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I wasn't able to join the weekly John Cohen teleconference this morning, but the transcript was passed along to me, so I shall pass along to you some of the highlights of a very long chat.
MSU (31-21, 13-14 SEC) closes out the regular season this weekend against No. 4-ranked Kentucky (41-12, 18-9), which currently leads the SEC Eastern Division. The Bulldogs are jockeying for a good SEC Tournament seed while beefing up the NCAA regional résumé.
"We need to win two out of the three games, at least," Cohen said. "We need to be able to do that. It is out in front of us and we can control our own destiny in a lot of ways, and we are excited about the opportunity."
A lot of the teleconference centered around MSU's offensive struggles. It's batting .218 in league play and was shut out last night by Central Arkansas.
"The kids are just going to have to be warriors this weekend. They are going to have to forget everything that’s happened offensively and just do what we have done trying to create offense when it available," Cohen said.
He added that the Bulldogs won't do any offensive work in today's practice "just to let them clear their heads and just not doing anything."
One player who's really struggled is first baseman Wes Rea, a redshirt freshman who's mired in a 1-for-41 slump that began with his last at-bat against Tennessee on April 20 (Game 2). Rea has been battling a shoulder injury.
"I think every time he gets a pitch that is down in the zone he gets a pain in his shoulder and I think he is doing his best to manage it. He is so far beyond our best defender at first base for so many reasons … he is almost a defensive specialist for us at first base."
Cohen, of course, is facing his old team this weekend. He coached Kentucky from 2004-08, winning the SEC championship in 2006. The Wildcats fell on hard times after he left but are again riding high.
"When I walked out of the door we had signed five of the top 60 players according to Baseball America and that was due in large part to our assistant coaches who are still there. They have just done a great, great job of just getting players to believe in the process. The process is different at Kentucky than the rest of the league. When you’re at Kentucky you’re fighting the weather, you fighting a couple of facility issues that are different than the rest of the league."
In today's Journal I wrote a column examining the seeding possibilities for Mississippi State in next week's SEC Tournament (CLICK HERE). I wrote that the highest seed MSU could hope for was a five, and while that's the most realistic possibility, there is a mathematical possibility that it earns a No. 4 seed.
The scenario must involve Florida, which is currently in the No. 4 seed position. I've determined that only one possible scenario gives MSU that spot. Here's what would have to happen. Try to stay with me.
• MSU would have to sweep Kentucky this weekend; Auburn would have to sweep Florida; and Ole Miss would have to take two of three from Vanderbilt. That would put State, Florida and Ole Miss all at 16-14 in league play and tied for fourth in the overall standings, assuming Georgia (13-13) doesn't finish with a better mark.
• The first three-way tie-breaker the SEC uses is each teams' collective record against the other two teams. In this case, the Bulldogs, Gators and Rebels all have 3-3 marks. So you go to the next tie-breaker, which is each team's record against the No. 1 seed, and this is where it gets sorta tricky.
• If MSU sweeps Kentucky (18-9), then either LSU (17-10) or South Carolina (17-9) would become the No. 1 overall seed. Why? Because the Tigers and Gamecocks play each other this weekend, and one of those teams will win at least two games and get to 19 wins.
Let's say LSU is the No. 1 seed. MSU, UF and Ole Miss each went 1-2 against the Tigers, so you toss that out and go to the teams' records against the No. 2 seed. Let's say that's South Carolina. Well, Ole Miss didn't play SC this season, so that tie-breaker doesn't apply, and we go to the third seed.
In this hypothetical scenario, in which MSU sweeps Kentucky, then Kentucky would be the No. 3 seed, and the Bulldogs would have the tie-break advantage by virtue of the sweep (Florida went 2-1 vs. UK, Ole Miss 1-2).
If South Carolina winds up the No. 1 seed and/or Kentucky winds up with the No. 2, then the tie-breakers play out the same, and MSU earns the No. 4 seed.
Again, this is all predicated upon two very unlikely events: No. 3-ranked Florida being swept by Auburn, and MSU sweeping No. 4-ranked Kentucky. But stranger things have happened. We just saw UF lose to Samford last night, and Auburn took two of three from Arkansas last weekend. It's got Florida at home, where the Tigers are 21-11 this season.
It won't take much to render the above scenario moot. Again, Georgia could sweep lowly Alabama and finish a half-game up on all three teams. Arkansas (13-14) could enter the tie-break fray with a sweep at Tennessee, but I've not done all the necessary homework to determine whether the Hogs could get the fourth seed.
(I do know that Vanderbilt could wind up the No. 4 seed. Mind-blowing considering where the Commodores were just three weeks ago.)
If you want to work through various tie-break scenarios yourself, you can CLICK HERE to view the SEC's tie-breaker rules. Here are the current league standings, followed by this weekend's schedule:
EAST
1. Kentucky, 18-9
2. South Carolina, 17-9
3. Florida, 16-11
4. Georgia, 13-13
5. Vanderbilt, 13-14
6. Tennessee, 8-19
WEST
1. LSU, 17-10
2. Ole Miss, 14-13
T3. Arkansas, 13-14
T3. MSU, 13-14
5. Auburn, 12-15
6. Alabama, 7-20
Note: Alabama and Tennessee will not qualify for the SEC Tournament.
This weekend
• Kentucky (18-9) at MSU (13-14)
• Arkansas (13-14) at Tennessee (8-19)
• Florida (16-11) at Auburn (12-15)
• LSU (17-10) at South Carolina (17-9)
• Georgia (13-13) at Alabama (7-20)
• Ole Miss (14-13) at Vanderbilt (13-14)
Last week I wrote about MSU's offensive numbers, many of which are not pretty. Like the Bulldogs' team batting average, which is currently .249. According to the latest NCAA statistics (CLICK HERE), that ranks 270th out of 291 teams nationally.
Of course, as coach John Cohen pointed out, hits aren't everything. And MSU has done pretty well in some other notable offensive categories. It ranks 10th in hit-by-pitches, 48th in walks and 62nd in sac bunts.
The batting average does need to improve, and Cohen has acknowledged that. But college baseball these days isn't about offense. It's about pitching and defense, and those were the needs – especially pitching – addressed heavily by Cohen in recruiting when he arrived. Naturally, signing all those pitchers – some of whom also play in the field – was going to cost MSU offensively once last year's seniors left.
And oh how the pitching has improved. The Bulldogs' 2.71 ERA ranks fourth in the country and first in the SEC. Remember 2009, Cohen's first year? MSU had a team ERA of 6.59, which ranked 210th, and was 237th in walks allowed per nine innings (4.75). The pitching numbers are so strong across the board this season for MSU:
• 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.4)
• 20th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.96)
• 28th in walks allowed per nine innings (2.81)
• 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.99)
• 20th in WHIP (1.2)
Individually speaking, shortstop Adam Frazier ranks 19th in walks, and Chris Stratton ranks highly in several categories: 65th in ERA (2.22), seventh in victories (nine), 18th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.78), fifth in total strikeouts (107), 30th in strikeouts-to-walk ratio (5.63) and 26th in WHIP (0.96).
Guess what we've got to talk about this morning? Baseball, baseball and more baseball. And a few other items.
MSU right-hander Chris Stratton now has a centerpiece for his trophy shelf, taking home the Ferriss Trophy in Jackson yesterday (CLICK HERE). The junior from Tupelo has made quite the impression on scouts and others who follow college baseball on the national scene. But Stratton has also impressed on a more local level.
Ole Miss second baseman Alex Yarbrough, who was also a Ferriss finalist, spoke highly of Stratton and the improvements he's made since last year.
"He's got three really plus pitches. His fastball really jumps on you, and he can throw a slider and his changeup in any count. He's made great strides this season, and it's really paid off for him," Yarbrough said.
Much of what was discussed about Stratton yesterday was the same ground I covered in a feature story on him a few days ago (CLICK HERE). The mild-mannered Stratton has taken on a more aggressive demeanor on the mound while also keeping his emotions under control. Off the field, he's still the same Stratton he's always been.
"Off the field he's president of the United States. He's the governor," MSU coach John Cohen said. "There's nobody in the world that would dislike Chris Stratton. He's just a remarkable young man. He does it in the classroom, he does it in the community. You just can't say enough things."
• Also in today's Journal is an update on the Bulldogs themselves (CLICK HERE). They're coming off a tough series loss at Florida, which has moved up to No. 3 in the Baseball America rankings (MSU fell out after being 25th last week).
The pitching last weekend was superb, the hitting not so much, and there were some defensive issues (five errors, leading to three unearned runs). MSU was only outscored 6-4 on the weekend. Maybe the offense will come around and be more consistent, but it's no secret MSU will have to ride its pitching to whatever postseason success might await.
"I just want our guys to not move, keep standing there," pitching coach Butch Thompson said. "We're really doing some of this early on, but two outs we couldn't get out of some innings. That's how close it was, and (the Gators) were making the one more pitch or getting the one more out or making one more play defensively. For us to go anywhere, that's what we have to be able to do, to continue that for our team."
MSU plays Central Arkansas tonight and then hosts No. 4 Kentucky this weekend. I'll try to break down the possible SEC Tournament seed scenarios for State later this week, assuming the process of it doesn't drive me to heavy drinking.
• Hey, look, USA Today has a new database listing schools' expenses and revenues (CLICK HERE). Have some aspirin handy and enjoy.
• ICYMI (that means "in case you missed it" in Twitter shorthand), a couple of former Bulldogs signed as undrafted free agents on Monday: James Carmon with Buffalo, Wade Bonner with Philadelphia.
Mississippi State right-handed pitcher Chris Stratton was awarded the Ferriss Trophy today at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The award goes annually to the state's top college baseball player.
Stratton, a junior from Tupelo, is the third Bulldog to win the Ferriss Trophy in the nine years it's been awarded, and the first in five years. Thomas Berkery won it in 2006, and Ed Easley won it in '07. So that makes Stratton the first winner under fourth-year coach John Cohen.
"It's a lot to be here, and to get that award is something you strive for," Stratton said. "You try to be the best anywhere you can be. If you're the best in Mississippi, that's a step forward."
Stratton is 9-1 with a 2.22 ERA and 107 strikeouts. He leads the SEC in wins, his ERA is tied for third, and he's second in strikeouts. He suffered his first loss of the season on Friday at Florida, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits in 7.0 innings.
After two up-and-down years, Stratton finally found that next level this season. After starting the year in the bullpen, Stratton moved back into a weekend starter's role after Friday night starter Ben Bracewell went down with an elbow injury.
"The hitters haven't changed any, they're just as good, it's just I feel like my stuff has gotten to a level where it needs to be," Stratton said.
One key to Stratton's improvement is a more aggressive pitching style and an attitude of ownership when he's on the hill.
"That mentality has really served him well," Cohen said. "He's been able to focus, but there's also been that little edge to that focus that's kind of taken him beyond."
The other finalists were Ole Miss junior second baseman Alex Yarbrough and Delta State junior pitcher Colton Mitchell. Yarbrough is second in the league with a .405 batting average, and he's got 16 doubles and 40 RBIs. He's made only one error in the field. Mitchell, a left-hander, is 8-0 with a 2.99 ERA, and he tossed a perfect game this season against New Orleans.
The award is named after Boo Ferriss, who played at MSU and then with the Boston Red Sox before going on to an illustrious coaching career at Delta State. Museum director Rick Cleveland said today's turnout was the largest in the award's brief history.
The finalists and the winner were selected by a 24-member panel.
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Previous Ferriss winners:
• 2004: Stephen Head, Ole Miss
• 2005: Brian Pettway, Ole Miss
• 2006: Thomas Berkery, MSU
• 2007: Ed Easley, MSU
• 2008: Scott Bittle, Ole Miss
• 2009: Craig Westcott, Belhaven
• 2010: Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss
• 2011: Tyler Koelling, Southern Miss
Today we begin the annual series in which we take an early look at Mississippi State's 2012 football schedule. Each Friday for the next 12 weeks – or 13, if I can't get one posted during my vacation week – we will look at each of this fall's opponents. Let us begin.
For the second time under Dan Mullen, MSU opens the season against in-state foe Jackson State. It begins a stretch of three non-conference games in four weeks, and it serves as prep for the SEC opener the following week versus Auburn.
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Jackson State Tigers (Sept. 1, in Starkville)
• Conference: SWAC
• 2011 record: 9-2 (7-2, T-1st East Division)
• Final ranking: 24th (coaches), 22nd (Sports Network)
• Coach: Rick Comegy (41-26, six years)
• Returning starters: 16 (7 offense, 9 defense, 0 specialists)
• Last meeting: MSU, 45-7 (Sept. 5, 2009, in Starkville)
• On the Web: jsutigers.com
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The 58-year-old Comegy has been coaching a long time, and JSU decided to keep him around a while longer. He received a two-year contract extension following last season, through 2013. Last season, the Tigers finished tied for first in the SWAC East Division but did not play in the league title game due to a tie-breaker.
The Tigers were a prolific offense, averaging 35.8 points and 490.9 yards per game. The show was run by quarterback Ryan Therriault, who's now trying to catch on in the NFL. Senior Dedric McDonald, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound dual threat, is expected to take over the offense. He threw nine passes last season.
Two of last year's top ball-catchers are gone: Marcell Wilder and Renty Rollins. Rico Richardson is back after catching 37 passes for a team-high 896 yards, and he averaged 24.2 yards per catch. Oh, and JSU is still seeking a new offensive coordinator.
The Tigers do return leading rushers Tommy Gooden (597 yards) and B.J. Lee (348 yards), and four of the five starting offensive linemen are back. So this is a team that'll need to lean on its defense, and it has an experienced group returning.
Defensive end Joseph LeBeau (6-1, 245) recorded 16 sacks, tying a school record, and he's the best player on the defense. JSU recorded 38 sacks last fall to tie for second in the SWAC.
The linebackers are led by Milton Patterson, the man in the middle. The 6-1, 235-pound senior made 55 tackles, 11.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks last season. Behind him, the secondary is anchored by junior cornerback Qua Cox, who recorded three interceptions and nine pass break-ups.
For MSU, this will of course be a game it's expected to win handily while working out some kinks and getting warmed up for Auburn the next week. The Bulldogs will probably put up some big numbers, which will create much more hype than it should (see: Memphis, 2011). Ultimately, it fulfills Mullen's mission to continue playing in-state competition, with the emphasis on in-state.
Next week: Auburn
Our post-spring review concludes today with a look at special teams.
• Projected starters: KR LaDarius Perkins, Jr.; KR Jameon Lewis, So.; PR Johnthan Banks, Sr.; K Brian Egan, Jr.; P Baker Swedenburg, Jr.
• Backups: KR Robert Johnson, So.; KR Josh Robinson, R-Fr.; PR Chad Bumphis, Sr.; K Devon Bell, Fr.; P William Berg, Sr.
• The skinny: Let's start this entry by saying that evaluating special teams play in the spring is a most unfruitful endeavor. Coverage units aren't going full speed and trying to level people, and kickers aren't being tested in true pressure situations. So I don't know how much review this is going to involve.
Perkins and Lewis are pretty well settled in on kick returns, but they need to be more productive. That duo averaged a combined 20.2 yards per return last season. As a team, MSU averaged 18.5 yards per return, which ranked last in the SEC. We know Lewis and Perkins can be explosive players, but obviously they and/or the blockers need to figure something out.
Bumphis and Banks have been interchangeable on punt returns, and I put Banks as starter only because he had twice as many returns last year. Both players returned one for a touchdown, but overall they weren't that productive. Take away the TDs, and Banks averaged 6.7 yards per return, Bumphis 6.4 per return. So again, State needs more from this unit.
Kicker is an interesting position, and filling Derek DePasquale's shoes won't be easy. Egan has one badly missed field goal attempt in his career, and he's the de facto starter until Bell arrives. There should be a decent battle there. Egan has decent leg strength, but he still had only six touchbacks in 60 kickoffs last year. The holder for field goals and PATs will be Chris Cameron, who's back with MSU after a one-year Mormon mission. His presence can't be overstated.
Swedenburg is the strongest, most consistent member of the special teams. He had really only one bad punt last fall and is very good at placing kicks deep in opposing territory. Snapping to him and to Cameron will be Reed Gordon.
Special teams is the position coached by Dan Mullen, and over the years it's underachieved in several areas, in particular the return game. I've heard murmurings of Mullen needing to give up those duties, although it should be noted that each assistant coach has to work with certain parts of special teams.
But ultimately, the responsibility for special teams play falls on Mullen, who places a high value on that aspect of the game.
Mississippi State outfielder C.T. Bradford is officially out for the season, having undergone surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday, his father said tonight.
Bradford, a sophomore center fielder, separated his non-throwing shoulder on March 7 against Penn State when he dove into a base. After missing several games to rehab the shoulder, he came back March 23 and played through some pain and discomfort, but he never really looked himself.
"He couldn't swing a bat, he couldn't pull with his right arm through the zone when he swung a bat," said his dad, Mike Bradford. "He couldn't get around on a hard fastball, and he couldn't prepare for a breaking pitch. The only pitch he could hit was an 88-mph fastball, and those were few and far between."
Then on April 28, against Ole Miss, Bradford had a violent collision with right fielder Brent Brownlee as the two chased down a fly ball. Bradford has been out since then, and the family finally made the decision to have surgery done at the Andrews Institute in Pensacola, Fla., near his hometown of Pace.
"Extremely tough decision," Mike Bradford said. "He did want to play. He will get back with the team just as soon as he can recover to the point of knowing what he's doing. He'll be back with them for the Kentucky series (next week). Tough decision. Really tough, but we feel like we all made the right move."
Mike Bradford said the collision with Brownlee dislocated the shoulder again, and while C.T. could have gone through rehab again, he would not have been done in time to contribute this season. MSU coach John Cohen said Wednesday that he was expected Bradford to undergo the procedure.
"I don't believe it was more damage, I think with it coming out a second time it was much looser," Mike said. "He couldn't do some things he'd done after the first rehab. That's why the decision was made to go forward with surgery now."
Bradford batted .258 with 19 runs scored and 17 RBIs in 32 games this season. His recovery from surgery is expected to take about four months.
"He'll be ready to go next fall, and knowing C.T., he'll be ready to roll, no doubt," Mike Bradford said.
No. 25 MSU (30-18, 12-12 SEC) plays at No. 6 Florida (36-13, 14-10) in a three game series starting Friday in Gainesville.
Our post-spring series continues today on defense with the safeties.
• Projected starters: FS Nickoe Whitley, Jr.; SS Louis Watson, Sr.
• Backups: Dee Arrington, So.; Jay Hughes, So.; Kendrick Market, R-Fr.
• The skinny: MSU lost a couple of good ones in Charles Mitchell and Wade Bonner, the former having been drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round. But one could say that the depth this fall is improved, although it's young depth.
The starters have plenty of experience, although Whitley was severely limited in spring due to the ruptured Achilles' tendon he suffered late last season. Assuming he's fully healthy by September, expect him to pick up where he left off in 2011. One of the hardest-hitting players in the SEC, Whitley recorded 34 tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and four interceptions in nine games.
He's a known commodity. Watson kind of is, but he spent his first few years at cornerback before seeing time at safety last year. It looks like he'll stay at safety, and while he never impressed me a whole lot at cornerback – playing behind Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield, of course, limited his opportunities – I saw a lot that I liked of Watson this spring. He had a good awareness of how plays were developing and was around the ball a lot.
Whitley's being sidelined allowed guys like Arrington, Hughes and Market to get more snaps in the spring. Those first two got in several games last season – including special teams work – and combined for 20 tackles. Market is a promising talent.
As safeties coach Tony Hughes (Jay's dad) pointed out, the safeties have to make a lot of calls and be adept at "mental gymnastics," so that'll be the big test for the younger players. Tony Hughes feels the group gained confidence through the spring.
Eyes will be watching this group closely. According to Jay Hughes, his dad told the safeties before the spring that "the safety position was going to be probably the position everybody was going to worry about, because we lost Charles and Wade." It's up to guys like Hughes to alleviate those concerns.
If you were up sorta late last night, you might've seen some news on the recruiting front. Basketball coach Rick Ray, who's been busting his tail trying to put together a decent 2012 signing class, is already working ahead. According to the recruiting sites, MSU has its first hoops commitment for 2013: I.J. Ready, a point guard from Little Rock.
Ready is a former Nebraska commitment, which means he's already familiar with MSU assistant coach Wes Flanigan, who was a part of that staff until Doc Sadler was fired after last season. The connection runs even deeper, as Ready plays high school ball for Flanigan's father, Al Flanigan, at Parkview High School.
According to BulldawgJunction.com, Ready averaged 20 points and six assists his junior season. He also plays AAU ball for the Arkansas Hawks, where he averaged 25 points and six assists last year.
Ray has signed two point guards for the 2012 class – Trivante Bloodman and Jacoby Davis – so he's stocking up nicely at that position.
• On to baseball matters, you can find a story in today's Journal about MSU's offensive struggles (CLICK HERE). I broke down some numbers, but not nearly all of them made it in the story. So check out these figures on MSU's offensive production in SEC play (12 games at home, 12 away).
• Game 1s: 61-255 (.239), 40 runs, 35 BBs, 8 HBP, 60 Ks
• Game 2s: 50-248 (.202), 27 runs, 37 BBs, 13 HBP, 53 Ks
• Game 3s: 65-280 (.232), 40 runs, 31 BBs, 16 HBP, 48 Ks
• On road: 94-397 (.237), 51 runs, 33 BBs, 12 HBP, 78 Ks
• At home: 82-386 (.212), 56 runs, 70 BBs, 25 HBP, 83 Ks
Some interesting numbers there, especially the road vs. home comparison. A lower average at home but more runs scored? Well, check the walks and HBPs. As far as Game 2s, that low average is due to hitting below .200 in four of the eight Game 2s. State's had four sub-.200 outings in Games 1 and 3 combined.
• The SEC announced yesterday that baseball coach John Cohen is suspended for Friday's opener at Florida (CLICK HERE). A lot of fans aren't happy with it, but apparently he violated the league's sportsmanship policy.
• Back to recruiting, MSU's track and field squad picked up a commitment recently. Pretty interesting back story on Strymar Livingston, who hails from New York City (CLICK HERE).
