What Stood Out for Mississippi State Baseball against Alabama

What are some takeaways from a series win for Mississippi State?

Dakota Jordan / Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State baseball took two out of three from Alabama with two dominating wins. The first two games of this series might have been the best this team has played all season. 

However, the series finale was frustrating for State. This past weekend had both positives and negatives, but the Bulldogs stayed on the path to becoming a host site in June. 

What stood out from Dudy Noble Field? 

Maturation 

Jurrangelo Cijntje has been solid for MSU all year. He now holds a 7-1 record with a 3.53 ERA. However, the numbers still do not indicate how talented the sophomore is. 

With every start, he gets better, and his start against the Crimson Tide showed just how far he has come. Cijntje threw seven innings and allowed one earned run with eight strikeouts. 

It was an impressive start, but the ambidextrous pitcher did have his best stuff. However, he battled through that and had an excellent start. 

If Cijntje continues to get better, he could lead a postseason run for State. 

Logan Kohler

Kohler has been struggling this season. The Memphis transfer has batted around .200 for most of the year and showed little power despite putting up double-digit home runs for the Tigers. 

However, Kohler has started to figure it out at the plate and had a monster weekend against Alabama. The third baseman finished the weekend with six hits and four RBIs. 

He also flashed his power by hitting three home runs, including one that went off the batter's eye on Sunday. 

Baserunning 

Little issues have hurt this team all year, but their baserunning was at the forefront this weekend. Amani Larry overran the third base bag in game two and was thrown out to end the inning and the MSU threat. 

In game three, Connor Hujsak was picked off at first base just before Kohler hit a home run. Joe Powell was also thrown out trying to take third on a Dakota Jordan infield single, which took an RBI opportunity away from Hunter Hines. 

It may seem minuscule, but minor issues like those can come back to bite a team in the postseason. This team has come a long way over the past month, but it will be even better if it can eliminate mental errors. 

Depth

Early in the season, the Bulldog offense relied heavily on Jordan and Hines. The emergence of Hujsak was enough to carry this team through the early stretch of conference play. 

However, some significant holes in the lineup prevented this team from reaching their full potential. This weekend was a positive sign, as guys like Larry and Kohler are busting out of their slumps and playing their roles nicely. 

Also, this team has struggled with the leadoff spot all season, but Bryce Chance has been hitting well at the top of the lineup and is setting the table for the meat of the order. This lineup still has not reached its full potential, but it is starting to figure out roles, and guys are starting to play to their potential.