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How Mississippi State freshmen are handling first time at College World Series

Tyler Horka
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

OMAHA, Neb. – Jake Mangum hopped off the bus like he's been here before. So did Elijah MacNamee. Tanner Allen did, too. 

The list of Mississippi State players who have been to Omaha for the College World Series goes on and on. The Bulldogs were just here last year, after all, so they've been around the block at TD Ameritrade Park. Literally. 

But what about the ones who haven't? A lot has been made of MSU having been here before, but freshmen like JT Ginn, Brandon Smith, Brad Cumbest, Luke Hancock and Eric Cerantola all have serious shots of seeing the field this week. 

Mississippi State freshman pitcher JT Ginn is making his College World Series debut this week.

By all indications, Ginn is healthy and could start Mississippi State's second game of the tournament on Tuesday. Smith is almost certainly going to be one of the arms that head coach Chris Lemonis turns to when the bullpen is called upon. He's still trying to get over the newness of it all. 

"You grow up as a kid watching other players on this stage go out there and compete," Smith said. "I grew up with this goal of being able to come out here. I'm really looking forward to it." 

The feeling of excitement isn't foreign to any of the first-year players. While guys like Mangum and MacNamee have had tunnel vision to stay focused on winning it all, players like Cumbest are still in "soak it up" mode. He was wide-eyed as can be during Mississippi State's practice Friday. 

"I got a little adrenaline rush out there, I ain't going to lie to you," Cumbest said. 

The Bulldogs have a long list of players who were freshmen during last year's College World Series appearance. They know exactly what it's like to be 18 or 19 years old playing in front of 20,000-plus people at the pinnacle of college baseball. 

Sophomore shortstop Jordan Westburg said everybody was in "awe" of simply being in Omaha last year. There's a different feeling this time around, and Westburg wants to make sure this year's freshmen don't fall into the trap of being too starstruck. 

"It's still the game of baseball, just on a bigger stage. That's all it is," Westburg said. "For them, I think it's just slowing the game down, trusting in their abilities and just having fun." 

Sophomore first baseman Tanner Allen remembers how impressed he was with the crowd at TD Ameritrade last year. He said it was shocking hearing a serious roar from the stands for the first time, and that's coming from a guy who plays his home games at Dudy Noble Field. Allen thinks MSU's freshmen will have the same reaction this year no matter how much they try to block out the noise. 

"They're probably going to be shaking in their shoes," Allen said. 

The difference is that Mississippi State has players on its roster who can weather the storm this year. Majority of the guys won't be shaking in their shoes. They know what to expect. The freshmen are able to look to them as stabilizing presences throughout this championship run. 

Lemonis has been to Omaha before, too, which helps even further. He was an assistant coach at Louisville when the Cardinals went to the CWS in 2007, 2013 and 2014. He told his team after it won the Starkville Super Regional that the goal isn't to leave Nebraska with just a t-shirt. There's a trophy for the taking, and Mississippi State -- freshmen and all -- are set on taking it. 

"I'm happy to be here with those guys," Lemonis said. "I feel like we've got a talented group. They've been real consistent over the year."

Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!