BULLDOG BITS
Opening Day at Dudy Noble Field is nearly here. On Friday Mississippi State begins the 2019 baseball season with a 4 p.m. game against Youngstown State. That’s when new head coach Chris Lemonis and the Bulldogs begin their trek to try and return to Omaha, Nebraska, and the College World Series for what would be the 11th time in program history.
The Starkville Daily News is taking a look at different components of the 2019 Diamond Dogs leading into the new year of baseball. Last week, the MSU bullpen was the focus. Today, the Inside the Dugout series looks at the three players likely to be in State’s weekend pitching rotation.
Ethan Small
Small is the lone pitcher that Lemonis has confirmed will indeed be in Mississippi State’s weekend rotation. During MSU’S preseason media day two weeks ago, Lemonis wasn’t committed to the final two slots, but he had no hesitation in selecting Small the Opening Day starter.
“Friday night is Ethan Small,” Lemonis said. “He’s done it. He’s been there. He’s been one of our best all year. He is the leader of our pitching staff, so I feel confident about him there.”
It’s little surprise that Small is the unquestioned ace of Mississippi State’s staff. It’s a spot he essentially took over at the end of last season as he earned Game 1 starts for Mississippi State in both the Nashville Super Regional against Vanderbilt and in the College World Series.
Small finished 2018 with an impressive 3.20 earned run average and opponents hit only.239 against him. He struck out 122 batters to become one of only 22 MSU pitchers in history to own a season with 100 or more punch outs.
He’ll be on the bump this Friday as he begins his quest to perhaps top what was a
Men’s Tennis
LUBBOCK, Texas – Midnight may have struck, but not before the No. 3 Mississippi State men’s tennis team earned its sixth consecutive victory to start 2019, grinding out a 4-1 win in another great battle with No. 19 Tulane late Saturday evening.
The Bulldogs (6-0), behind their 17th straight doubles point and key moments down the stretch, held off the Green Wave (4-2) Saturday night indoors at The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club. With the win, MSU won its sixth straight against the Green Wave, and have won 10 of the last 12 meetings in the series.
“Great effort from our boys tonight,” State head coach Matt Roberts said. “Tulane always gives us everything we can handle. I was most impressed by how we stayed together when the pressure was at its highest. We will learn from these indoor matches and continue to improve. Now, it’s on to Chicago for National Indoors. Hail State!”
In doubles, the Bulldogs needed another gutsy effort if they were to start with an early 1-0 lead. Sixth-ranked Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini gave State a good start, taking a close 6-4 win on court 2 over Tulane’s Tim Ruetzel and Hamish Stewart.
On court 3, State’s duo of breakout 2018.
“Really it’s just continuing where I left off last year,” Small said. “It’s not changing anything drastically, just fine-tuning things to make it better.”
J.T. Ginn
While Lemonis has gone no further than labeling the freshman Ginn a candidate for a weekend rotation spot, Ginn’s teammates seem a bit more convinced. MSU left fielder Rowdey Jordan was asked at the team’s media day if he thought Ginn would be a weekend starter. Jordan had no hesitation.
“He will be,” Jordan said. “He’s good enough and it’s just going to be exciting.”
Not many freshmen earn a stamp of approval like that so quickly, but then again, Ginn isn’t your ordinary freshman. Ginn was a firstround draft choice in this past summer’s Major League Baseball Draft as the Los Angeles Dodgers took him with the 30th overall pick. The Dodgers reportedly offered Ginn $2.4 million to begin his professional career. However Ginn turned it down to become a Bulldog.
“Everybody’s dream is to play in the major leagues obviously, but I’ve been committed here for a while and it was one of my dreams growing up (to play for MSU),” Ginn said. “Watching Mississippi State on TV and being a Mississippi kid, it’s like a dream come true to get out here and actually get to do it.”
Ginn is likely to be a multi-position guy for the Bulldogs as he could play some in the infield or as a designated hitter as well, but it appears his biggest contributions will indeed come as a weekend starter. If that’s Trevor Foshey and Gregor Ramskogler remained undefeated in 2018-19, clinching the 17th straight doubles point for the Bulldogs with a thrilling 7-6(1) victory against Luis Erlenbusch and Tyler Schick. No. 34 Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic were in a tiebreaker at No. 1 at the time of MSU’S clincher.
The fifth-ranked All-american Borges quickly pushed the lead for the Bulldogs to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Tulane’s No. 63 Moore on court 1.
Oradini, ranked 66th nationally, then upended Tulane’s 42nd-ranked Erlenbusch in a hard-fought, 7-5, 6-4 decision on court 2 to give State a commanding 3-0 lead.
But Tulane battled back, taking the first set on courts 3-5 to try and mount a comeback effort. The Green Wave’s lone point came when Stewart earned a tough three-set win over Rakic on court 3 at 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-2.
Moments later, in another three-set battle, MSU’S Allsoutheastern Conference star Braun came through for the Bulldogs. The 64th-ranked Bulldog senior battled back from a set down to oust Tulane’s Dane Esses on court 4, winning 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
MSU’S 98th-ranked Foshey
(Photo by Nati Harnik, AP)
the case, Ginn is more than ready for the opportunity.
“That’s what I came here for,” Ginn said. “I want to be able to get out there and pitch on the weekends and give my team the best chance to win.”
Ginn brings a ton of promise to the mound with him at Dudy Noble Field. He’s a hard thrower that has, in the past, been clocked in the high 90s to go along with impressive breaking pitches.
Small, like Jordan, special things ahead for Ginn.
“He’s definitely physically mature,” Small said of Ginn. “Of course there is always a learning curve with freshmen – always is, but he’s far, far ahead of probably me when I was a freshman and everybody
Softball
believes are trailed No. 74 Schick 6-1, 5-2 on court 5, while Florian Broska was knotted up in a 4-all deadlock in the first set with Akos Kotorman at No. 6, at the time of Braun’s clincher.
The Bulldogs will head to Chicago for the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, to be held at the Midtown Athletic Club Feb. 15-18. Draws for the 16-team field in the Windy City will be announced Wednesday, and all 16 teams are guaranteed at least three matches in the prestigious event. State will be making its 12th appearance all-time in the National Indoors, with its best finish being the semifinals three times (1994, 1995 and 1998).
Freshman Lady Jack Kassidy Wilbur kept No. 24 Mississippi State softball’s (4-1) powerful offense in check as Stephen F. Austin (4-1) topped the Bulldogs 1-0 at Nusz Park on Sunday to claim the Bulldog Kickoff Classic title.
Wilbur limited the Bulldogs to just two hits over Sunday’s finale. Mississippi State worked the count at the plate to draw four walks and a hit by pitch, but could not capitalize on the free passes. Wilbur struck out nine total in the contest.
Junior outfielder Fa Leilua else too. You see that and it’s like, ‘What’s he going to be (in the future) and what can he be this year if he really takes advantage of this opportunity?’ I’m excited to see what he does.”
Keegan James
Like with Ginn, Lemonis hasn’t committed to James in a weekend rotation spot, but multiple Mississippi State players at the team’s media day seemed convinced James was in.
James, a junior, posted a solid season for the Bulldogs in relief last season and looks poised to capitalize and build on his success. He’s not taking it for granted that he’s won a weekend job though, no matter how many votes of confidence he gets from and senior outfielder Kat Moore both knocked twoout singles in the bottom of the third for create the best scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs, but Wilbur forced a strikeout to keep MSU off the board.
The Lady Jacks lone run came in the top of the second after Stephen F. Austin got two on via a single to left field and a walk with one out. Freshman pitcher Grace Fagan forced a fly out to left, allowing the Lady Jack base runner to tag up to third.
A two-out single in no man’s land between second and third was deep enough to plate the lone run of the game.
Fagan (1-1) tossed the first three innings of the contest allowing one run off four hits and two walks, while fanning a pair. Sophomore pitcher Emily Williams recorded three innings of work, allowing three hits and striking out five. Junior Alyssa Loza tossed the final frame and allowed one hit and struck out two.
Mississippi State returns to action on Thursday as part of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Women’s Tennis
Mississippi State’s women’s tennis squad (7-2) captured its sixth home victory of the 2019 season on Saturday at the A.J. teammates.
“I’ve worked my whole life for it,” James said of possibly starting on weekends. “My ultimate goal was to be a weekend guy at a premier college and hopefully be able to be a starter in the big leagues at some point. It’s really neat, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
James had a 4.34 ERA out of the bullpen for MSU last year. He struck out nearly a batter an inning with 45 punch outs over 47.2 frames.
As he prepares for what’s likely to be the biggest role of his Bulldog career now, James says he’s been refining his curveball command.
“We’ve been tinkering with some grips and we’ve found a consistent grip and consistent arm speed,” James said. “Now, it’s just putting Pitts Tennis Centre in a 6-1 decision over UAB (2-5).
MSU remained unbeaten at home in 2019, having now outscored opponents 27-2 at the Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs have also captured 35 straight non-conference victories at home, and now holds a 16-match win streak in the series with the Blazers.
“We played solid overall today,” MSU women’s tennis head coach Daryl Greenan said. “I feel like we did a few things better today than we have so far this season. I thought UAB fought hard, especially in the singles. I was happy with how we responded for a hard-earned win.”
The Bulldogs came out strong, winning the doubles point with ease. On court two, Emma Antonaki and Anastsia Rentouli blanked Jana Hecking and Dominika Hrabalova in a 6-0 affair to give MSU the early edge. Janina Braun and Sara Lizariturry then clinched the doubles point in a 6-3 decision on court three over UAB’S Sophie Dodds and Megan Bertrands. MSU led 5-3 on court 1 when play was suspended.
In singles, 98th-ranked State sophomore Magda Adaloglou picked up the first victory, winning the last three games of her match with Alexandra Shchipakina for a 6-1, 6-3 victory. On court five, the it in the zone whenever I need to.”
If James can locate his breaking ball and combine that with command of his low-to-mid 90s fastball, he likely won’t just be in MSU’S weekend rotation – he’ll thrive in it.
Count Small among those that think James is ready for a big year.
“He’s got it,” Small said of James. “It’s just the feel and the fine-tuning things and I think he’s working on that.”
Joel Coleman is the Mississippi State beat writer for The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in Inside the Dugout are Coleman’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SDN or its staff. MSU veteran Lizariturry followed with a straight-set 6-2, 6-3 triumph over the Blazers’ Bertrands to give MSU a 3-0 advantage.
UAB pushed three of the final four matches to three sets, and almost all four, but the Bulldog senior Braun would have no part of it, as she solidified the match for State on court six with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 over the Blazers’ Hrabalova to clinch the victory.
State took two of the final three matches as well. UAB grabbed its lone point of the day at the No. 4 spot where Jana Hecking edge MSU rookie Tamara Racine 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
State’s ALL-SEC senior Rentouli rallied back from a set down to for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Dodds at No. 3 to improve her team-leading win streak to nine matches. The true freshman Antonaki picked up the final win of the day in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 marathon triumph over UAB’S Shchipakina on court 2.
The Bulldogs conclude a seven-match homestand next Saturday in a doubleheader against North Alabama at noon and 4 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Following Saturday’s match, MSU embarks on a four-match road stretch before returning home on March 15 to face SEC foe Auburn at 3 p.m.