Starkville - Excitement brewed for the debuts of many newcomers on the Mississippi State roster, and they certainly delivered in the Bulldogs' opening weekend against VMI.
D1Baseball.com ranked Mississippi State's transfer portal additions as the 4th best group in the country and its freshman class at #2. New faces made up the top three hitters in the Bulldog lineup, with New Orleans transfer Amani Larry leading off and playing 2nd base, Samford transfer Colton Ledbetter in the 2-hole and left field, and freshman centerfielder Dakota Jordan hitting third.
Larry put together a complete performance on his debut weekend, showcasing his hit tool, power, speed and defense. The junior from Bossier City, Louisiana, went 8/14 at the plate with four extra-base hits and nine RBIs. He smoked a double in the right-center gap on the first pitch he saw as a Bulldog and hit his first home run with a 2-run shot on Sunday.
The East Central C.C. product proved to be a problem on the base paths, swiping four bags. He flashed the leather on Sunday with a sliding stop up the middle to steal a base hit and save a run.
"In recruiting, everybody told us that Amani is just okay in practice but really good in the games," Head Coach Chris Lemonis said. "I guess they were right. He's a gamer. He's a really good player, good kid who works hard and had a really good weekend, all the way around."
Ledbetter was considered the crown jewel of Mississippi State's portal haul. He ranked as the 5th best transfer by D1Baseball and all he did was bat .462 on the weekend with four extra-base hits. Like Larry, he doubled in his first at-bat wearing the Maroon & White. On Saturday, he hit a 2-run homer and a bases-clearing double in the first inning to put the Bulldogs up 8-1 despite them eventually blowing the lead.
Jordan may be the most toolsy player on Mississippi State's roster. He didn't have the flashiest of weekends, going 3/13 at the plate, but he got the job done and showed glimpses of what is to come. The Jackson Academy product managed to draw three walks giving him a .353 OBP for the weekend, and also hit a sac fly. He showcased his raw power on a 116 MPH double off the wall, and it's easy to see why Mike Leach offered him to play running back as he legged out what looked to be a routine grounder to 3rd base on Friday.
"He earned the opportunity to start and hit in the 3-hole. He earned the opportunity to play center," Lemonis said. "He'll get a lot of big hits for us. He's just so talented. He's a really good player."
The weekend's biggest surprise might have been Bryce Chance, who saw his first college action as a DH after redshirting the 2022 season. Chance was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the week alongside Auburn's Ike Irish after a weekend where he went 7/12 and drove in seven runs. The Ridgeland, Mississippi, native launched the Bulldogs' first home run of the season on Friday and posted three hits on both Friday and Saturday.
"He's been playing like that every day in our scrimmages. He's a special kid," Lemonis said. "He's not real big, he's probably not my best thrower or runner, but he really hits and loves the game of baseball. He puts his heart and soul into it. I redshirted him last year, and he attacked some of his weaknesses, but he's a really good player."
Mississippi State is still figuring some things out with its pitching staff, and a 12-walk performance and a blown 10-1 lead Saturday didn't inspire much confidence, but some of the Diamond Dawgs' newest additions turned some heads on Friday and Sunday.
Ball State transfer Nate Dohm was the hardest thrower for Mississippi State this weekend, topping his fastball at 98 MPH. Dohm was thrown into the fire in a bases-loaded, one-out situation on Friday and immediately forced VMI to hit into an inning-ending double play.
"Nate's pitched really good, really good stuff," Lemonis said. "Reminds me of putting Landon Sims out there against Texas a couple of years ago on opening day."
Dohm made his second appearance in the same situation in the 7th inning Saturday. He was charged with the loss, which shows how cruel baseball can be as he was the Bulldogs' best pitcher that day. A throwing error brought one run home and a sac fly that should have ended the inning plated another. He gave up his only hit of the inning on a double to bring in two more, but with a clean slate in the 8th and 9th he pitched two scoreless frames and finished the weekend without an earned run in 4.1 innings.
Sophomore southpaw Graham Yntema from Lawson State C.C. saw his first action Friday. He pitched 1.1 innings, striking out three and allowing five hits, but he didn’t get much help from his defense. Three of those hits came via the bunt, and another runner reached on an error allowing two runs to come across. Yntema demonstrated an ability to pound the strike zone, which is something State needs from its bullpen.
Five new faces took the mound in State's Sunday victory. Memphis transfer Landon Gartman got the start and struck out eight in five innings. He gave up three runs early but began to settle in and did not allow a run in the fourth or fifth innings.
A pair of highly coveted freshmen in switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijnjte and lefty Bradley Loftin made their collegiate debuts, and both held VMI scoreless in one inning of work. Cijnjte slept weirdly on his left wrist, so we only got to see him right-handed. He pounded the zone with a 95 MPH fastball and struck out one. Loftin also ran the fastball up to 95, and after walking the first batter, he picked him off and pitched a hitless inning.
"They were great. They've both been good all year long. We're going to use them a lot," Lemonis said. "We're just figuring out the right spot to put them in. We wanted to get them one this weekend because we have the two midweeks. I didn't realize they would be as tight a moment as they were. They both competed well and pounded the strike zone."
Juco transfer Tyson Hardin from Daytona State made two appearances this weekend and only allowed one base runner in two innings. He pitched a 1-2-3 frame on Friday and followed that with a scoreless inning Sunday, surrendering only one hit. Freshman Logan Forsythe of D'Iberville, Mississippi, also had a solid debut striking out two and giving up one hit in the ninth inning Friday.
The Bulldogs' most impressive pitching debut came from Texas transfer Aaron Nixon. Mississippi State severely lacked a closer of his caliber in 2021, and Nixon appears to be the answer after he fanned three hitters in the ninth inning Sunday. He blew a 95 MPH fastball by the VMI batters and kept them off balance with an 87-88 MPH slider, the pitch that drew him all three strikeouts.
Freshman catcher Ross Highfill made his first start on Sunday and showed off a variety of tools. Mississippi State allowed 11 stolen bases on Saturday's loss, but with the Madison Central product behind the dish, the Keydets didn't even attempt to swipe one. Highfill also showed off the bat with a double on his first career hit, and for a catcher, he's got some pretty impressive wheels on the base paths.
"We had to get Ross in there," Lemonis said. "He was good. He can really throw. That's going to be one of the better stolen base teams in the country. They exposed us (Saturday)."
Mississippi State will be back in action tomorrow as they'll begin a two-game set against Louisiana-Monroe. Bulldog fans are going to get another look at their talented freshman pitchers, with Bradley Loftin starting Tuesday and Jurrangelo Cijntje starting Wednesday.
