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Mississippi State Baseball: Diamond Dawgs set to begin 2021 season

By Spencer Wright

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis goes to Oxford to play Ole Miss for the first time as the Bulldogs head coach this weekend.chris lemonis
Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis goes to Oxford to play Ole Miss for the first time as the Bulldogs head coach this weekend.chris lemonis /
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Mississippi State Baseball: 2021 Outfielders Preview

Right field:

Thanks to a shortened MLB Draft, slugger Tanner Allen returns to Starkville healthy and ready to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. A wrist injury hampered Allen a season ago, and he was only able to play in eight games in 2020.

The Theodore, AL native has played a key role since he got on campus in 2017 and brings loads of experience into what will likely be his final season in maroon and white. Allen is a career .315 hitter with 43 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs, and 116 RBIs.

Drew McGowan made four starts in right field last year to fill in for the injured Allen. He went 1-10 from the plate in limited action in 2020, but he provides depth in the outfield to play all three positions.

Centerfield:

After taking over for Jake Mangum in center a season ago, Rowdey Jordan returns for his fourth season in Starkville. Jordan has been a mainstay in the lineup the last few years and took over the leadoff spot in 2020. He was off to a solid start last season, hitting .308 with two doubles.

Jordan has 32 doubles and 13 home runs in his maroon and white career. He also has flashed the leather in both left and center field.

Northwest Mississippi Community College transfer Brayland Skinner has a knack for getting on base and will bring plus speed to Starkville. He started all but one game in his Ranger career and will provide depth behind Jordan in center field.

Leftfield: 

Brandon Pimentel started 13 games in left field last year but struggled to get things going at the plate. He hit just .184 with a double and a home run.

Pimentel showed some flashes of what he can provide, most notably his eighth-inning three-run shot to lift State over Oregon State in the series opener. MSU will need Pimentel to be more consistent and produce a lot of runs with his bat.

Brad Cumbest has seen action in the corner outfield spots and at DH in his first two years. He possesses tons of raw power in his 6’5”-250 pound frame. Cumbest has hit .236 with five doubles, two home runs, and 12 RBIs in his Mississippi State career.

Freshmen Austin Reed and Kyte McDonald are two outfielders who could make their maroon and white debuts in the outfield this season.

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