A Bulldog Pitcher Earns SEC Honors After a Dominant Outing
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs are riding high after a series win over the defending national champion LSU Tigers. Nolan Stevens was a big part of that for MSU, and he received the nod as the SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts.
Going into the Friday game, the Bulldogs would be without their usual Friday night starter, Nate Dohm, who went down with an injury in his start against Evansville. Evan Siary would start the game on the mound for the Bulldogs, and he pitched fairly well, giving up three runs in his three-plus innings of work.
Stevens relieved Siary in the fourth inning and took over the game. The California native used his nasty slider and mid-90s fastball to mow down the Tiger lineup.
Stevens pitched a career-high 5.2 innings and struck out a career-high eight batters. The freshman's poise in getting outs in high-leverage situations was impressive.
The most impressive play of his outing came in the eighth inning as the youngster was in a jam. With two runners on and one out, Stevens fielded his position well and turned a 1-6-3 double to escape the jam.
Stevens showed an attitude on the mound rarely seen by a freshman, and he was not intimidated by the then-number-two-ranked Tigers. He also picked up a pinch-hit single on Saturday.
Stevens has a chance to be the next star for this program and will be an arm the Bulldogs rely on all season. He also will have a chance to get big hits for the Bulldogs, as he is also impressed at the plate as he hit a home run last week against New Orleans.
