Good, bad, ugly from Mississippi State baseball's disastrous series vs. Ole Miss
By Ethan Lee
The Good: Stephen's Dominant Game 1 Performance
Not everything was bad from this past weekend. But, to be completely honest, there wasn’t much good outside of what Khal Stephen brought to the mound in game one. Stephen delivered a masterful performance on the mound and set the tone for what the series against the Rebels could have been for the Bulldogs.
In the series opener, Stephen was dominant and in complete control in the eight shutout innings that he pitched. He did allow three hits, but he more than made up for it as he managed to strike out nine Ole Miss batters in game one.
Stephen’s ability to control his pitches, take advantage of the strike zone in its entirety, and keep the Rebels’ hitters off-balance is a testament to the work that he’s put into improving under Miss. State baseball pitching coach Justin Parker’s guidance.
He really looked like one of the top pitchers in the country on the road Friday night. That’s hard to do in the Southeastern Conference, but Stephen managed to dismantle the Rebels’ batting order on a routine basis.
But, well, Mississippi State really needs to find a way to replicate the success that Stephen had with other pitchers. The Bulldogs will need more from the entirety of the pitching staff to be able to get this season going back in the right direction.