STARKVILLE — A new college baseball season is almost here.
With opening day for a Mississippi State baseball season looming Feb. 13 against Cincinnati at Dudy Noble Field, the Bulldogs will continue preparations Saturday when it officially opens practice for the 2015 campaign.
It’s a day that can’t get here fast enough for some MSU players.
“We are excited, really anxious,” MSU shortstop Seth Heck said. “We are definitely ready. It will be here before we know it.”
The season holds plenty of promise for MSU. Two years removed from an appearance in the College World Series final, MSU boasts a roster that includes eight seniors, 10 juniors, 10 sophomores, and 10 freshmen. Leave it to one of those freshmen to sum up what might set this year’s Bulldogs apart.
“This team has better chemistry than any team I’ve ever been on,” MSU freshman infielder Ryan Gridley said. “The guys all get along. We have the same vision as far as baseball goes, and we have a lot of fun being around each other and playing the game together. That’s a big deal.”
Gridley isn’t the only player who has noticed MSU’s improved chemistry on and off the field.
“I feel like we are a lot closer as a group,” MSU relief pitcher Trevor Fitts said during fall baseball practice. “We have a very close senior class. I feel really good about this team and how hard we have been working.”
That chemistry, forged in the fall, will help MSU, which is ranked No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, attack a schedule that includes 24-straight home games to open the season. The Bulldogs won’t leave Dudy Noble Field until the end of March, when they play a Southeastern Conference series at Kentucky.
MSU’s challenge this year will be to improve on a 39-24 season (18-12 SEC) that ended in the NCAA Regionals at Louisiana-Lafayette.
To bounce back, MSU will turn to a roster stacked with young arms and experienced hitters. Some players believe the veteran-laden offense could be a catalyst for big things.
“We have guys in the middle of the order who can drive that run in, where maybe we weren’t always able to succeed in that situation last year,” Heck said. “Guys like Reid Humphries, Gavin Collins, Wes Rea … I think we have a lot of guys who can change a game with one swing this year.”
Heck and Gridley said the only way for 2015 to be considered a success is if MSU wins a national championship.
Asked if that mentality comes from MSU coach John Cohen or the players, Heck couldn’t decide.
“I think it’s both,” Heck said. “We still have guys on the team that was so close to a championship. Just listening to their experiences of how fun it was and how heartbreaking it was to get that close drives you.”
MSU brings back a number of talented hitters this season, led by Collins, a sophomore catcher. Collins hit .304 as a freshman and started 45 games in 2014.
The Bulldogs will be in flux on the mound early in the season as they adjust to the loss of standout relievers Jacob Lindgren and Jonathan Holder. But senior Ross Mitchell (8-5, 2.53 ERA) returns to lead a deep pitching staff.
“I think we have as many great arms as any team I’ve seen,” Gridley said. “I am excited, whether I’m playing behind them or just watching from the dugout, to see these guys pitch.”
MSU will open practice Saturday, while Cohen and several players will speak to media Friday afternoon.
MSU has set Fan Day for Saturday, Feb. 7.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.