MSU'S Price certainly seemed to have regained 2017 form
It would have been nice to see how successful Spencer Price would have been this season.
The Mississippi State relief pitcher was off to a great start as he had not given up an earned run in eight appearances and 7.1 innings pitched. He had 10 strikeouts and only one walk.
Price saved his best of 2020 for last week when he recorded a pair of saves against No. 2 Texas Tech. He did not allow a base runner and threw only 23 pitches as the Bulldogs defeated the offensive-minded Red Raiders twice.
For his performance, Price was chosen the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
MSU'S campaign is over after the SEC decided on Tuesday to cancel spring sports for the rest of the season. With that being the case, the Bulldogs ended competition for the year with a Price save against one of the best teams in the country. That's pretty fitting.
Price seemed to be completely back from arm surgery that caused him to sit out the entire 2018 season. He only had 12 appearances with a 3.09 ERA last year as he worked back into shape.
Against Texas Tech, Price seemed to be in as good as ever. He had a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to close out the 6-3 first game win over the Red Raiders, then got a fly out, a strikeout and a line out to secure the second game 3-2.
Price moved up to a tie for seventh place on MSU'S alltime saves list with 16 in his career. Bryan Hardwick and former teammate Cole Gordon also have 16.
It's not clear at this time whether we've seen the last of Price in a Bulldog uniform and if any more collegiate saves are in his future.
He may can gain an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA because of COVID-19 pandemic canceling SEC spring sports, but is a graduate so there is really no reason for him to return
Price may also opt for professional baseball even if there was a chance he could return to MSU.
Wishing that Price would come back to the Bulldogs would be totally selfish on my part because I enjoyed watching him pitch.
That goes for MSU baseball in general. Not being able to go out to Dudy Noble Field last weekend for an SEC series was tough. The weather was decent. It would have been a fun time.
With that, every precaution must be taken by everyone to make sure the novel coronavirus doesn't spread any more than it already has. Having thousands of people gather for a home MSU baseball game right now doesn't make sense no matter how much it's missed.
It will take some time, but we'll get through this. In the meantime, we have the memory of what Price did on the mound last week for the Bulldogs to save us.