STARKVILLE -- Concluding the fifth inning of No. 10 Mississippi State's (2-0) 6-2 win over Wright State (0-2) Saturday, redshirt freshman pitcher Christian MacLeod casually strolled off the hill at Dudy Noble Field.
Heading into the dugout following the fifth inning, the 6-foot-4-inch left-hander was silent as he stared into the turf inches in front of his feet, before stepping over the foul line and disappearing into the dugout.
"Getting out there, getting on the mound you see everyone in the backdrop and it's something you've never seen before," MacLeod said of the 11,006 fans in attendance. "You're kind of like 'Wow' -- it's pretty cool to experience, but when the batter gets in the box and everything it (takes) a whole other level of focus."
Making his MSU debut following a bout with an undisclosed illness last season that forced him to spend much of the second semester at home in Huntsville, Alabama, MacLeod was quietly and historically efficient as he struck out 11 of the 17 batters he faced in five innings of work -- giving him four more strikeouts in his inaugural appearance than reigning National Freshman of the Year and teammate JT Ginn's seven in his first career start against Youngstown State Feb. 16, 2019.
Speaking with the media in late January, MSU pitching coach Scott Foxhall said MacLeod's three pitch mix of fastball, changeup and curveball was as good as any on the 2020 squad. Saturday, it looked the part. Setting up Wright State's lineup with his fastball, MacLeod's devastating curveball from the same arm slot fooled the Raider's throughout the afternoon.
"I saw the same guy that's been showing up really the last two years," Foxhall said Saturday. "He had a tough break and didn't get to play last year and that was really hard. You always pull for all your players but some you pull for a little more than others and, man, he has battled through some adversity last year. For him to go out there in his first start at Dudy Noble and have that performance, it's a chill bump kind of moment."
As impressive as MacLeod's ability to keep hitters guessing pitch-to-pitch was the Huntsville, Alabama native's devastating accuracy. Throwing 77 pitches on the day, he found the strike zone with 51 of them -- giving him a strike on 66.2 percent of his throws, while he reached as high as 93 miles per hour on the outfield radar gun.
"After that first strikeout I wanted to get in a good rhythm," MacLeod said. "I like to work faster so getting in that rhythm today was huge."
"That was one of the better performances I've caught, for sure," fellow freshman and battery-mate Logan Tanner added. "His stuff is just as good as anyone I've ever caught and he's going to be a special pitcher."
With MacLeod dealing through the first five innings, it was Tanner that impressed at the plate.
Catching in place of injured sophomore Luke Hancock -- who Lemonis said Friday is battling a lingering injury from the preseason that will limit him in the early going this year -- Tanner finished 3-of-4 at the plate with a home run, a double and two runs scored.
Flashing a smooth right-handed stroke in the batter's box, his second inning homer raced out of the ballpark with an exit velocity of 100 miles per hour at a launch angle of just 19-degrees.
Unsure of whether his ball would clear the wall, Tanner joked he missed first base as he raced down the line with excitement.
"I just kind of blacked out for a second," he quipped postgame.
Fellow freshman Kamren James -- the brother of former MSU pitcher Keegan James -- was similarly prolific at the plate, finishing his day 2-for-3 with a double off the wall and 2 RBIs. James also flashed a strong arm and flashy glove at third base as he earned an assist and a putout on the day.
Following MacLeod's prolific start, freshman Will Bednar kept the "K- counter" in section C202, down the first base line of Dudy Noble Field going, as he fanned four Raider hitters in two innings of relief work. Flashing a power arm off the rubber, Bednar's fastball peaked at 97 miles per hour.
Senior right-hander Riley Self also saw his first game action of 2020, setting down the Wright State lineup in order with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
With MacLeod and Ginn now finished with their opening weekend work, MSU will turn to sophomore fireballer Eric Cerantola Sunday as they seek a sweep of Wright State. Cerantola, who saw action mostly as a midweek starter and late reliever last season, comes into the season slated as the No. 3 starter.
"Hopefully he follows what Christian did and runs out there and pounds the zone and has some fun," Lemonis said of Cerantola. "I mean he's got electric stuff, he's just got to get out there and compete."
First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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MacLeod's dazzling debut leads Mississippi State to win over Wright State - The Commercial Dispatch
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