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College  | Story  | 3/3/2020

Scout Take: Mississippi State

Connor Spencer     
Photo: Justin Foscue (Austin Perryman/Mississippi State Athletics)

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College Notebooks: Feb. 28 | Feb. 29 | March 1

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

What Happened: Mississippi State traveled across the country to play a very hot Long Beach State team after a strong series win against Oregon State at home the weekend before. Unfortunately for the Diamond Dogs, they struggled against the West Coast style small ball club and ended up dropping the series 2-1. They only were able to muster one hit against LBSU’s Adam Seminaris on Friday night, but bounced back late on Saturday with a nine-run offensive onslaught, scoring eight runs in two innings. They also received a fantastic start from lengthy lefthander Christian MacLeod. However, the offense stalled out again on Sunday at the same time that the Dirtbag offense broke through and Mississippi State was handed its first series loss of the season. They are now ranked 10th in the nation after being ranked sixth overall a week ago.

Carrying Tool: Although they had a rough showing this weekend, their big-play offense is still their greatest asset and it will have to bounce back quick as they head into the start of SEC play in two weeks at home against Arkansas. Their bats have the potential to put up a crooked number at any time as they showcased on Saturday.

Concerns: The Injury bug. The Diamond Dogs headed into 2020 having lost Friday night starter Ethan Small to the Brewers, but still had excellent pieces in the weekend rotation to make a repeat run at Omaha this season. However, new Friday night ace JT Ginn has been out with an injury since leaving the first game of the season and rumors are starting to fly around about the severity of his injury. If Ginn misses a significant chunk of the season, or if he is unable to return this season at all, it puts second-year head coach Chris Lemonis in a serious bind. As of now, the Bulldogs have been using Carlisle Koestler as an opener on Friday nights then leaning on their bullpen as needed. Unfortunately, trying to steal a game on Friday will be very difficult when going up against some of the best aces in the nation in the SEC. Seminaris’ brilliant performance against them on Friday may have proved that point. They’ll most likely need to bump MacLeod and Sunday starter Eric Cerantola up in the rotation, yet, this puts a ton of stress on the bullpen late in a series if MacLeod or Cerantola do not provide quality starts. Moreover, right fielder Tanner Allen left the ball game on Sunday after making a valiant effort on a play down the line. His status will have to be monitored.

Best Player on the Field: Justin Foscue. After hitting .331 last season with 14 home runs and 22 doubles, expectations were sky high for the top prospect infielder heading into this season, and so far he seems to be fulfilling those expectations. He’s hitting .378 through 12 games and he got into a ball that sailed over the wall in left on Saturday. Currently ranked 68th on Perfect Game’s top prospect list for the 2020 draft, his stock will only continue to rise if he keeps hitting.

Fearless Forecast: Despite the question marks with their staff, the Diamond Dogs will find a way to get it done down the stretch and the offense will ultimately lead the way towards a ninth Regional appearance in 10 years. Plus, Christian MacLeod will be a stiff contender for freshman of the year in the conference. However, it’s hard to see them advancing out of a Regional or Super Regional without the likes of JT Ginn, as the depth of a staff gets brutally tested in the Regional/Super Regional format. He serves as the catalyst on the pitching staff and his status could determine the fate of the Bulldogs’ year.

Previous player reports:
Feb. 28: Carlisle Koestler
Feb. 29: Christian MacLeod, Will Bednar

Players Covered: Justin Foscue, Jordan Westburg, Rowdey Jordan, Tanner Allen, Eric Cerantola



Justin Foscue, 2B
It’s not often that a second baseman is the everyday four-hole hitter in the lineup, but it just stands as a testament to Foscue’s power and versatility as a ballplayer. His glove works well and he shows that his arm is solid across the diamond. There’s plenty of ways that an MLB organization can use him including moving him over to the hot corner – where he played as a freshman – with his physical frame and solid glovework.


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