Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State goes with pitching change up, won't start ace pitcher Friday

Bulldogs' interim coach Justin Parker made the decision to send one his best relievers to the mound to start against Northeastern in a NCAA Regional game.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Ben Davis makes a pitch against Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
Mississippi State pitcher Ben Davis makes a pitch against Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There’s a million different pitching strategies coaches have to make before a NCAA Regional starts.

A coach can have the strategy of “I can’t worry about tomorrow until tomorrow” and do whatever it takes to win that game. A coach could also decide to go with his normal weekend rotation and hope what got his team this point doesn’t falter.

A coach can also hold back his best pitcher in the first game and plan to use them in the second game, but that plan can backfire if the team loses the first game.

In fact, all of these strategies can backfire and be the reason a team doesn’t advance out of the regionals or, worse, go 0-2. So, it’s nearly impossible to say a coach’s decision is a bad one and won’t work because it could work. Or it blows up in a coach’s face.

That brings us to the strategy Mississippi State interim coach Justin Parker is using for the Bulldogs’ trip to the Tallahassee NCAA Regional. It’s not a bad decision (remember, there’s no such thing at this point), but it’s certainly a decision I wasn’t expecting.

Mississippi State will send Ben Davis to the mound to start Friday’s game against Northeastern, the regional’s number two seed. It’s interesting choice because by starting Davis, Parker is choosing to take on his best bullpen arms out of action for most of the weekend (depending on how many pitches Davis throws).

Here’s Davis’s stat line for the 2025 season:

  • 3-2, 3.96 ERA, 22 App, 3 GS, 52.1 IP, 58 SO, 22 BB, 23 ER, .236 b/avg.

Those three starts came back in March, before Chris Lemonis was fired, against Queens, Texas and Oklahoma.

Against Queens, Davis was good, allowing just one run on one hit, two walks and four strikeouts. He struggled a bit more against Texas and Oklahoma the following two weeks, pitching a combined 3.2 innings and allowing 10 runs (five earned) on eight hits, five walks and three strikeouts.

Since then, Davis has been one of Mississippi State’s best bullpen. It’s a gamble, but Parker will have his three normal starting pitchers – Pico Kohn, Evan Siary and Karson Ligon – to be used however Parker sees fit.

Also, Northeastern’s strengths aren’t at the plate. So, maybe the Bulldogs don’t need to send out their best pitcher (Kohn) and can save him for a potential Saturday game against Florida State.

How to Watch: Mississippi State vs. Northeastern

Who: Mississippi State (40-18) vs. Northeastern (48-9)

When: 6:30 p.m., Friday

Where: Dick Howser Stadium; Tallahassee, Fla.

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Live Radio

Stats: Live Stats

Series History: First meeting

Last Meeting: n/a

Last time out, Bulldogs: loss to Texas A&M, 9-0

Last time out, Huskies: def. UNCW, 9-6

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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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