Last season, if you heard "Still of the Night" by Whitesnake before the ninth inning, you were about to witness a Mississippi State victory as the Bulldogs had Landon Sims take care of business in the closer role for the 2021 National Champion Bulldogs.

This season, the right-handed power arm moved into a starting role and would be shut down early in the year with a torn UCL. As a result, State has lacked a go-to guy in the late innings, but as of late, KC Hunt has emerged in that role.

The Wyckoff, NJ product began the season in the starting rotation but would give up five earned runs to Long Beach State in a game where the junior righty would get injured. Hunt would miss the next six weeks of the season, and upon returning, had to shake off some rust as he allowed three earned runs in 3.2 innings against Memphis and Arkansas.

Since then, Hunt has been a dominant force in the Bulldog bullpen allowing just three earned runs in his last 11.2 innings, good for an ERA of 2.31. His breakout performance came in a tight situation as UAB had a 2-run lead in the ninth and runners on the corners with no outs when Hunt entered the ballgame. Hunt fed off the pressure, striking out the first two batters he faced, and forcing a groundout to get out of it with no damage. The State offense tied it up in the bottom of the frame, and Hunt went back out in extras and struck out the side to set up a walk-off win for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the tenth.

"I love the energy. I love the pressure," said Hunt. "Landon Sims is my roommate, so we kinda talked about it. I learned from him a little bit since it's what he did last year."

Hunt channeled his inner Landon Sims again yesterday to help Mississippi State clinch the series against Ole Miss. Pico Kohn had just led up a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth, and in came the confident KC Hunt to blow out the fire. Hunt had thrown 54 pitches in the game the day prior, but he was ready for action, striking out the Rebels’ best hitter Tim Elko and forcing left fielder Kevin Graham to ground out which ended the inning and forced extras.

"I knew I wanted to go back out there and put it all on the line for the boys."

Hunt shut the Rebels down again in the tenth, and in the top of the eleventh, State took a one run lead on a solo homer from Brad Cumbest.

"Usually I’d be hyped up for it, but I was locked in on the bench trying to find my inner Landon Sims. I was locked in, I told the guys right before the inning and said if you get one we’re gonna win."

And he didn't lie, closing out the game as he retired the Ole Miss side 1-2-3, solifying himself as one of the heroes of the series in the bitter in-state rivalry.

"Ole Miss is obviously always a big week for us, football, baseball, so we always try to play our best against them. They’re a good team so we handed it to them tonight."

Hunt's emergence in recent weeks is a big deal for a State team lacking bullpen depth. Going forward if you hear "Public Service Announcement" by Jay Z in the late innings at Dudy Noble Field, then just know one of the most competitve guys in the country will be closing out a Bulldog victory.