Andy Canninzaro will have to rise early again to get his workout in Thursday.
The muscled up first-year Mississippi State baseball coach said he worked out at 6 a.m. ahead of the Bulldogs’ 3-0 win over Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. The game was supposed to be played late Tuesday but got pushed back because of rain.
The altered schedule has created another 9:30 a.m. game against Arkansas. The early start could be a double-edged sword for the No. 13 Razorbacks. While it requires getting up early, it gives Trevor Stephan an extra day of rest. The junior transfer has pitched well lately and the final two series of the year unseated Blaine Knight as the No. 1 starter.
In an SEC Network interview Wednesday, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said his team was taking advantage of the extra day. They held workouts at Samford University’s football field Tuesday and even kicked some field goals. He gave them the day off Wednesday to use as free time. He expected some would go to the tournament games and others would go to a nearby mall. He had no team activity planned.
Sometimes too much time off isn’t a good thing. It gets teams out of a routine. However, during the rigorous SEC campaign, the extra day may offer some much-needed rest while MSU has to play two consecutive early games.
The extra day of rest helped MSU ace Konnor Pilkington as the left-hander turned in an eight-inning shutout performance with 100 pitches.
“In a tournament, you need to save some pitching, and it was great that Konnor went deep in the game and Riley [Self] made quick work out there," Mississippi State pitching coach Gary Henderson said. "We left some runners on, but overall it was a good way to start the tournament.”
While the Bulldogs may have saved their bullpen, Arkansas won’t have to worry about Pilkington. Pitching is a concern for Canninzaro because of injuries to the rotation.
Arkansas didn’t have much trouble scoring runs in the SEC Tournament opening series against MSU in Fayetteville, with 14 runs during the sweep.
Canninzaro said in a postgame interview on SEC Network that his team is different now from the one the Hogs faced in March. He said seeing the likes of Stephan and Knight prepared MSU for the rest of the league slate.
“It’s fun to play a team that beat you in a series earlier in the year,” said Brent Rooker, who slammed a two-run homer against Georgia, to the Clarion-Ledger. “It gives you a chance to go out there and play it again.”
Mississippi State has more to play for than Arkansas. It appears the Hogs have wrapped up a bid to host an NCAA Regional regardless of what happens in Hoover.
Playing in a tournament with little pressure often leads to a deep run. Thursday’s game will be key because it is early, and it’s been five days since the Hogs have played. If the Hogs can wipe out the sleep out of their eyes and shake off the rust, they can make a run.
Just like Pilkington helped the Bulldogs, Stephan can help Arkansas. Stephan’s emergence has bolstered the rotation.
Only time will tell how the extra time in Hoover has affected the Hogs. The good news for Van Horn and Co. is this game won’t matter much unless it is the beginning of a SEC Tournament title run.