McQuary helps Mississippi State on mound as freshman
From interceptions leading to touchdowns to fastballs leading to strikeouts,
Denver McQuary has done it all and has more on the way.
A standout, multi-sport star for the
Class 4A Houston HIlltoppers, McQuary could be roaming a defensive backfield on a gridiron next fall if he wanted to.
McQuary has already gone down as one of the best to play defense in the state of Mississippi as he broke the career interceptions record held by Steve McNair with 33.
Baseball was his first love, though, and Mississippi State baseball was his dream.
McQuary remembers coming to Starkville at age 6 or 7 with his father, Kevan, and falling in love with MSU baseball. It was at that point that he told his dad he was going to be a Diamond Dawg one day.
After accumulating football offers from Northwestern State, Memphis, Southern Miss and others, he decided on a baseball career and Mississippi State had the opportunity he was waiting on. When he came to Starkville, he brought a little bit of football with him to his every day work on the diamond.
“It’s all about a mindset,” McQuary said. “I try to go out there on the baseball field every day and have a football mindset. I have a real aggressive mentality and I’m not scared of anything. If you step on that mound and you’re scared, you’re going to get knocked around.”
That mindset has been exactly what McQuary and the rest of his team has needed in a year full of adversity. The Bulldogs are under first-year head coach Andy Cannizaro, who inherited a team void of much of its talent from last year’s Southeastern Conference Championship team and a pitching staff obliterated by injuries.
It’s why McQuary has gone from a true freshman role player with the ability to play in the field or pitch to becoming one of the key pieces in the starting rotation down the stretch. McQuary was expecting to throw some this year after a solid fall on the mound but admits to having his shortcomings in the spring.
As the season has progressed, however, he’s now worked himself into the weekend rotation and could be a critical piece to the puzzle the last couple of weeks.
“Denver has been outstanding for us,” Cannizaro said. “He kind of started out with some smaller sample sizes at the beginning of the year with an inning here and an inning there. As the season has progressed, he’s gotten even more time.
“He’s started our biggest midweek ball games this year in Pearl against Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss. The more he’s gone out there, the better he’s done. He’s starting to really command his changeup and develop his breaking ball.”
McQuary’s first season, like any freshman, has been filled with some ups and downs. The 6-2, 187-pound right hander has struck out 30 batters in 35.1 innings but he’s also walked 27. The walks have come down in his last two games.
After earning his first career win in a stellar 5.1-inning victory over Ole Miss at Trustmark Park, McQuary’s first real SEC start is what turned heads. With the Bulldogs needing a win last Friday evening at Texas A&M, he delivered another five innings where he surrendered just three hits and a run while striking out five batters and walking just one.
“It felt awesome,” McQuary said. “Coach text me the night before and told me I was getting the ball. I just said, ‘let’s go even it up.’ He told me that was why I was on the mound. He has a lot of confidence in me going out there and getting the win for them and that gives me more confidence to do what I do.”
The desire to hit those fastballs instead of throw them is still there. McQuary is wellequipped to play the field and hit in the SEC as he hit .343 with 58 RBI, 36 doubles, 10 triples and a home run in his HIlltopper career.
The time may come where he gets to display all of his other skills at Dudy Noble Field, but for now, he’s doing what’s needed. He’s completely fine with it as long as
his team keeps winning, too.
“Obviously I miss going out there and taking ground balls and getting in the box and taking my hacks,” McQuary said. “I’m a competitive player and want to do it all. I’m just fine, though. Whatever I can do to help my team win is what I’m going to do.
“We have a lot of guys hurt and need guys to step up. I’m glad to be one of those guys to step up. Me and (Brent) Rooker were talking about it the other day that we just won a series on the road without a full roster even going with us. It’s cool doing what we’re able to do and hopefully we keep doing it.”
At 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA and dropping, McQuary is prepared for the stretch run
and will start his second SEC game of the season on Saturday at Georgia. As of now, the Bulldogs are remarkably at the top of the standings and are in contention for back-toback conference titles.
Though he’s confident in his team’s abilities, even he has to step back and wonder to himself how it’s happening. That time comes every now and then until he remembers he and his teammates’ capabilities.
“A lot of people are doubting us,” McQuary said. “Within ourselves, we know how good we can be. We’re a rather loose team and we try to go out there and have fun. We know that if we go out there and play our game, we can beat anybody up against us.”