Berry making his mark on the mound with Patriots before he joins Bulldogs
History was made this year over in Columbus for Heritage Academy and Mississippi State commitment Blayze Berry was right in the middle of it.
As Heritage Academy's ace pitcher, a catcher, infielder and important bat in the lineup, Berry helped lead the Patriots to a 27-7 record and the school's first-ever baseball championship in MAIS Class AAA. Berry was dominant in his junior season with a 9-1 record on the mound, 73.2 innings, 111 strikeouts, 18 walks and a 1.05 earned run average.
He also batted .425 this season with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 12 stolen bases. It all led to an easy selection as the District 2-AAA player of the year.
“Having a great group of guys around me really helps,” Berry said. “I can't do it by myself. Hitting and scoring runs early really helps as a pitcher and makes the game a lot easier.”
On the mound is where Berry is going to make an impact in the Southeastern Conference. As a junior, he's throwing a fastball around 87-89 and he's beginning to top out at 90. His location has been key as he's spotted a changeup and curveball for strikes and is getting swings and misses on his slider making him a tough pitcher to square up for opposing batters.
While the adding more velocity to his fastball is a priority for him over the next couple of years, he likes where he is with his other pitches.
“I love throwing my changeup and my two-seam,” Berry said. “That's what I live with getting guys out. I worked last year a lot. You have to have a changeup. If you only have two pitches, you're going to get raked most of the time. It just translates over and you can see the results.”
New MSU pitching coach Scott Foxhall has certainly liked