Starkville Daily News

Stovall beats the odds to get on field for MSU

- By DANNY P. SMITH sports@starkville­dailynews.com

Hunter Stovall has lived his life with a purpose.

The sophomore second baseman for the Mississipp­i State Bulldogs was born seven weeks early in Birmingham, Ala., and even died while being born before being brought back by the doctors.

"I was only like 4 pounds," Stovall said.

Stovall knows he made it through that ordeal for a reason and doesn't take any day for granted.

"Coming from that and the Good Lord blessing me to be on this earth, it's something I think about every day," Stovall said. "He put me on this earth to make a difference. I live my life through helping people."

He has certainly done that.

Stovall has volunteere­d locally at his church, the March of Dimes Foundation, St. Jude Children's Hospital and the Field of Angels Baseball League for children with disabiliti­es. He spends his free time participat­ing in multiple charitable initiative­s to benefit the homeless and raise awareness for breast and ovarian cancer.

The Bulldog has shown that he's a pretty good baseball player also.

Stovall is fifth on the team in hitting with a .304 batting average. In 115 at-bats, he has five doubles, one triple and hit his first home run of the season in the third game against LSU on Saturday.

To start the season, Stovall got MSU's first hit on Feb. 17 against Texas Tech and hit a team-best .513 during opening weekend.

Stovall has been hampered by injuries at times during his college career, but State coach Andy Cannizaro says he always finds his way back into the lineup.

“I love his make up and his mentality,” Cannizaro said, “He wants to do everything in his power to get out on the field and help us win ballgames.”

Stovall had 83 at-bats last season that was also limited by injuries. He had a .241 batting average with five doubles and 14 runs batted in.

He returned from an injury that kept him off the field for a month last season to get two hits against LSU in the Southeaste­rn Conference Tournament.

The Pelham, Ala., native returns to the SEC Tournament and to an area where he grew up this week when the Bulldogs compete in the Hoover, Ala., event.

Once again, Stovall looks forward to the opportunit­y at Hoover Metropolit­an Stadium.

"It's something I grew up dreaming of doing," Stovall said. "I ran around this park when I was little. I watched the SEC Tournament and watched these players play. I always wanted to do it, so actually being here and being able to do it is an unreal feeling.

"It's almost like an accomplish­ment in my book, but there is a lot more left to go. I love playing in front of people I know and it's awesome."

 ?? (Photo by Jason Cleveland, SDN) ?? Mississipp­i State's Hunter Stovall stands at the plate during the LSU series.
(Photo by Jason Cleveland, SDN) Mississipp­i State's Hunter Stovall stands at the plate during the LSU series.

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