Will Mississippi State Baseball’s Starting Pitchers Be Able To Get Through Tallahassee?
By Ethan Lee
![OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: The Mississippi State Bulldogs run in the outfield to warm up before playing the UCLA Bruins during game one of the College World Series Finals on June 24, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. UCLA won 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24: The Mississippi State Bulldogs run in the outfield to warm up before playing the UCLA Bruins during game one of the College World Series Finals on June 24, 2013 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. UCLA won 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/02a9fa0c2ccf87dd088b32ade73d4e2dd388ea72de382b9f4b298a161d59da1e.jpg)
Does the Mississippi State baseball team have enough starting pitching depth to get through the Tallahassee Regional?
Starting pitching depth hasn’t exactly been the biggest strength for the Mississippi State baseball team this season. With the Bulldogs entering into the postseason, that’s not something that will ease the minds of anyone anxious about MSU’s chances in a regional.
The Bulldogs have two proven starters that can dominate, but there’s a few questions for Mississippi State’s pitching staff after that.
Konnor Pilkington has been starting for the Bulldogs few a few years now, but he hasn’t been as dominant this season has he has in previous years. He’s still the Friday starter and he’s getting the start against Oklahoma in the Tallahassee Regional.
Ethan Small is the Saturday starter and has been very good for the Bulldogs this season. However, Small recently had some injury concerns about a blister on his throwing hand that prevents him from playing at his full potential. Small might be fully healthy heading into Tallahassee, but it’s still possible that he isn’t.
State announces Konnor Pilkington as tomorrow’s starter and Ethan Small for Saturday. Small is coming back from a pretty nasty blister that made his last start a short one.
— Brett Hudson (@Brett_Hudson) May 31, 2018
Beyond that, there’s a few questions.
Jacob Billingsley has been the third starter for much of the season for MSU. But, that doesn’t mean that this spot is locked up for him. This year, Billingsley has a 5.04 ERA and teams are batting with an average of .271 against him.
That should raise some concerns.
Denver McQuary has made a total of four starts this year, but has an even worse ERA at 5.29 and teams are batting .311 against him.
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So, where does the Mississippi State baseball team turn? How do the Bulldogs make it through this regional, where they’ll likely have to play and win 5 games this weekend. The best case is that the Bulldogs only need to win 4 games. How does MSU do that pitching wise?