Mississippi State baseball wrapped up a series of weekend scrimmages on Monday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. Here are a few takeaways.
- The pitching staff should be much improved.
New pitching coach Justin Parker will have plenty of talent to work with this season. Weekend starters Jurrangelo Cijntje and Nate Dohm return from last year and look to make a jump in year two with the program. Expect these two to anchor the weekend rotation. The coaching staff will have many viable options for that third weekend starter role. Purdue transfer Khal Stephen showed promise getting up to 95 MPH with his fastball. Expect Colby Holcombe to make a push for a starting role as well. He tossed 3 scoreless innings on Friday. Brooks Auger and Stone Simmons are now healthy and should log valuable innings this season.
- David Mershon and Amani Larry will be fun to watch.
Both David Mershon and Amani Larry return for their second seasons in Starkville. Larry made 52 starts last year while Mershon tallied 25. The talented duo will provide Mississippi State with experience and strength up the middle. Mershon’s vocalness on the field and in the dugout was prominent. His gritty style of play is valuable to any team. Larry impressed at the plate racking up multiple hits throughout the weekend. The duo should provide a dangerous 1-2 punch at the top of the batting order. Oh, and they will be followed up by All-Americans Hunter Hines and Dakota Jordan. Yeah, this lineup as a whole will be fun to watch.
- There are not many holes in the lineup.
Aside from Mershon and Larry in the middle infield, the Bulldogs will be strong across the field. Memphis transfer Logan Kohler impressed this weekend at 3rd base making multiple web gem plays. He also launched a solo home run in Monday’s contest. All American Hunter Hines will be at first base to round out the infield. Expect Ross Highfill to be the main man behind the plate as he looks to build off a successful freshman campaign. Highfill launched 9 home runs as a freshman and did not skip a beat as he launched a 3 run home run in Monday’s contest. In the outfield, Dakota Jordan will be in right field and expect Connor Hujsak to be in center field. Hujsak saw limited action last year but should make a big jump in his second year with the program. Left field and designated hitter are the only positions that are hard to project for the Bulldogs. Bryce Chance is probably the front runner to hold down left field. When it comes to DH the Bulldogs should have plenty of options. Expect Aaron Downs, Dylan Cupp, and Ethan Pulliam to be in the mix.
The Mississippi State baseball team begins their 2024 campaign on Friday, February 16th as they host the Air Force Falcons for a three game weekend series.
mississippistate.rivals.com
mississippistate.rivals.com
