By BEN PORTNOY
The first place Mississippi State senior center fielder Jake Mangum encountered former Bulldog star Jeffrey Rea? A batting cage.
Mangum, then an eighth grader, and current MSU assistant coach Luke Alexander had gone to Starkville for a baseball camp.
With Rea front tossing to Mangum, the Pearl native switched from the left side of the plate to the right.
“He said, “Oh, we’ve got a switch hitter on our hands. Keep doing that and you can be something special one day.'” Mangum recalled in an interview with 247Sports.
Friday, the two met once more.
Having tied Rea’s MSU career-hits record with a single to center in the top of the eighth inning of a 6-3 win over Tennessee, Mangum stepped to the dish once more.
Locked in a duel with sophomore Tennessee pitcher Garrett Crochet in the top of the 10th inning, he fouled off two of the first three pitches.
Mangum paused.
Stepping out of the box, he re-velcroed his batting gloves and adjusted his helmet.
Mangum then glared over toward the MSU dugout. Giving his chest a few quick pounds with his right fist, Mangum stepped to the plate.
Crack.
Record broken.
Mangum smoked the 1-2 pitch into left field for career hit No. 336, surpassing Rea’s mark of 335.
“When I got to Mississippi State I just wanted to contribute each year, contribute in any way possible,” he said. “It’s really hard for me to believe.”
In the grander scheme of MSU’s 6-3 win over Tennessee in Knoxville on Friday night, Mangum’s hit was rather inconsequential. He was caught stealing just two batters later.
But for a program that boasts 14 first-round MLB Draft picks, 10 College World Series appearances and 45 All-Americans, Mangum’s record is something to behold.
Next on the list for Mangum is the Southeastern Conference record of 352 by LSU’s Eddy Furniss between 1995 and 1998.
After Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Volunteers, he sits 14 hits shy of Furniss’ mark.
But that’s a story for the weeks ahead.
Friday night belonged to Mangum, a player who will long be remembered for his service to the maroon and white, and his hero.
“Jefferey Rea, when I was a kid, he was an icon,” Mangum said. “He played the game the way Mississippi State plays the game and to pass up a great player like that is crazy. I can’t believe it.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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