Summer Ball Q&A: Junior RHP Dakota Hudson
July 08, 2015 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - For the month of July, HailState.com will interview select Mississippi State baseball players competing across the country in summer leagues. Rising junior Dakota Hudson is currently playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As of July 7, the right-handed pitcher has appeared in six games with three starts, owning a 1.92 ERA in 23 1/3 innings of work. The Dunlap, Tennessee, native has struck out 18 and walked three, holding hitters to a .165 average.
For more information on Hudson's summer, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for “HailStateBB.” You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”
DAKOTA HUDSON Q&A
Q: What are some areas the MSU coaching staff wants you to improve upon this summer?
A: They want me to use all of my pitches and really pound the strike zone. If I do that, it will force hitters to have to deal with my stuff. They also want me to be more efficient with my pitches.
Q: How is your experience this summer going to make you a better player for 2016?
A: The Southeastern Conference is the toughest conference in America, and the Cape Cod League is the best of the best when it comes to summer ball. Every hitter you face is different and they all come from different programs from across the country. Everyone has their own style.
Q: How does the talent level in your league compare to the SEC?
A: Just like the SEC, if you make a bad pitch in this league, every hitter in the lineup is going to capitalize on it.
Q: What's it like playing in the Cape Cod League with so many scouts at the games?
A: There is a radar gun for every pitch. There are guys looking in the dugout and showing up before every game to see what you are doing. You go through your routine and you have people watching you the whole time. I'm very fortunate that having them at games is a normal thing for me since I play at Mississippi State.
Q: What was it like competing in front of MLB Scouts at Fenway Park on June 30th?
A: It was a great learning experience for me, but also fun because I was able to catch up with some of my MSU teammates who are on other teams in the Cape. It is tough to go to such a famous ballpark and know that while you are so close, you are still so far away.
Q: Do you have a MSU teammate on your summer team? What's that like?
A: Vance Tatum is my teammate this summer. There is an unspoken rivalry, but at the same time we're both supporting each other and lifting each other up. I want to see my teammates do well up here. It is a good way to show off our college program as well.
Q: What balls are you using to pitch?
A: We are using the minor league low-seam ball. It is very similar to the one we used this past spring. You can get a mile per hour more and a little bit more break on the ball. Everything is tighter. You have to be more precise with your stuff. If you're not locked in with your precision, hitters in this league will key in on it. Any pop fly in the Cape can be a home run.
Q: What's a typical day like in summer league?
A: I will head to the ballpark around noon and run through some drills. Then I'll step on the field and run through my routine. Depending on when the game is, you either lift before or after the game. I love it because it is all baseball all the time.
Q: Do you have a host family? Describe that experience?
A: They have been extremely welcoming ever since I arrived up here. Building a relationship with them is pretty special. They have had kids here before from different schools. They are really good people.
Q: What's the coolest thing you've done this summer?
A: I was actually able to go to a Boston Red Sox game on an off day and watch the game from the top of the right field roof. I was on top of the stadium and had a view of the whole field. It motivated me to return there one day as a player.
Q: What is the atmosphere where you're at right now compared to Dudy Noble Field?
A: It depends on the day really. On a good day we might get 1,500, but that is nothing compared to The Dude.
Q: What do you miss most about Starkville?
A: Playing in front of the fans at Dudy Noble. The people watching the games here are mostly scouts. When you step on the field in Starkville, it is an entirely different atmosphere. You do not get to experience that hardly anywhere.
Q: What is different in your part of the country compared to Mississippi?
A: The fields have no field tarps. So if it rains, you pretty much have to pray that the game is not canceled. Up here, if you say one word with a little bit of a southern twang, they are going to ask you where you are from.
Q: What are the team goals for the 2016 season?
A: The goal at the end of the year is always to make it to Omaha. The biggest thing we have to do is build team chemistry at the beginning of the year. We have to get to the point where we have guys that are competing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From top to bottom, we have to be bulldogs – guys who go out, grind for a win and work hard.
Q: Who do you think is going to be a breakout player for MSU in 2016?
A: Daniel Brown. He has come up here and has performed exceptionally against some of the best college players in America. I think he is starting to gain some confidence and I think he is going to be one of those turn-around guys for us.
Q: What are your thoughts on the heralded 2016 incoming class?
A: I heard we have some really good players coming in. Hopefully they can come in and make an impact immediately.
