Cowbell Corner Flashback: Through a mother's eyes

(NOTE: This story originally appeared in The Starkville Daily News last June. Photo of Elijah MacNamee and his mother, Jennifer Horton, was taken by Monica Schoggin and submitted by Horton.)

Jennifer Horton’s trips to Starkville have been filled with special times the last three years as the mother of Mississippi State senior right fielder Elijah MacNamee has had the chance to see her son blossom into one of MSU’s most memorable athletes of all-time. This past weekend though as Horton made her way to town for State’s Super Regional against Stanford, the mood was different than usual. The travel from Horton’s Cypress, Texas, home to Starkville had a somber feel. There wasn’t much of a feeling of excitement.

That’s because Horton’s boy was hurting. Horton herself might’ve been hurting worse. The Major League Baseball Draft had just been completed in the days before Horton headed to Mississippi. MacNamee’s name wasn’t called. Despite the fact 11 Bulldogs were picked in the draft and despite the fact MacNamee has developed into one of the Southeastern Conference’s most respected hitters and a strong defender, 40 rounds passed in the draft without a team taking so much as a flyer on MacNamee. It was weighing heavily on Horton’s mind.

“I was having a hard time pulling into Starkville this time – just hurting and kind of being mad and not wanting to be there,” Horton said. “(MacNamee) was just like, ‘Mom, don’t worry about it. We’ve got this. We’re winning a national championship.’ It was kind of like he just picked himself up and wiped himself off and kept going.”

Make no mistake, behind MacNamee’s words of encouragement for his mother, there was pain. It was perhaps buried deep underneath, but it was there. MSU head coach Chris Lemonis mentioned it at the end of last week. MacNamee’s own disappointment was evident last Thursday when he told reporters following the draft, “It’s all behind me now. All I know is God will take care of me. That’s how I’m going to look at it.”

How could it all not hurt? Here was a Texas boy that grew up just wanting to play ball. He was on the cusp of a professional career. There are still routes to attain that dream, but after getting looked over in the draft, a new path will have to be found.

In the meanwhile though, there were still ballgames to play. There was a College World Series berth, and perhaps more, to attain. Mississippi State had to defeat Stanford twice to get to Omaha. To do that, the Bulldogs didn’t need their cleanup hitter weighed down by disappointment. MacNamee had to manage his feelings.

“He doesn’t like sad,” Horton said. “He doesn’t like people that are mad. He doesn’t like drama. He’s like, ‘It’s not me. I can’t stand to be in that mood.’ And (not getting drafted) hurt him. He had to go and deal with it and keep going.”

Luckily, MacNamee’s roots didn’t let him stay stuck in his misery. He was back at practice on Thursday with a smile on his face according to Lemonis. MacNamee’s faith and his upbringing helped him move forward.

“We’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity,” Horton said. “When (MacNamee) was younger, when he’d get down, we’d tell him ‘You’ve just got to keep working. Don’t be down long. You have to pick yourself up and keep working.’ That’s how we are. I’m going to be honest, I was down (about him not getting drafted) a little bit longer than he was. He’s definitely my hero when it comes to that.”

The MacNamee resiliency that Horton speaks of has been on full display all throughout MacNamee’s career, particularly the last two seasons.

Last year, MacNamee’s early-season struggles took him out of the lineup. By the stretch run, he was a lineup centerpiece. His hard work made him a cornerstone of the Bulldog batting order and he delivered two of the biggest home runs in Mississippi State history in the postseason with walk-off jobs in the regional at Florida State and the super regional at Vanderbilt.

More trials and tribulations came this year for MacNamee. Before his draft snub, he had to deal with a cracked bone in his left foot. The injury caused MacNamee to miss nearly three full weeks of action at the end of the regular season. By the Starkville Regional though, MacNamee was back in his familiar spot as State’s cleanup hitter. He pushed through the physical pain to return. But that hurdle might not have been as high to get over as the mental pain of not getting taken in the draft.

“That was what he dreamed of – hearing his name,” Horton said.

Everyone, including MacNamee, continued to insist he’d put his disappointment in the past by the time the Starkville Super Regional got underway. Horton saw her son prioritize the interests of the Bulldogs over his own situation.

“What makes me so proud as a mom is just knowing that he was doing it for a greater thing than himself,” Horton said. “He knew he had to pick himself up and do it for his team.”

Fast-forward to Sunday night. Mississippi State had defeated Stanford 6-2 in Game 1 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Bulldogs were primed to punch their ticket to Omaha. State led 5-1 in the top of the ninth when MacNamee walked to the plate with two on base and one out. There was a Stanford pitching change before MacNamee’s at-bat, giving the Bulldog fans at Dudy Noble Field the chance to bid farewell to MacNamee. This would almost assuredly be his last-ever at-bat in Starkville. The smooth sounds of the saxophone in MacNamee’s walk-up music reverberated throughout the ballpark. Over at third base, MacNamee’s fellow senior and teammate Jake Mangum insisted the crowd rise to their feet. Mangum, just three batters before, had provided his own big moment when he slapped a single to left in what would be his last Dudy Noble plate appearance. It was now MacNamee’s turn to try. His mother was anxiously watching on.

“I was just hoping that he didn’t strike out,” Horton said. “You don’t want your last at-bat to be that.”

MacNamee had a full count on him. That’s when Stanford pitcher Will Matthiessen delivered a fastball almost directly over the heart of the plate. It was quite possibly precisely the pitch MacNamee himself would have wanted if he could’ve drawn it up his way. He didn’t miss it either. With a mighty swing, MacNamee belted the baseball long and far over the left-field wall. If Dudy Noble had a roof, it would’ve blown off as soon as the ball made contact with the bat.

As for MacNamee, his figurative lid did explode. He was overcome with emotion. He flipped the bat in celebratory style back towards his dugout. His fists pumped in excitement. After rounding the bases, MacNamee was met with embraces from his teammates.

This was a guy who has meant so much to the Bulldog program. Without his talent, there’s no Omaha trip last year. Without his ability and leadership, who knows if MSU is the juggernaut it is this year?

This was a victory lap for both MacNamee and the fans to celebrate all he’s done for Mississippi State. It was never explicitly stated, but it could very well be assumed it was also a moment for MacNamee to unleash his frustrations of a draft week that didn’t go as planned.

It all made for one emotional mama in the stands.

“It couldn’t have been more perfect for him,” Horton said. “It just made my heart feel like it was going to burst. I couldn’t stop crying. I was so happy and thankful for him that he got that.

“That, to me, is one of my all-time favorite moments of his. It doesn’t matter if it was a walk-off – those were great – but just seeing him pick himself up after all that he went through. He is my hero. That’s all I can say. Even though this (resiliency) is what I feel like we’ve taught him, I don’t know that I could’ve been that strong. We’ve just been having blow after blow and I’m just so proud of him.”

The Bulldogs of course went on to win the game 8-1. That means MacNamee’s next at-bat will come at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha at the College World Series.

Before that though, as MacNamee was celebrating Sunday’s win, he had a stop to make. Horton was waiting in the stands, at the netting by the field. MacNamee came to his mother. They shared a special moment mom and son will take with them forever.

“He just came up to the net and I was on the other side,” Horton said. “We just put our heads together. It was just like I could take a deep breath and know that he was going to be okay. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

This trip to Starkville wasn’t one Horton was originally all that enthused for. Turns out, it might’ve been just the medicine Horton and MacNamee both needed.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better than that,” Horton said.