Stratton named SEC Pitcher of the Year

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http://sebaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1367205

May 20, 2012

Barry Allen
SEBaseball.com Baseball Staff Writer

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State right hander Chris Stratton has come a long way since his freshman season with the Bulldogs.

The Tupelo, Miss., native compiled a 10-10 record and 5.25 ERA during his first two seasons in Starkville. As a freshman, he could not hold a seven-run lead in an eventual loss at Alabama.

"He has been through some hard knocks," MSU head coach John Cohen said. "Three years ago at Alabama he has a seven-run lead and he can't hold it because he was a freshman and he wasn't quite ready."

This year, Stratton has become one of the league's most dominant pitchers and that earned him the 2012 SEC Pitcher of the Year Award from SEBaseball.com.

"It's just a blessing," Stratton said. "I really appreciate all the talent God has given me and I give him all the credit he deserves. I also have to thank the coaches because they gave me the opportunity to get on the field and my teammates, too, for playing good defense behind and putting up the runs. You can't win without that."

He has compiled a 10-1 (.909) record and 2.16 ERA in 14 games this season, including 10 starts. He has worked 95 2/3 innings and allowed 23 earned runs and 73 hits with 115 strikeouts and 19 walks. MSU opponents' are hitting just .210 against him this season.

"My stuff got better and not only that I got some confidence," Stratton said. "Going to the Cape (Cod League) really helped me out and seeing all those good players and knowing I could do this really helped me out. My slider has really come along this year and my change-up has been a real big pitch. It has helped get through games."

He opened the season with four straight relief appearances and went 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA against Washington State, Kansas, Connecticut and Mercer. He moved into the starting rotation in the SEC opener at LSU and struck out a career-high 17 batters and never slowed down. Stratton went 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 10 SEC starts, with wins over Arkansas, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Kentucky.

"He is a leader," Cohen added. "We forget at the beginning of the year he was reliever for us in the first couple of games. He is just a guy that will do whatever he can to help us win a baseball game. He is a great teammate and outstanding student and he works his tail off every day.

"(MSU pitching coach) Butch Thompson has done an amazing job with him and psychologically he has this edge to him now. He gets what he wants and he is a much more competitive kid and you just can't say enough about him."

Overall Stratton leads the SEC with a 2.16 ERA and 10 wins this season. He ranks second in strikeouts (115), third in innings pitched (95.2) and sixth in opponents' batting average (.210). In SEC play, he led the league in ERA (2.05), opponents' batting average (.216), innings pitched (74.2), strikeouts (88) and wins (6).

He is the only 10-game winner in the SEC this season and the first at MSU since Paul Maholm won 10 games in 2002.

"There has been a lot of great players come through here. Just be mentioned with Jeff Brantley and Paul Maholm is something really special. I wanted to come here and build on the tradition they already had and hopefully I have done that."