Bryce Chance taking reins as Diamond Dawg leader

A lot still has to happen for Mississippi State to do some special things on the baseball diamond in 2025, but there’s signs of life with the Diamond Dawgs.

Like every great run in State baseball history, this one would be because of the leadership and mindset of the team. To get to that point, players will lead the charge and there’s no better candidate right now than senior Bryce Chance.

The Madison native is a born and bred Bulldog who dreamt of playing at Dudy Noble Field. Watch how he plays the game and represents State and it’s an easy takeaway that this means something special to him.

Following the firing of head coach Chris Lemonis, new interim Head Coach began to notice Chance’s leadership a little more due to the coach’s new role, but Parker always picked up on how Chance carried himself.

“Just the way he comes to work. It’s lead by example. It’s dedication. He’s sweated a lot for this program and put in a lot of work and he cares more than anybody,” Parker said. “His comments on Tuesday night were spot on as far as what we want to do and what we want to accomplish as a team. He embodies those things –  it’s not just him sitting up here talking about it. It’s how he prepares and holds his teammates to the same standards. It’s nice to have leaders like that.”

Chance taking leadership role to new levels

Chance’s Tuesday message was pretty simple to his teammates and he followed through in a postgame press conference setting.

After Lemonis’ departure, Chance and his teammates began to bond together like no other time before. A pregame huddle in the outfield was the beginning of a new mindset with the team. That huddle was the first without Lemonis and the remaining coaching staff let the players handle it on their own this time.

“It was definitely different, but we still have the same goal in mind. We’re working to try and get in the postseason right now and that didn’t change (Tuesday),” Chance said. “In a time like this you really have to lean on each other that much more.”

Chance then proceeded to lead the charge against the Memphis Tigers as he went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a walk as State opened up a can in a 18-5 victory in just seven innings.

Up next was Kentucky and State carried that same mindset into the weekend series. In game one, MSU was clinging to a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning and starting pitcher Pico Kohn was trying to work out of a bit of a jam.

The Wildcats had two on base and a ball hit towards the gap in left centerfield was bound to give UK the lead. That’s until Chance willed himself to it to make a sliding catch that would end the frame. State scored nine unanswered runs on the way to a 14-4 run rule in seven innings.

“When I saw it off the bat, I knew that I had a shot at it. It was kind of awkward, sliding catch but it felt good and felt like it translated to the bats the next half. That was a big moment in the game.”

Chance got it done at the plate in that first game as well with the senior outfielder going 3-for-4 with two RBI. The second game of the series followed and the hits were tougher to come by, but Chance would find himself in the middle of it all yet again.

State and UK were knotted at 5-5 and neither offense could find its rhythm again. That was until Chance decided he was ready for the game to end in the 11^th inning. His leadoff double that inning opened the door for Joe Powell to deliver a walk off RBI single to hand State the series.

“Whenever we went to (Luke Dotson) in the 11^th, Ross (Highfill) and Gehrig (Frei) were next to me and I said if we get out of this, there’s no way we don’t finish it in the next half inning,” Chance said. “You could kind of feel the momentum change. The doubleheader caught up to both teams, but it was great to be able to be in that spot.”

Teams must be playing their best baseball at the right time when that calendar turns to May and Chance is playing his part.

The senior is currently on an 11-game hitting streak, batting .500 in that stretch with 18 hits, 16 runs, 15 RBI, nine walks and two doubles. The former MRA standout is batting .325 in his final year with a career-high 42 runs and he’s on pace to top his best season with hits, doubles and RBI.

The numbers aren’t what matter to Chance, though. No, he wants to go out in postseason glory and leave his mark with a Diamond Dawg program that is looking for big things in the future.

“It would mean everything,” Chance said of making a Regional. “The regular season is fun, but what you come here to do is play postseason ball. It’s super important that we find a way to do that as the season goes on.”