Mississippi State Baseball Pitchers to Watch in 2020

Here are the Mississippi State Baseball pitchers you need to keep an eye on during the 2020 season.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Starting Rotation

Mississippi State’s 2020 starting rotation is headlined by junior right-hander JT Ginn, who is considered one of the top prospects in the country. Ginn was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 but opted to return to school for his junior year. He’ll be joined in the rotation by senior right-hander Tanner Burns, who was an All-SEC second team selection last season. The Bulldogs also have two left-handers in their rotation, sophomore Zackary Paul and junior John Doxakis.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Bullpen

Mississippi State will have a strong bullpen in 2020, with a number of experienced pitchers who can step in and contribute right away. Here are a few pitchers to keep an eye on:

-Dakota Hudson: A senior, Hudson has been a key player in the Bullpen the past two years, appearing in 23 games with a 3.38 ERA. He has Good Stuff and knows how to pitch, and should be one of the go-to guys out of the bullpen this season.

-Trevor Fitts: Another experienced pitcher, Fitts is a junior who appeared in 38 games last season with a 3.86 ERA. He has good command of his pitches and should be another key contributor out of the bullpen this season.

-Cole Gordon: A redshirt sophomore, Gordon is someone who could be a breakout star out of the bullpen this season. He has good stuff and impressed coaches last season, appearing in 15 games with a 4.50 ERA. Keep an eye on him this season as he could be one of the best relievers in the SEC.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Catchers

The Mississippi State baseball team will have a young but talented pitching staff in 2020. Here are three pitchers to keep an eye on this season.

1. JT Ginn

Ginn was the top High School pitcher in the country when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft He opted to attend Mississippi State instead and immediately became one of the most dominant pitchers in college baseball In 2019, his first year with the Bulldogs, Ginn went 10-2 with a 2.52 ERA and struck out 136 batters in 109 innings. He’s expected to be one of MSU’s top starters again in 2020 and could very well be a first-round pick once again come June.

2. Ethan Small

Small was a key piece of Mississippi State’s rotation last season as a freshman, going 8-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 18 starts. He struck out 132 batters in 103 innings while only walking 29, an impressive ratio for any pitcher, let alone a freshman. Small will look to build on his strong freshman campaign in 2020 and could emerge as MSU’s ace behind JT Ginn.

3 Cole Soden

Soden was another freshman pitcher who made an immediate impact for Mississippi State last season, serving as the team’s closer and posting eight saves with a 3.86 ERA in 30 appearances. He struck out 45 batters in 36 innings while only walking 18, showing excellent command of the strike zone for a freshman reliever. Soden will once again be an important part of MSU’s pitching staff in 2020 and should see plenty of save opportunities once again as the Bulldogs’ closer.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Infielders

Mississippi State will have a talented and deep infield in 2020. The team will be led by Senior first baseman Justin Foscue. Foscue was named to the preseason All-SEC team and is one of the top hitters in the SEC. He is a big power threat in the middle of the lineup and should have a big year for the Bulldogs.

At second base, junior Jake Mangum will look to build on his successful 2019 campaign. Mangum was named second team All-SEC last season and is one of the top defenders in the conference. He also has good speed on the bases and can be a table setter for the Mississippi State offense.

Shortstop will be manned by senior Luke Alexander. Alexander is another good defender who can also provide some pop at the plate. He was named to the preseason All-SEC team and is expected to have a big year for Mississippi State

third base will be freshman Jordan Westburg. Westburg was one of the top recruits in Mississippi State’s 2020 class and has a chance to be a special player. He has good size and can hit for power from both sides of the plate. Defensively, he has good range and a strong arm that should allow him to make all the plays at third base.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Outfielders

Mississippi State will have a talented group of outfielders in 2020. They will be led by sophomore Jake Mangum, who was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America The Bulldogs will also have junior Rowdey Jordan and sophomore Elijah MacNamee, who both had strong 2019 seasons. They will be joined by freshman Jared Johnson, who was a highly-regarded recruit.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Schedule

Mississippi State’s 2020 baseball schedule is filled with big games and key conference matchups. Here are some of the pitchers to keep an eye on this season.

Mitchell Wright – Wright is a senior who had a breakout year in 2019, posting a 3.20 ERA and striking out 80 batters in 73 innings. He will be one of the anchors of the Mississippi State rotation in 2020.

Ethan Small – Small is a junior who was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2018. He had a rough 2019 campaign, but has the potential to be one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in college baseball

Cole Irvin – Irvin is a transfer from Oregon who will be eligible to pitch for Mississippi State in 2020. He was outstanding for the Ducks, posting a 2.54 ERA and striking out 103 batters in 116 innings.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Prospects

Mississippi State enters the 2020 season with high expectations, as they are ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls. The Bulldogs are loaded with talent, especially on the mound, and should be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC this year. Here are three Mississippi State pitchers to keep an eye on in 2020:

1. JT Ginn

Ginn is a right-handed pitcher who was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 29th overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft He opted not to sign with the Dodgers and instead chose to attend Mississippi State where he has been nothing short of dominant. In his two years with the Bulldogs, Ginn has compiled a 10-3 record and a 2.93 ERA in 27 appearances (19 starts). He has struck out 155 batters in 116 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .197 batting average Ginn is considered one of the best pitching prospects in all of college baseball and should be a key piece of Mississippi State’s rotation this season.

2. Ethan Small

Small is another right-handed pitcher who was drafted out of high school (37th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers) but decided to attend Mississippi State instead. Small made 14 starts as a freshman last year and posted a 6-4 record with a 4.07 ERA. He struck out 101 batters in 77 innings pitched and held opponents to a .211 batting average Small dealt with some inconsistency at times last season, but his upside is tremendous. He has electric stuff and should take a big step forward as he continues to develop his craft.

3 Jack Eagan

Eagan is a left-handed reliever who had an outstanding 2019 campaign for Mississippi State posting a 5-0 record with eight saves and a 0.96 ERA in 31 appearances (34 innings pitched). He struck out 45 batters while walking just 12 and holding opponents to a .180 batting average en route to being named an All-American by multiple publications. Eagan will once again serve as Mississippi State’s closer in 2020 and should be one of the best relievers in all of college baseball

Mississippi State’s 2020 Roster

Mississippi State has a strong pitching rotation for the 2020 season. The first pitcher to watch is JT Ginn. He is a right-handed pitcher who was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers Ginn underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, but is expected to make a full recovery and be a key player for Mississippi State in 2020.

Another pitcher to watch is Will Bednar. He is a redshirt sophomore who missed all of last season with an elbow injury Bednar has recovered and will be an important part of Mississippi State’s pitching rotation in 2020.

The third pitcher to watch is Bryce Bush. He is a junior college transfer who was ranked as the No. 1 JUCO pitcher in the country by perfect game Bush will bring much needed experience to Mississippi State’s pitching staff in 2020.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Coaching Staff

The Mississippi State Baseball Team will have a new look in 2020. The Bulldogs will have a new Head Coach in Chris Lemonis and a new pitching coach in Caleb Blick.

Lemonis comes to Mississippi State from Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to two Big Ten regular season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. He also has experience coaching in the SEC, having served as an assistant at Arkansas from 2007-2010.

Blick comes to Mississippi State from UC San Diego where he was the pitching coach for the past two seasons. He helped lead the Tritons to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament. Prior to his time at UC San Diego Blick was the pitching coach at Cal State San Marcos for four seasons.

The Bulldogs will also have a new Assistant Coach in Nick Mingione. Mingione comes to Mississippi State from Kentucky, where he spent the past four seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach Under Mingione, Kentucky made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the College World Series in 2017.

Mississippi State’s 2020 Key Statistics

In 2020, Mississippi State will have a number of key pitchers to keep an eye on. Here are their 2020 statistics:

-Name: Chris Roberts
-Height: 6’2″
-Weight: 185 lbs.
-Throws: Right-handed
-Bats: Right-handed
-Age: 22 years old (DOB: June 1, 1997)
-2019 Statistics: 3.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.8 K/9

-Name: JT Ginn
-Height: 6’3″
-Weight: 190 lbs.
Height/weight:: 6’0″, 170Lbs DOB:: February 5th, 1999 throws/bats:: Right/Right 2019 Stats line:: 3.13 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.981 WHIP JT Ginn’s 2019 was pretty special. As a freshman he entered the draft and was selected in the first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 30th overall pick. He then decided to forego professional baseball and attend Mississippi State University instead. In his first year as a college pitcher he put up some fantastic numbers en route to leading the Bulldogs to the College World Series Finals. He’ll look to build on that success in 2020 as he takes the mound for Mississippi State once again