2015 Season: Left Handed Pitchers

Starting off with the man, who else? Senior redshirt Ross Mitchell, 6-1 165 from Tennessee. He has gotten us out of more jams. Even though he did well as a starter, I think they will move him back to a long reliever. A starter, who usually throws harder than Ross, falters they will bring Ross in throwing in the low 80's. This has worked numerous times in the past, why not again in 2015? We want him to duplicate the 2013 season. Another senior is Lucas Laster, 5-11 178. He was a JC transfer last year and came on late to really dominate other teams. He should be a weekend starter. He will throw in the upper 80's but with deception. He is one of those leftys that don't give up hits, hence little or no runs. Junior Trent Waddell, 6-3 210 a JC transfer might get some innings as a reliever. He has a history of getting hurt. But he is also a backup at first base. Sophomore Vance Tatum, 6-4 210 is highly competitive. He will man one of the closer roles. He has swing and miss capabilities. He is a star in the making. Sophomore JC transfer Daniel Brown, 5-10 183 came to Ms State after an All-American campaign at a Texas JC. As of this writing, he still has a chance to start some games but he will probably be a stellar reliever this year. The coaches did a great job to find him. The last two guys are true freshmen. Paxton Stover, 5-11 195 is from Tennessee. He did very well in the fall. He still is in the hunt for a starting role. Another great find by pitching coach Butch Thompson. I think this kid will have a great career here. Alabamian Andrew Mahoney, 6-2 210 did not pitch his senior year due to Tommy John surgery. He was highly rated by Perfect Game before the injury. He only pitched 3 innings in the fall. He could be a candidate for a redshirt. But in 2016, I see him as an impact pitcher.

Baseball is a game of statistics. Half of SEC hitters bat from the left side, so you need quality LH pitchers to counteract them. I do see this group to have a huge impact. Just like any position, we need to stay healthy.