Chance commits to MSU program he grew up watching
Mississippi State baseball has just been a dream for Bryce Chance most of his life.
He grew up watching legendary runs to Omaha like the 2013 and 2019 teams made up of players that loved the game of baseball and left it all on the field. That’s all Chance has tried to do in his career leading up to his high school years at Madisonridgeland Academy.
While he’s been committed to Hinds Community College, Chance has always been working for bigger things. He knew that at some point he might have an opportunity at a place like MSU whether it be out of high school or junior college and he would have to put in the work to get there.
“I had been up there to a showcase at State and I was a completely different hitter,” Chance said. “I was a contact guy that was shooting singles up the middle and occasionally a double. In quarantine, I was working out with (MSU commit) Hunter Hines. We talked about what we needed to do to make the next step and for me it was to put on more weight and get some pop in my bat.”
Assistant coach Jake Gautreau has been keeping tabs on Chance since seeing him at camp. The Bulldogs’ hitting coach liked what he saw at camps but wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger.
That was until the fall when Chance was really beginning to produce some pop. A video of an intrasquad home run blast at MRA was an eye opener and Gautreau’s conversations with Chance began to heat up. An offer came and it didn’t take long for Chance to make the move on a commitment with MSU.
“I loved (Hinds coach Sam Temple) and all of the assistant coaches were great and made me feel at home,” Chance said. “A few weeks after my video went viral, coach Gautreau called me and it moved on from there. We were off and on talking and I sent him some film. The night after we played Starkville Academy, we talked and he offered me a spot. I called coach Temple and let him know and he was very supportive. I committed the next morning.”
Since the summer, Chance has added 15 pounds of muscle and is currently at 5-9, 180 pounds. He’s also off to a big start playing with one of the best teams in the state at MRA and is batting .440 with 22 hits in 19 games, 18 RBI, eight doubles and three home runs. He had two homers in his high school career in 38 games coming into the season.
On top of that, Chance is
surrounded by competitiveness on his team. The Patriots have Division-i talent all over the roster with sophomore Ole Miss commitment Jackson Evers, junior MSU commit Stone Blanton and seniors Southern Miss signee Niko Mazza and Ole Miss’ Brayden Jones to name a few.
“We have some great competition,” Chance said. “Intrasquad is the best for me. You’ve got someone like Jackson Evers committed to Ole Miss or Stone committed to State going up against Niko Mazza. It’s crazy to see how competitive intrasquads are, then you move into MAIS and there are some amazing players. It’s crazy to play in our league and to be in this position is a blessing.”
The competition is only going to increase next season for Chance and he’s ready for it. It’s something that he’s been hoping for his entire life and now he has a chance to live it.
From watching those great Bulldog outfielders of his childhood dog pile in centerfield to getting an opportunity to do it himself, life is coming fast. He’s soaking it all up and counting it a blessing.
“This is a huge deal for me,” Chance said of his commitment to MSU. “C.T. Bradford was my favorite player and I loved Brett Pirtle. I grew up playing for the Scrappers and we were maroon and white and pretty much mini Bulldogs. I was there for the (Elijah) Macnamee homer in the Stanford Regional and the energy there was electric. I just can’t wait to be a part of it.”