Beware the Ides of March: Mississippi State downs No. 2 LSU
March 15 was a good day for Mississippi State fans, to say the least, and it was capped off with a 10-4 victory over No. 2 LSU for the Diamond Dawgs.
Without Nate Dohm in the starting lineup, uncertainty surrounded game one of the three game series. Evan Siary drew the start, and the race was on. Until, that is, Siary was pulled in the fourth inning for freshman Nolan Stevens.
Stevens proceeded to shut down the LSU lineup in dominant fashion, and finished with 5.1 IP, eight strikeouts, one hit and only one run allowed in 82 pitches. The California native was responsible for Mississippi State’s lone run in regulation in midweek action against the University of New Orleans, and had to immediately get ready for action on Friday.
“Coach Parker told me ‘Hey, be ready. You’re probably going to go today.’ He didn’t tell me when,” said Stevens. “He didn’t tell me when, but as a pitcher out of the pen you’ve got to be ready all the time, so I was ready.”
Hunter Hines was just as ready, but from the other side of the plate. He finished 2-5 with two home runs on the night – one a solo shot and one a towering three run shot, both to right field. The slugger came into the night hitting .276 in the midst of a deep slump. After the game, head coach Chris Lemonis shared what his message has been to Hines during that slump.
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“This is a tough game. I think it’s the toughest game to play, mentally. There’s expectations, there’s draft, there’s everything,” said Lemonis. “It’s been one, trying to get him to a good fundamental place with his swing. That’s been huge. And we were trying to get him to relax a little bit. He was just trying to do too much…He looked like he was in the groove tonight. That was nice to see.”
Aaron Downs drew the start in left field, and he delivered. Downs finished 2-5 at the plate as well, and had the hardest hit ball of the night – a worm burner to left field that came off the bat at a whopping 116 mph. When asked if he could see Downs getting the starting nod in left going forward, Lemonis had a simple answer.
“Yes,” said Lemonis. “And Bryce Chance can, and Nolan Stevens can, too. We’ve got a handful of players right there that can really help us. Yeah, I think he can. If you came out and watched a State BP, he’s standing right there with Dakota taking BP in terms of how far the ball flies. It’s taken him a little while to get in the lineup and get comfortable, and you’re seeing that right now. He’s a special, special talent.”
Tomorrow will be a new day for Mississippi State, but tonight, the Diamond Dawgs silenced their fair share of doubters and showed the potential within the program. The challenge now, then, is to come ready to do that every game. That starts with game two of the series tomorrow from Dudy Noble Field, with first pitch coming at 4 p.m.
