A Gutsy Performance on the Mound Leads Mississippi State to Victory

Khal Stephen continues to dominate for the Bulldogs.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs take game one of a critical series against Auburn. It was not an ideal day for baseball as it was a steady rain for the first few innings. However, they did not matter to Mississippi State starting pitcher Khal Stephen, who has quietly put together one of the best seasons of any pitcher in the SEC. The story for the Purdue transfer this season has been his ability to battle through adversity. 

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis was impressed with the start. 

“Everything was working,” Lemonis said. “Three pitches for strikes, and he’s just a high-level competitor… I tell the rest of the guys to watch and learn.”

The entire team has taken hold of that identity, and Stephen has been mentioned as one of the top leaders in the clubhouse. The Indiana native has led by example after experiencing quite a bit of adversity this season. 

Stephen got roughed up in two starts this season, once against Georgia Southern and to start SEC play against LSU. He gave up five runs in only two innings of work against the Tigers, and when he left the mound, many questioned whether he was cut out for SEC baseball. 

It was a valid concern because the big right-hander does not have overpowering stuff. However, he has harnessed his mid-90s fastball and breaking ball to fit his game, which is to pound the zone. 

Stephen has carried that firey competitiveness into one of the best runs an MSU pitcher has had in some time. However, tonight may have been his finest moment. 

It was not his smoothest game; it may have been last week as he threw eight scoreless against Ole Miss, but he put the team on his back tonight. The knock on this team is their inability to hold onto a lead late, and tonight, adversity hit in the top of the seventh. 

After a leadoff single for Auburn, the home plate umpire took a foul ball off the face, causing a 15-minute delay in play. Stephen waited patiently as he sat on over 90 pitches, and the umpire walked off the diamond under his power. 

“It was a rollercoaster of an inning,” Stephen said. 

Stephen seemed out of gas after a walk, and a single loaded the bases with just one out. However, he picked up his tenth and eleventh strikeout to escape the jam and efficiently secured a win for his team. 

“He gets stronger as the game goes on,” Lemonis said. “He wasn’t gonna give the ball up in that moment.”

His final line was seven innings, one earned run, and 11 strikeouts. Underrated is often overused, but it fits Stephen perfectly, who led his team to a game one victory in a crucial series. 

The Bulldogs will go for the series win tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.