NDSU shortstop has success on mound and at the plate
For the second year in a row, Matt Mossey will be pulling double-duty.
Not only is he the starting shortstop and one of the NDSU baseball team’s top hitters, he is also the number two pitcher in the rotation.
Mossey, a junior from Coon Rapids, Minn., will be taking on a heavy-load for the Bison this year and looks to be a focal point for the team’s success.
“If his arm can handle both shortstop and pitching, he’s definitely someone to watch,” starting pitcher Jake Laber said.
Mossey proved last season that he could handle the task well. He was second on the team in seven different offensive categories, including batting average (.320), on base percentage (.380), hits (64) and at-bats (200).
From the mound, Mossey proved to be effective as well. In his first start in college against UC Davis, he allowed no earned runs in a complete game, but still picked up the loss after the Bison let two unearned runs come home.
He went 1-6 on the season with the lone win coming in another complete game effort when he beat South Dakota State.
This season, Mossey is holding up both ends of the deal as well. Hitting from the number three spot, he leads the team or is tied for the team lead in at-bats, hits, doubles, RBIs and stolen bases.
Along with Kole Zimmerman in the middle of the lineup, Mossey is a central focus for producing runs for NDSU.
Mossey has also stepped up his pitching. He spent time pitching in the Northwoods League in the offseason to get ready for the season.
“He had a great summer up in the Northwoods League pitching,” Laber said.
Mossey’s numbers show that as he posted a 5-5 record with a 2.79 ERA in the summer league made up of collegiate players.
Most importantly, he showed better control with a better than 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
In his three starts this year, his ERA is at 5.75, which is down from his 7.46 mark last season.
He has also walked just three batters, very important considering head coach Mitch McLeod said his pitchers needed to keep the ball over the plate for the Bison to have success this season.
Mossey leads the team with 16 strikeouts to go along with those three walks and only one wild pitch, showing that his control is much improved from a season ago.
No matter where Mossey is at, be it at short, the plate or the mound, he always seems to be in control.