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Cowbell Corner

Duke Stone’s Career Day Leads Mississippi State to SEC Honor

With 12 strikeouts and six shutout innings, Duke Stone delivered the best start of his career for Mississippi State.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Pitcher Duke Stone (#11) during the game between the Lipscomb Bison and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Pitcher Duke Stone (#11) during the game between the Lipscomb Bison and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

For most of the season, Mississippi State’s rotation has followed a familiar script.

Tomas Valincius starts the weekend, dominates, and walks off as the headliner. He did his part again Friday with 6.2 innings, three runs, 11 strikeouts, and only one walk. It was the kind of outing that usually earns him the bulk of the attention.

But not this time. Not after what happened Saturday.

Duke Stone didn’t just match Valincius. He passed him. And on Monday, the SEC made it official by naming Stone the league’s Co-Pitcher of the Week.

Stone earned it with the best start of his career, a six inning shutout that clinched the series at South Carolina. He struck out 12, walked three, scattered five hits, and threw 101 pitches.

"I would just say my fastball location was really good today," Stone said. "I kind of struggled with the slider a little bit but the curveball stepped up and took its place."

"He was commanding his glove-side fast ball fairly good, the slider, the breaking ball, the changeup," Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor said. "He had all four of them."

It was the kind of performance that takes over a game and, in this case, took over the weekend.

"Duke Stone was outstanding today," O'Connor said after Saturday’s game. "He buckled down a lot, I believe he had a runner or runners on the bases every inning, but was able to bear down and make some big pitches. He is a tough competitor, and I love him. He just competes, and he is going to give you everything he has every time he is out there."

The sophomore from Uvalda, Georgia is now 6-1, and his season numbers show how far he has come.

In 11 appearances and nine starts, he owns a 3.78 ERA with 70 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 47 and two thirds innings. He shared the weekly honor with Ole Miss right-hander Cade Townsend, and he becomes the second Bulldog to win SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week this season, joining Valincius. Jacob Parker also picked up Freshman of the Week back in March.

Valincius has been the steady anchor of this rotation, and he still is. But this weekend belonged to Stone.

His outing didn’t just help win a series. It shifted the conversation, at least for a moment, away from the usual star and toward a pitcher who is starting to look like one himself.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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