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ATHENS, GA — Ryan McPherson had a sense something was wrong his arm even an inning before the Mississippi State baseball pitcher exited his start against Vanderbilt.
He had pain in his elbow but got through the third inning at Dudy Noble Field on March 20. He pitched a fourth inning but then threw only one warmup pitch in the fifth inning before getting pulled.
It wound up being a forearm strain for the Bulldogs' Game 1 weekend starter, one that sidelined him for six weeks. The Bulldogs got by without him, hosting an NCAA Tournament regional in Starkville for the first time since the 2021 national championship, but his absence was felt through most of the SEC schedule.
"It sucked," McPherson said. "I took two weeks with no throwing, then slowly back into it. It sucked having to watch your teammates compete and when you're out there not contributing. You feel like kind of helpless and just upset that you can't play."
But McPherson is back now, starting three times in a gradual buildup in May. He presumably will be one of No. 14 Mississippi State's starting pitchers in the Athens Super Regional against No. 3 Georgia (49-12) and could be MSU's advantage.
Tomas Valincius will start Game 1 for MSU (43-17) on June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN). Coach Brian O'Connor didn't reveal the other starting pitchers for the best-of-three series.
"I feel great and I feel healthy," McPherson said. "I feel most confident in our team right now. Everything is possible because the team was able to get us in this spot. I'm excited to be a contributor in the super regional and hopefully Omaha."
McPherson made his return May 9 against Auburn, throwing 1⅓ innings with two runs, one unearned, allowed on 34 pitches. Then on May 16 vs Texas A&M, McPherson pitched 2⅓ innings, surrendering one run on 44 pitches.
MORE: How Mississippi State's Ryan McPherson plan worked perfectly in dominant regional
Mississippi State loosened his restrictions for the Starkville Regional final when McPherson pitched five innings with two runs on 83 pitches in a 19-5 win against Louisiana on May 31.
"It felt great," he said. "I feel like the rust is off and I'm back to my pre-injury self."
Mississippi State and Georgia have played each other four times. Georgia won all four of those games, including three at Dudy Noble Field.
That means MSU is familiar with Georgia's starting pitching, such as Joey Volchko, Georgia's starter for Game 1 of the super regional. He's already pitched twice against MSU. Georgia knows Mississippi State's pitching staff, too.
But McPherson hasn't faced Georgia at all because of his injury.
"I thought he was really good last weekend," O'Connor said. "Whenever he pitches this weekend, I expect him to go out there and compete and be hopefully even better than he was last weekend."
McPherson has a 2.81 ERA and 4-1 record. He's recorded 50 strikeouts and 10 walks in 41⅔ innings.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State pitcher Ryan McPherson details injury recovery
Continue reading...
He had pain in his elbow but got through the third inning at Dudy Noble Field on March 20. He pitched a fourth inning but then threw only one warmup pitch in the fifth inning before getting pulled.
It wound up being a forearm strain for the Bulldogs' Game 1 weekend starter, one that sidelined him for six weeks. The Bulldogs got by without him, hosting an NCAA Tournament regional in Starkville for the first time since the 2021 national championship, but his absence was felt through most of the SEC schedule.
"It sucked," McPherson said. "I took two weeks with no throwing, then slowly back into it. It sucked having to watch your teammates compete and when you're out there not contributing. You feel like kind of helpless and just upset that you can't play."
But McPherson is back now, starting three times in a gradual buildup in May. He presumably will be one of No. 14 Mississippi State's starting pitchers in the Athens Super Regional against No. 3 Georgia (49-12) and could be MSU's advantage.
Tomas Valincius will start Game 1 for MSU (43-17) on June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN). Coach Brian O'Connor didn't reveal the other starting pitchers for the best-of-three series.
"I feel great and I feel healthy," McPherson said. "I feel most confident in our team right now. Everything is possible because the team was able to get us in this spot. I'm excited to be a contributor in the super regional and hopefully Omaha."
McPherson made his return May 9 against Auburn, throwing 1⅓ innings with two runs, one unearned, allowed on 34 pitches. Then on May 16 vs Texas A&M, McPherson pitched 2⅓ innings, surrendering one run on 44 pitches.
MORE: How Mississippi State's Ryan McPherson plan worked perfectly in dominant regional
Mississippi State loosened his restrictions for the Starkville Regional final when McPherson pitched five innings with two runs on 83 pitches in a 19-5 win against Louisiana on May 31.
"It felt great," he said. "I feel like the rust is off and I'm back to my pre-injury self."
Mississippi State and Georgia have played each other four times. Georgia won all four of those games, including three at Dudy Noble Field.
That means MSU is familiar with Georgia's starting pitching, such as Joey Volchko, Georgia's starter for Game 1 of the super regional. He's already pitched twice against MSU. Georgia knows Mississippi State's pitching staff, too.
But McPherson hasn't faced Georgia at all because of his injury.
"I thought he was really good last weekend," O'Connor said. "Whenever he pitches this weekend, I expect him to go out there and compete and be hopefully even better than he was last weekend."
Ryan McPherson stats
McPherson has a 2.81 ERA and 4-1 record. He's recorded 50 strikeouts and 10 walks in 41⅔ innings.
Mississippi State vs Georgia super regional schedule
- Game 1: Saturday, June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN)
- Game 2: Sunday, June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN)
- Game 3: Monday, June 8 (TBD)
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State pitcher Ryan McPherson details injury recovery
Continue reading...
