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Eighteen Thoughts On Mississippi State Baseball In 2018

By Ethan Lee

Omaha, NE - JUNE 26: Baseball fans gather outside TD Ameritrade Park prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series, between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators on June 26, 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 26: Baseball fans gather outside TD Ameritrade Park prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series, between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators on June 26, 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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OMAHA, NE – JUNE 22: The Virginia Cavaliers take batting practice before game one of the College World Series Championship Series against the Vanderbilt Commodores on June 22, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 22: The Virginia Cavaliers take batting practice before game one of the College World Series Championship Series against the Vanderbilt Commodores on June 22, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

The Success Of The Freshmen On This Team Is An Encouraging Sign Going Into Next Season

Rowdey Jordan, Tanner Allen, Josh Hatcher, Jordan Westburg, and Justin Foscue are all freshmen. All of them, at some point throughout this season, made multiple starts and contributed to the Bulldogs in a major way.

The fact that so many freshmen were playing this early on in their career said a lot about their talent and also where Mississippi State baseball was in terms of need this season. However, those players all played a key role in this team developing throughout the year and now they’re all ready to contribute in a major way going forward.

Rowdey Jordan hit 7 home runs this season, the second most on this team. To go with that, he also had a .321 batting average as a freshman. Tanner Allen finished the year as a freshman All-American and had 5 home runs this year.

Josh Hatcher made 44 starts and looked to be a stud early on in the season, hitting 3 home runs through the year. Jordan Westburg is now famous for hitting a grand slam in the College World Series and also for the Rally Banana craze. Justin Foscue was a regular in the lineup and, like a few other MSU players, had three home runs this season.

Also keep an eye on Jordan Anderson, Zane Stephens, and James Basham. Anderson received the most playing time out of the trio here, but came in mostly as either a pinch runner or hitter. Stephens was a highly recruited pitcher coming out of high school and Basham gives MSU another possible option at catcher.

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