, the first pitch was getting thrown, and they said they had a special ceremony. Our head coach was looking at me, and he pointed up and I looked around and saw my mom and dad. That’s when I knew something was up,” Renfroe said. “They started naming out my stats and then announced that my number was getting retired at the last home game.”

Not only does Renfroe’s No. 11 jersey hang on the outfield wall of Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, another No. 11 sits atop a light pole in right field, to indicate the distance of the power hitter’s home runs.
Now in his junior season, Renfroe leads the SEC with 13 home runs and a .815 slugging percentage.
Before the season began, Renfroe’s roommate, Wes Rea, said he knew Renfroe’s power would be an asset to the season.
“During batting practice I’m pretty sure all 39 guys just stood out there and just watched the balls go over the wall for about 15 minutes,” Rea said. “He has unbelievable power.”
More recently, Renfroe was named SEC Player of the Week after MSU’s sweep over Texas A&M. He hit .571 with two doubles and homered in every game in the series. Renfroe also assisted the team on the base pads last weekend as he scored a pair of runs, helping his team take the series against Auburn.
From having limited offers out of high school to having his jersey retired, Renfroe said the accolades have been a great experience, but his focus is on the College World Series.
“We’re trying to work toward winning another SEC championship. We’re also working toward getting to a regional, super regional and then, at the end result, Omaha, and being the last one standing,” he said. “We definitely have to take one game at a time. We’re eager to get back and show them what our real team is and what we can do. We’re waiting for our opportunity.”