Today is Cinco de Mayo, and we celebrate by reflecting on the career of Luis Pollorena who is currently playing in the Mexican League.
Luis Pollorena was one of my favorite baseball players at Mississippi State. A soft-tossing lefty who was an underdog, but always fought hard for the Diamond Dawgs.
He came to MSU in 2011 after starring as a pitcher and outfielder in junior college. Fortunately, he still had three years of eligibility when he arrived in Starkville.
The 2011 season was a resurgent one for Mississippi State. After missing Regional action for three straight years (not coming close, really), they made it all the way to Game 3 of a Super Regional vs. Florida – which Pollorena was the starting pitcher.
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That year he mostly came out of the bullpen. He never made a start until the calendar hit May, but ended up with five of them. The best of the bunch was in Game 1 of the Regional at Georgia Tech when he threw six shutout innings vs. Southern Miss.
In 2012, Pollorena refined his prowess on the mound to the tune of a 4-0 record and 1.85 ERA. In MSU’s SEC Tournament run, however, it was his bat that did the talking. Against LSU he pinch-ran for Trey Porter late in the game. In the bottom of the 9th, he came up to the plate, down one, with the bases loaded and one out. After just seven at-bats all year he was able to muster a sac fly to score the tying run, and State ended up winning the game in the 10th inning.
In a way only John Cohen could do, he actually started Pollorena in right field and hitting 5th in an elimination game of the Regional. Luis went 1 for 4 with a walk.
2013 featured Pollorena’s biggest presence for the program. He started the year coming out of the bullpen, but moved to the starting rotation once SEC play started as some talented underclassmen were unable to perform in that role. Not only was he a starter, but he did it on Friday nights. He was effective, with MSU going 7-3 in his 10 SEC starts (including the SEC Tourney).
He only went 3 for 15 as a hitter, but it was his toughness on the mound that he’ll always be remembered for. Good luck in he Mexican League, Pollo….and happy Cinco de Mayo!