Ledbetter: 'This Is A Dream Come True'
February 27, 2023 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – Colton Ledbetter has wasted little time establishing himself as one of Mississippi State's best players.
Eight games into his tenure with the Diamond Dogs, Ledbetter tops team with 13 hits, three home runs, 16 RBIs, seven stolen bases and leads all qualified hitters with a .406 batting average, .781 slugging percentage and .525 on-base percentage.
"He has program-changer ability," said hitting coach Jake Gautreau. "He's very athletic and has plus bat speed and power but his bat is in the zone for forever. That allows him to hit everything. It's a left-handed swing with some loft power and natural lift. He can really run and hurt you in so many different ways."
Ledbetter has hit safely in seven games so far this year, including four multi-hit games. His best performance to date was a 4-for-5 showing against VMI on Feb. 18 in which he provided a pair of doubles, one homer and six RBIs.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder also imposed his will in the final two games against Arizona State this past weekend to help MSU take the series. Ledbetter was 4-for-5 with a home run, four walks, six RBIs, three runs scored and robbed a home run in center field.
Ledbetter's home run on Sunday was of the grand slam variety and gave the Bulldogs a 9-2 lead in the fourth inning.
"I haven't hit a grand slam in so long, so it felt really good," Ledbetter said. "I'm not going to lie; I might've blacked out just a tiny bit when I rounded second base with all of the fans cheering me on. It was just surreal, so awesome."
Playing in front of a packed stadium is something new for the Samford transfer this year. Mississippi State is currently leading the country averaging 11,127 fans per game and have already had 89,015 on hand at Dudy Noble Field through the first eight games.
"This is a dream come true," Ledbetter said. "We might have 100 to 150 show up at Samford and (Saturday) we had 14,000 show up, seventh-best ever. I couldn't ask for anything else. The fans are awesome here."
The Hoover, Alabama native spent two seasons at Samford where he started 69 of 90 games. He ignited as a sophomore last season and led the team hitting .318 with 67 hits, 16 homers, 57 RBIs, 51 runs, a .407 on-base percentage, .640 slugging percentage and 1.047 OPS.
Ledbetter also set a new Southern Conference single-game record with nine RBIs and was a first team All-Conference selection as well as a member of the SoCon All-Tournament team. He even went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in a midweek contest against MSU in 2022.
When he decided to enter the transfer portal following last season, he hoped to take his talents somewhere he could be showcased against elite competition. Â
"I wanted a place where I could come in and make a difference immediately and be in the lineup," Ledbetter said. "I also wanted a place where I could have fun, enjoy the game of baseball and compete at a high level and on a big stage."
Ledbetter seems to have found the perfect fit for himself in Starkville and has quickly adapted to his new surroundings thanks to his teammates.
"I settled in pretty well," Ledbetter said. "All of the guys in the locker room are great. They welcomed me with open arms and made me super comfortable. They just kept reminding me that it's the same game. We have a little saying that's 'clear the mechanism' where we blur our all the fans and lock in on the game."
And although Ledbetter is still new to the program, he is already establishing himself as someone the younger players on the roster can emulate. His leadership, however, is more by example than words.
"I'm not a very outspoken guy," Ledbetter said. "I like to lead through my actions. So, I'm just going to keep playing hard and show these young guys how to keep playing hard every single at bat and pitch thrown."
