STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball junior right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson was expected to go in the first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft.
Hudson probably didn’t think it would come down to the wire, but he had to wait until pick No. 34, the last pick of the first round, before the St. Louis Cardinals selected him.
“I’m a pretty big Cardinals fan, so I was super excited and it’s a big deal to have this opportunity,” Hudson said in a statement released by MSU.
Hudson and No. 6 national seed and No. 4 MSU (44-16-1) will play host to Arizona (42-21) this weekend in the Starkville Super Regional. The best-of-three series starts at 5 p.m. today (ESPN2). Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU). If needed, Game 3 will be at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2 or ESPNU).
Hudson was the 12th right-handed pitcher taken, and 18th pitcher overall. The slot value of Hudson’s pick is $1,878,000.
The Dunlap, Tennessee, native is 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA. He has struck out 109 and walked 34 in 106 2/3 innings.
He is the 13th Bulldog taken in the first round and the first since Hunter Renfroe (13th to the San Diego Padres) in 2013. He is the third first-round draft pick under MSU coach John Cohen. Chris Stratton was taken 20th by the San Francisco Giants in 2012.
The Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA) and owners signed a five-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that went into effect for the 2012 season. The agreement changed the landscape for the signing bonuses newly drafted players can receive from teams.
Prior to the new CBA, then-commissioner Bud Selig’s office would provide clubs with a list of “slot recommendations”, suggesting the amount of bonus that players should receive based on where they were drafted. The higher a player was drafted, the higher the slot amount.
Clubs didn’t have to accept the recommendations from Selig’s office, but any club that went over the recommended bonus had to provide an explanation to the commissioner’s office.
Under the system, each draft slot is assigned a certain value. The first overall pick in the first round of the 2013 draft was assigned a value of $7,790,400. The No 2 overall pick was valued at $6,708,400.
This season, the Philadelphia Phillies, who selected La Costa Canyon High School outfielder Mickey Moniak with the No. 1 pick, had an individual slot value of $9,015,000.
Bannister the workhorse
There’s no doubt in Arizona coach Jay Johnson’s mind Nathan Bannister should be the National Pitcher of the Year.
The senior right-hander proved that this past weekend. After throwing 96 pitches in seven innings Friday in a 7-3 win over Sam Houston State in the Lafayette (La.) Regional, he threw 102 pitches in seven innings Monday in a 6-3 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette to keep Arizona’s season alive.
“His conditioning has gone to another level,” Johnson said. “That’s helped him repeat his delivery. It’s helped him maintain his stuff and the pitch-ability’s as good as it gets. Nobody has meant more to the success of their team on the mound in 2016 than Nathan.”
Johnson joked Bannister might have “pummeled” him if he didn’t allow him to throw on two days rest in a do-or-die game.
In addition to earning All-Pac-12 honors, Bannister (11-2, 2.63 ERA) was named second-team All-America by Louisville Slugger. The Peoria, Arizona, native was put on a strict regimen of conditioning and sleep to get him ready for Monday.
“My arm felt great,” Bannister said. “I got good conditioning in on Saturday. We didn’t have a game that day, so it was really helpful. It was full go by Monday. The fitness room at our hotel was really nice, and it helped me be ready to go.”
The 6-foot-3, 224-pounder has allowed 91 hits in 126 2/3 innings. He leads the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts (93). Opponents are hitting .200 against him. He threw 130 pitches in eight innings against Washington State on April 8.
Johnson didn’t commit to a starting pitcher for the opener.
“He’s definitely going to pitch,” Johnson said. “We have done some things to get him ready. He’ll be in the thick of it.”
Humphreys’ getting close
MSU junior left fielder/right-hander Reid Humphreys (right hand) is close to being ready, MSU coach John Cohen said.
Humphreys was hit by a pitch Sunday against Louisiana Tech and taken out of the game. He had an X-ray on Monday and Cohen said nothing was broken.
Humphreys went through defensive drills and batting practice Thursday during open practice. He wasn’t wearing protective gear on his right hand.
“We’re very, very hopeful,” Cohen said. “It looks really good. It will be a game time (decision), but he’s made a lot of progress.”
The Brandon native is batting .317 with 44 RBIs and five home runs. He is 0-1 with a 5.48 ERA and seven saves.
Cohen waiting
Cohen wants to sleep on it before deciding on a starting pitcher for today’s game.
Cohen ruled out junior right-hander Zac Houston (6-0, 1.63), who threw 117 pitches in six-plus innings Sunday against Louisiana Tech.
He also mentioned the possibility of mixing it up.
“I still think (freshman left-hander Konnor) Pilkington’s a pretty good matchup,” Cohen said. “I think moving (junior right-hander Austin) Sexton up one day wouldn’t be a problem and switching him out with Dakota. We’ll wait and see. We have some options.”
Hudson threw 74 pitches in 3 /13 innings last Friday against Southeast Missouri State. Sexton (8-3, 3.67) threw 93 pitches in 6 1/3 innings against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Pilkington (3-1, 2.08) hasn’t started since May 21 against Arkansas. He hasn’t pitched since going 2/3 of an inning May 27 against Florida in the Southeastern Conference tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
Robson earns honor
MSU junior center fielder Jacob Robson was named a 2016 Hammer Strength All-American on Thursday.
Hammer Strength, a leading supplier of performance strength equipment, presents the honor in partnership with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).
Robson earned the honor based on his personal qualities and achievements in terms of work ethic, leadership, consistency, and academic performance.
As a team captain, the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, native owns a .335 batting average. He has 24 RBIs and 42 runs.
“He is an incredible leader with an extraordinary work ethic and vision to be the best,” MSU Director of Strength and Conditioning Brian Neal said. “His success is no accident. He makes everyone around him better with his approach to training.”
Ticket cap
With the threat of rain and to ensure comfort, MSU is limiting ticket sales to 14,000 per game this weekend.
Late Thursday, there were 4,500 tickets left.
All-session general admission tickets are $20. Individual game general admission tickets are $10. Only all-session tickets are available online in advance.
An allotment of MSU student tickets are being held and available beginning at 2 p.m. in the main box office at Dudy Noble Field or the auxiliary box office on the north side of Humphrey Coliseum facing the baseball stadium.
Wire reports were included in this story.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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