Short on pitching, John Cohen turns to Ruis Powers-Pollorena for Tuesday start

Fake Associated Press, Starkville, MS -- Sunday's 7-6 win over rival Ole Miss was a big one for the Bulldogs, and one that may have salvaged some hope of the maroon and white hosting a regional in Starkville this season. But the game wasn't without its costs too, as State used a platoon of pitchers Sunday and over the course of the weekend series against the Rebels.

With a thin bullpen and four games upcoming in the short week, MSU coach John Cohen feels he has nowhere to turn but to the last man on his bench for Tuesday's game vs. Oral Roberts -- Bulldog redshirt-Senior Ruis Powers-Pollorena. Ruis, who is a distant cousin of fellow pitcher Luis Pollorena, is an often forgotten member of the MSU baseball team. As a matter of fact, Ruis' existence is known to very few people -- the picture above is one of the only times that he's been spotted at an MSU baseball game. But no matter the questions surrounding his membership on the team, coach John Cohen tells us that he has all the confidence in the world in RPP.

"The win Sunday was great, sure, but now we find ourselves in a tough position going into the short week", John Cohen told the press on Monday morning. "Ruis doesn't pitch much, but in a tight spot before a big weekend series where we'll need all the arms we can get, he's the right man for the job."

Ruis is 0-1 with a 196.00 ERA on his career, pitching just 1/3 of an inning in an 18-0 loss to the Florida Gators two years ago.