STARKVILLE — This is the point in which freshman are supposed to figure out how to perform at this new level of competition.
The Mississippi State University baseball coaches certainly hope Matthew Britton fits that rookie season bell curve theory. The freshman infielder from Cullman, Ala., is looking to build on the momentum at the plate he experienced this past weekend against the University of Tennessee.
“We think he’ll be able to get us going in the run game if he can get to first base,” Cohen said. “It’s so key for him to provide us with offense in the bottom of the order so we can put pressure on the defense.”
Britton earned all-state honors last season after hitting .452 in 56 games played, scoring the fifth-most all-time runs in Alabama with 75 on a team that finished as the Class 5A state runner-up finish. However, Britton’s introduction to college baseball was painful as the freshman came into Sunday’s game versus Tennessee batting just .110 in 73 at-bats.
Britton got his first three-hit day in a MSU uniform against the Vols as the the highly recruited infielder got on base four times and had two RBIs. Down 2-0, the Bulldogs pulled even in the sixth inning on a two-run single by Britton.
“It’s sure hard not to get down when you’re not hitting but just got to keep working on staying toward the middle of the field,” Britton said. “Everybody has been supportive of me and telling me I was crushing balls. It was hard to believe them no doubt.”
The only run Britton scored all afternoon was in the 14th inning as the freshman sprinted home for the game-winner on a pitch that hit the backstop of Dudy Noble Field with senior Brent Brownlee at the plate.
“It’s so hard for freshman infielders that have to think carefully about what’s going on all the time,” Cohen said. “He’s such a talented kid with the tools he brings to the ballpark every day that he’ll be a factor for us at some point if not sooner than we thought.”
MSU opens its final week of April baseball competition Tuesday night in Pearl when the Bulldogs (24-16) square off against instate non-conference foe the University of Southern Mississippi (23-16) in a 6:30 p.m. game at Trustmark Park.
Freshman Brandon Woodruff (0-1, 4.76) will open on the mound and make his third straight pitching start for Mississippi State. Cohen also said senior left-handed pitcher Nick Routt will be ready to be the first option out of the bullpen.
“For whatever reason we feel like left-handers are so dominant in that ballpark and (Luis) Pollorena will not be a factor for us after going three innings (Saturday),” Cohen said.
Routt, who was removed from the Bulldogs starting rotation at the beginning of the month, hasn’t seen action since April 14 at the University of South Carolina.
“We felt like with Tennessee that we needed to be very right-hand dominate on the mound and that didn’t leave a lot of options for Nick,” Cohen said. “He’s a guy that can at any moment in time can carry a game for us.”
Southern Miss will open with sophomore right-hander Boomer Scarborough (1-1, 3.38), making his ninth start of the season. In his last start, Scarborough was roughed up by the University of Central Florida for four runs in a fourth inning he would fail to get out of two weeks ago.
However, Scarborough, who was also highly recruited by MSU out of St. Stanislaus High School in Bay St. Louis, was solid against the Bulldogs as a freshman at Trustmark Park allowing just three runs and six hits while striking out five in 93 pitches last season. MSU would squeak out a 5-4 win.
Pitching and defense were the strong suits for the Bulldogs last weekend when nine hurlers combined efforts to limit Tennessee to four runs and 20 hits over 34 innings and finish with a 1.06 earned run average for the three-game series.
Junior righty Kendall Graveman carded his SEC-leading second complete-game pitching performance as State clinched the series with a 7-1 win. Graveman matched a career-best with eight strikeouts and allowed only three pitches to leave the infield in a performance that netted him SEC pitcher of the week accolades.
The Bulldog defense committed but one error in 164 chances on the weekend, registered five double plays and retired five UT base-runners at home plate. State leads the SEC with 48 double plays turned.
Mississippi State leads the series 76-36 and has won four of the last five meetings in the series. State erased a 4-2 deficit in last season’s win.
Later in the NCAA Atlanta Regional, Pollorena and Caleb Reed combined for an eight-hit shutout as State prevailed 3-0.
MSU wraps up its April schedule this weekend at Dudy Noble Field hosting Ole Miss in a three-game set. All three games will be televised, with Friday’s series-opener on SportSouth set for a 7 p.m. start.
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