Former ICC baseball standout Houston Harding helps Mississippi State to first national title
Over the last three weeks, the college baseball world has come to know a truth that many at Itawamba Community College have known for a while. Houston Harding is good at baseball.
Fulton, Miss. – Over the last three weeks, the college baseball world has come to know a truth that many at Itawamba Community College have known for a while. Houston Harding is good at baseball.
Harding's ability has been on display all season for Mississippi State as he has played many roles from midweek starter to relief pitcher and back to starter again. In his last four appearances for the Bulldogs, Harding has struck out 22 batters in 17 and two-thirds innings and picked up one win.
"He's really talented and has a great makeup. He has good stuff and a great heart when he's out there pitching." said Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Lemonis during a June 7 press conference after Harding's 10-strikeout performance against Campbell University in regionals.
Most recently, Harding helped the Bulldogs win the program's first College World Series Finals game Tuesday night against Vanderbilt. In the lopsided 13-2 victory that forced a decisive game three, Harding threw four innings allowing only one run on two hits while striking out four. His emotion and prepitch movements were on full display much to the delight of college baseball fans on social media and inside TD Ameritrade Park.
Watch Housrton Harding sign with Mississippi State
Harding's success hasn't been a surprise for ICC fans, though, as the southpaw from Walls left Fulton owning the program's record for career strikeouts (195) and was a perfect 10-0 during his sophomore season when he helped the Indians win the Conference Championship. He was also selected as an All-American by the NJCAA, earned First Team All-Conference honors and was named a conference Pitcher of the Week.
Prior to his performance in the finals Tuesday night, Harding helped the Bulldogs advance to the Super Regionals with his relief performance against Campbell where he struck out a season-high 10 batters in five innings of work.
His standout regional performance against the Camels returned him to a starting role where he was immediately inserted into a high-pressure situation facing Notre Dame in game three of the Super Regionals. With a trip to the College World Series on the line, Harding got the job done throwing four innings, striking out four and allowing four hits as the Bulldogs punched their ticket to Omaha.
In his first start of the College World Series, Harding and the Bulldogs dropped an 8-5 decision to Texas, before he came back on three day's rest to help the Bulldogs defeat Vanderbilt in game two of the finals.
In the decisive game three Wednesday night, the Bulldogs defeated Vanderbilt to earn the program's and university's first-ever National Championship, making Harding the first Indian-turned-Bulldog to become a national champion.