Bryce Chance making major mark at the bottom of State's lineup

One of the hottest topics of the preseason centered around Mississippi State baseball’s lineup with a logjam of talent to sift through for Brian O’Connor.

Among the players that many believed could get lost in the shuffle was longtime outfielder Bryce Chance. Despite his production for the three years, many believed that Chance’s lack of perceived “pop” could have him replaced by someone with more potential.

Through nearly half the season, Chance has emphatically silenced any critic that might have doubted his impact.

The Madison native has batted .330 or higher in two of his previous three seasons. His leadership and calm demeanor has been a massive part of the Diamond Dawgs digging out of the cellar of the SEC in 2022-23 and getting back into the fight.

What Chance is currently doing in his fifth season is something that even his teammates can’t comprehend. He’s become the person that everyone in maroon and white wants to see come up to the plate in a big moment of the game and confidence is through the roof that he will come through in it.

“It’s insane. There’s no words to describe it,” catcher Kevin Milewski. “He just goes up there and he knows he’s getting it done.”

Chance doing damage at the end of the lineup

At the bottom of a lineup full of limitless offensive potential and a whole lot of home run power, Chance sits in the nine hole. It’s not because he isn’t good enough to hit at the top of the lineup or somewhere in the middle, but he has become a cheat code for Brian O’Connor.

The first-year head coach has never once doubted Chance since arriving on campus and meeting him for the first time. The production from a season ago was there as Chance hit .332 and started in 56 of 58 games played in the outfield. He had career highs with 69 hits and 14 doubles and was on fire at the end of the year as he had a 19-game hitting streak into postseason play.

While talent was stacked in the offseason by O’Connor, Chance never wavered in his commitment to stay and fight for his position for his final season. The lifelong Bulldog was going to finish the job the right away, and he’s at the forefront of it all at the bottom of the lineup.

“You can look at the state sheet and say, ‘jeez should we move this guy up towards the top of the lineup?’ But it’s working,” O’Connor said. “With Ace Reese in the two-hole, he’s so many times turned that lineup over either to start the inning or extend the inning. His team has been the benefit of that. He’s been really outstanding down there.”

Through the first 24 games, Chance is leading the SEC with a .457 batting average. He’s second on the team with 32 hits, third with 10 doubles and has 23 runs scored an 18 RBI. His SLG% is at an all-time high at .600 and his OBP is at .552, but he’s also been one of the toughest players in the country to strikeout with just three in 70 at bats to go along with 11 walks and five hit by pitch.

The most impressive work Chance has done is his ability to perform with two outs. On the season, Chance is batting 16-of-30 (.533) with 11 RBI, seven doubles, five walks and two HBP and he’s only struck out once. Chance has been even better in SEC play as he is 9-of-12 with six RBI, four doubles and a hit by pitch.

Wherever he’s needed and at whatever point, Chance is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team.

“Knowing the guys that I have behind me is something that’s really important,” Chance said. “If I can extend an inning and get Ace up to the plate, Sully up to the plate or, in the nine-hole, get AT up to the plate and flip the lineup over, we always have a chance to score in those opportunities. There’s kind of a heightened awareness in that if I find a way on, there’s a high percentage chance I’m going to end up scoring. It only helps everybody.”