Starting outfield has potential to be one of SEC'S best
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 SDN examined the MSU bullpen and earlier this week, the likely weekend starting pitching rotation was discussed. Today, the SDN Inside the Dugout series looks at the three players likely to comprise State's starting outfield.
Jake Mangum – CF
Mississippi State is set to unveil a pair of statues honoring former Bulldogs Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark prior to Friday's season opener.
Once the game starts though, the man that'll run out to centerfield for the Bulldogs is arguably just as beloved as the two stars that'll be immortalized out in front of Dudy Noble.
Mangum is unquestionably the heart and soul of the Bulldogs. Just ask his new head coach.
“There's nobody else that loves this program more than that kid,” Lemonis said of Mangum. “I lean on him and I talk to him back and forth.
“(He's been) a mentor to our young kids and how lucky we are to have him in the lineup, but also for all of those young kids in our program to see how he goes about his business. I've coached a lot of great kids and a lot of great workers, but in between those two lines, he is as hard-nosed as you'll ever see.”
Mangum really is the total package for MSU. He's a leader on and off the field. Maybe the only thing somewhat lacking in his repertoire is home-run power, but he is still a consistent extra-base threat with 28 extra-base hits a season ago.
He's solid defensively. He's able to steal a bag at any time. There isn't much Mangum can't do.
History is also within reach for Mangum entering the year. He needs 78 hits to become the all-time hits leader in Southeastern Conference history. He's only 61 hits shy of setting the Mississippi State career hits record.
Mangum insists though, as the season starts, it's not the record books that he's all that concerned about.
“(Ultimately) it's to win a national championship,” Mangum said of his goal. “It's still that one thing missing about our program.”
Elijah Macnamee – RF
Who will ever forget last year's Tallahassee Regional when Macnamee stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and created one of the greatest moments in Mississippi State history with a dramatic three-run, walk-off home run that was the spark of MSU'S run to the College World Series?
It'll be ingrained in the memory banks of many forever, but Macnamee himself says that, at least for now, he's trying to not think all that much about it.
“It's definitely a great thing and I don't think I could burn myself out thinking about it,” Macnamee said. “I keep looking at it like that was something special – it was a special group of guys and coaches and all that, but I keep trying to tell myself to turn the page because I really want to go back to Omaha this year. I don't want to dwell on (last year).”
Macnamee will unquestionably be a big part of MSU'S hopes for 2019. With his walkoff bomb against Florida State last year, as well as a similar shot against Vanderbilt in the Nashville Super Regional, Macnamee established himself as a player that thrives in the big moments.
Maybe the only thing left for Macnamee to prove is that he can shine when the lights aren't quite as bright. In each of the last two seasons, Macnamee has gotten off to slow starts before heating up down the stretch. In fact, last season, it was April before Macnamee became a lineup regular.
There's little doubt Macnamee will be the everyday right fielder from day one this season, but he's still looking to avoid the early-season struggles that have plagued him the last two years.
“I'm not really worried about that,” Macnamee said. “I think my timing both years – that's just how it happened.
“I think it was just baseball. I was trying to do too much. I really think the main idea of that was I had new coaches both years. That made me feel like, in my mind, at the beginning I had to improve each year instead of just playing my game. I understand that now. I'm comfortable at the plate now. If I start out hot, I'm going to try to keep it rolling and if I don't, then I'll put my head down and keep working.”
Rowdey Jordan – LF
Mississippi State's special 2018 season had multiple contributors, but one of the biggest was the then-freshman Jordan out of Auburn, Alabama, who became MSU'S starting left fielder and excelled.
Jordan is back for year two and he's ready to prove his impressive debut season was no fluke.
“You're more comfortable now,” Jordan said. “It's not something that's extremely new. I'm really looking forward to it.”
If Jordan is indeed more relaxed in his role with the Bulldogs, that's bad news for opponents. Jordan earned Freshman All-america honors from D1baseball last season as he hit .321, cranked seven homers and drove in 37 runs. MSU would probably be content if Jordan could simply replicate that success this year. If he improves upon it, suddenly Jordan quickly solidifies himself as one of the premier offensive threats in the country.
Offense wasn't Jordan's primary concern this offseason though. He said he did make some adjustments to try and be less streaky and more consistent at the plate, but most of his work came defensively.
Jordan came to MSU with most of his prior work as an infielder before he was moved to left field last season. There was an adjustment period for Jordan, but Lemonis says, as 2019 starts, Jordan has impressed him defensively.
“He's gotten better everyday,” Lemonis said. “Rowdey is a really good athlete, so he covers a lot of ground out there.”
With Mangum beside him in center and Macnamee over in right, a strong case can be made that if Jordan shows that he's made strides forward, the Bulldogs will have one of the SEC'S most well-rounded outfield trios.
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.