It's almost time for SEC play, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs still have some big question marks on the mound. On Monday, the news broke that All-American Starter Landon Sims and Reliever Stone Simmons would both be shut down with season-ending UCL surgery, which means some new faces will need to emerge.
Junior Preston Johnson and Sophomore Cade Smith seemed to have locked down two of the three spots in the weekend rotation. The pair of righties have each pitched 22+ innings so far this season and have kept their ERA below a 3.00.
With Sims going down, it left one spot in that rotation open, and the good news for State is that they may have found that guy in Parker Stinnett. The Senior from Oxford has made two starts since the injury to Sims, and he was lights out. Stinnett dominated 17th ranked Texas Tech last Tuesday, pitching five shutout innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out a career-high 12 hitters. The 6'2" righty then followed it up with another phenomenal performance on Sunday with just five days rest, as he pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and one run and matching that 12 strikeout mark in a win over Princeton.
"I probably misused him for a year and a half. He's probably more of a starter than he was a bullpen guy," said Head Coach Chris Lemonis.
The bad news for the Bulldogs is that the bullpen depth is much thinner with Stinnett moving to the rotation and Simmons being shut down. Simmons was off to a perfect start to the season, allowing no baserunners in 4.1 innings. Stinnett had a bit of a rough go to begin this season out of a bullpen, entering his Texas Tech start with an 8.10 ERA in 6.2 innings but was a key piece of last season's bullpen with a 2.41 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.
With two of their best options unavailable, some other faces will need to step up.
The top bullpen arm so far has been lefty Pico Kohn. The freshman from Verbena, AL, has pitched 11 innings this season with a 2.45 ERA and 13 strikeouts. While Kohn doesn't wow you with his velocity, as his fastball sits around 88 mph, he keeps hitters off-balance with a curveball in the lower 70s.
State will also rely heavily on right-hander Brandon Smith, a guy who's been with the program since 2019. Smith has pitched in 54 games during his Bulldog career, with a 4.22 ERA. The Richland, MS native is someone you can trust to pound the strike zone, as he's walked just two batters in 13.2 innings to go along with 11 strikeouts.
Beyond those two, who can the Bulldog coaching staff trust?
Drew Talley and Brooks Auger are a pair of right-handers that have both been solid in limited action. The two junior college transfers, Talley from Wallace State and Auger from Hinds, have pitched five innings this season and allowed four hits and one run. A more significant role is likely in store for each of them, but they both have shown promise in their limited action.
The Bulldogs would like to get more production out of another lefty in Cam Tullar. The senior from Michigan had some trouble with his control to start the year; in four relief appearances and just 2.1 innings, Tullar surrendered five walks and hit two batters but seemed to settle in against Texas Tech last Wednesday. Tullar threw a career-high 3.1 innings of shutout ball and allowed just one hit and one walk. Should he be able to command like he did last week, he could be a guy the Bulldogs rely on down the stretch.
Mikey Tepper is a sophomore who has shown some flashes as of late. The South Carolina native has a fastball that sits around 94-95 MPH and hasn't surrendered a hit in three of his six relief appearances, but you'd like to see a bit better than a 4.26 ERA.
Junior K.C. Hunt was expected to have a significant role this season, as he drew a start against Long Beach State opening weekend. Since that start, the righty from New Jersey has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, but Lemonis says, "We should have him back pretty soon." Like Tepper, Hunt has a fastball that sits around 94-95 and could be a solid option in the bullpen upon return.
Sophomore Jackson Fristoe has struggled in his three starts this season, but came in to pitch the ninth inning on Monday and held on to the lead allowing no Binghamton runs. "Jackson Fristoe at the end was huge, said Lemonis. "We try to get him in a bullpen role and throw hard for an inning or so. He looked like last year’s Jackson in that inning. I know it was a big score, but him going out there and pitching with his stuff is important."
