Starkville Daily News

Fitts helps Bulldogs prepare for the road

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Trevor Fitts knows how to get ready for a regional in Tallahasse­e, Florida.

As the coordinato­r of baseball operations for the Mississipp­i State baseball team, one of Fitts' responsibi­lities is to put into place travel plans for road trips.

It won't take long for Fitts to recall what it's like to make a trip to Florida State.

During his freshman year as a pitcher in 2012, Fitts and the Bulldogs participat­ed in the Tallahasse­e Regional and finished third.

MSU learned this week that it would be making another journey to Florida State for the NCAA Tournament.

“It will be very interestin­g to go back,” Fitts said. “It will be good to go down there and try to get some wins.”

What does Fitts remember about the last time the Bulldogs went to Tallahasse­e for baseball competitio­n?

The things that came to his mind first were the weather and the atmosphere.

“I remember it was hot and the fans are really loud,” Fitts said. “It's a home run hitters ballpark so you've got to keep the ball down. I'm sure that will be part of the message (to the MSU pitchers this week.”

Before returning to MSU in his current role, Fitts was the pitching coach at Daphne High School in the spring of 2017.

Fitts serves as the primary liaison with adidas baseball with the Bulldogs. Along with putting together the travel, he manages player relations, oversees student managers and video operations.

“Trevor is the operations guy and they are in the middle of everything,” MSU interim head coach Gary Henderson said. “The thing about that job and with that job descriptio­n, you do everything. He'll be right in the middle of all the planning for the travel and all of the logistics. When you have a guy with Trevor's type of experience and his devotion to Mississipp­i State baseball, we'll depend on him a great deal and he'll do a great job.”

Fitts appeared in 62 games on the mound during his four-year career with the Bulldogs and had a 10-8 record with six saves and a 2.62 earned run average in 144 innings. The Helena, Alabama, native was a team captain as a senior in 2105.

MSU participat­ed in the NCAA Tournament three times during Fitts' time as a player, including a run to the College World Series finals in 2013.

He has enjoyed being a part of the Bulldogs getting back to the NCAA Tournament again this season.

“It's awesome to see how resilient they are with everything they've been through,” Fitts said. “(We look) to keep them moving and put some wins together.”

 ?? (Photo by Jonathan Bachman, AP) ?? Trevor Fitts pitches for Mississipp­i State during the 2014 season.
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman, AP) Trevor Fitts pitches for Mississipp­i State during the 2014 season.
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