STARKVILLE — Maybe Luis Pollorena should be the last to know every time he’s getting a start for the Mississippi State University baseball team.
That plan worked out just fine Sunday in a 4-2 series finale victory against the University of Mississippi.
While 5-foot-7 left-handed pitcher was going through his normal pregame routine shagging balls in center field, MSU sophomore pitcher Ben Bracewell ran over and asked Pollorena what he was doing.
“He asked, ‘What in the heck are you doing? You know you’re starting today right?’ ” Pollorena said. “I said, ‘No, I hadn’t been told that’, and he immediately said, ‘Well you are and you’re going to tire yourself out doing this before your start’, and I immediately stopped what I was doing.”
The MSU coaches wanted Pollorena to go through his normal pregame routine before notifying him of his start so things could be normal for the junior college transfer from Marian (Ala.) Military Institute.
After pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out a career-best seven in his first Southeastern Conference start of the year, outfield duty seems like a perfect pregame ritual for Pollorena because whatever he’s doing is working.
“As disappointing as this is we couldn’t get a bead on his fastball all day,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “It’s not the most dominating stuff you’ll ever see in the world, but we couldn’t get ahead of it all day. He seems to have our number.”
Pollorena, who was a major contributor as a starter in MSU’s NCAA Atlanta Regional win last season, hit 91 mph on the radar gun and worked both sides of the plate with a two-seam and four-seam fastball Sunday.
“What have I been drinking? What have I been taking?” Pollorena jokingly said. “I was more worried about controlling both sides of the plate than velocity. I looked up and saw 91, and it surprised me even more. I thought, ‘Whoa I must be pretty pumped.’ ”
Pollorena also showcased the athletic ability that helps him in the outfield when he ran down a runner between second and third base after a comebacker hit near the mound.
With sophomore C.T. Bradford nursing a serious shoulder injury, Pollorena also is an emergency defensive option in the outfield. He played that role earlier in the season when Bradford was sidelined the first time with an injury.
“He may be the most athletic pitcher we have on our staff, and it’s amazing the things he can do in that regard,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “It’s not every day that in that situation where a ball is hit to the pitcher that suddenly he’s faster by far than the runner in the baseline.”
The Laredo, Texas, native has struck out 16 Rebels and has allowed only five runs in 17 1/3 innings in three games in the past two seasons.
“We’ve seen him a bunch,” Ole Miss second baseman Alex Yarbrough said. “I’ve had eight or nine at-bats against him. You draw from that a little bit, but he had a little bit more pop on his fastball today.”
Yarbrough had his 22-game hitting streak snapped due thanks in large part to Pollorena, who joked he considered walking Yarbrough to ensure the streak ended.
Cohen went with Pollorena (3-0, 1.46 ERA) instead of sophomore Evan Mitchell primarily to force Bianco to use more right-handed hitters. MSU scouting reports considered that the better lineup to face.
“What is amazing about the pitching depth of the Bulldogs this season is they can trot out Pollorena as a what, fifth starting pitcher option and a get a quality outing from a guy like that like it’s easy,” Baseball America national writer Aaron Fitt said. “Some schools heading into postseason play would like to have three or four arms they can rely on. Cohen and his staff at MSU seemingly have twice that many.”
What was considered a possible two- or three-inning relief bridge at the end of games became a 1-2 punch Sunday. Senior closer Caleb Reed came in in relief of Pollorena and worked the final 3 2/3 innings to earn his eighth save, and 20th of his career.
“What Luis does is turn their lineup into right-handed dominant, so a team then has two options when I come into the game,” Reed said. “You can take your chance to hit with righties, and that’s something you know I have confidence with, or you can turn to a completely cold left-handed hitter off your bench in the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning. That works for me, too. It’s a lose-lose for you with us going back-to-back on the mound.”
Last season, Pollorena saw playing time in 22 games and made 17 relief appearances. He started five of his last six games late in the year, and went on to pace the staff in wins (seven) and finished with a 4.45 ERA.
This season, Pollorena returned the role as left-handed reliever MSU coaches originally intended him to play. Regardless of what role Pollorena plays, he has a second job he plays in any situation.
“Cheerleader,” Pollorena said. “I think it’s my role to get everybody up and going to stay happy and motivated. Whether it is throwing an inning here or there, starting or getting (MSU junior catcher) Mitch Slauter water in between innings is something I’m going to do the best I can.”
Pollorena had a season-high six strikeouts and allowed one hit in a win against the University of Southern Mississippi at Trustmark Park in Pearl last season. He then blanked the Golden Eagles in six innings to earn a win in the NCAA Atlanta Regional opener.
“He could’ve been a guy that goes, ‘Why am I now starting and why am I not getting more opportunities?’, you know a real me, me, me guy, but he’s a real team, team, team guy, and I love that young man,” Cohen said. “He is on that top step cheering his tail off for each and every one of his teammates, and I’ve never been prouder of a young man more than I am for him when he makes the most of his opportunities.”
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