Starkville Daily News

Westburg gets MSU going with four hits

- By DANNY P. SMITH sports@starkville­dailynews.com

One of these days there will be trivia questions asked about opening day at Mississipp­i State's new Dudy Noble Field.

Jordan Westburg's name will be right in the middle of that.

Westburg had the first hit for the Bulldogs in the official opening of their new home. He also drove in the first run at the new Dudy Noble Field with a sixth-inning double to score Jake Mangum.

At the end of the day, Westburg had four hits and drove in four runs as MSU defeated Youngstown State 14-3.

After getting the double in the sixth, Westburg stood at second base and did a little jig. He was glad to be on the field and contributi­ng once again for the Bulldogs.

“I was just taking advantage of what they gave me,” Westburg said. “They gave me a lot of fastballs in, so I tried to put a good swing on them and just tried to wait on my pitch. I knew there were a lot of close pitches and a lot of guys trying to hit the ball hard, so I wanted to take advantage of what I got.”

Westburg was one of the standout players down the stretch during last year's run to Omaha, Nebraska, and the College World Series for State. He finished with a .248 batting average with two home runs and 30 RBI.

MSU head coach Chris Lemonis believes Westburg has the capability to have a much better spring in 2019.

“Good contact,” Lemonis said of Westburg's approach at the plate. “He's really athletic and can hurt you in so many ways.”

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