NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Hunter Hines slammed his helmet.

Playing in a crucial rubber match at Vanderbilt, the Mississippi State first baseman thought he’d done enough to spark a rally. Leading off the seventh inning, with the Bulldogs down a run after holding a 6-0 edge, Hines sent a line shot into right field.

It was directly at Braden Holcomb.

Hines returned to the dugout at Hawkins Field and let out an expletive before taking his frustration out on his helmet. Then, he found his composure.

“Just got to play the game,” he told himself.

Two innings later, he got a chance at redemption. Hines, who entered the week hitting sub-.200 against left-handed pitching, stepped up to bat. Mississippi State was still down one, but the tying run was at second in the form of David Mershon.

Evening the score wasn’t enough for Hines. Instead, he sent a blast to the construction beyond the right field seats giving Mississippi State (29-15, 12-9 SEC) an 8-7 lead it held up against the Commodores (31-13, 11-10).

The home run was his third against left-handed pitching in two days and secured a series win after Vanderbilt won 4-0 on Friday. MSU won 7-4 on Saturday.

“That was probably the best one of my career,” Hines prefaced.

“So far,” he then added.

The win, which was sealed by closer Tyson Hardin, gave Mississippi State its seventh victory in eight games. It capped a series in which its clean-up hitter rediscovered the power that made him a problem for opposing pitchers the last two years.

"He's the type of guy that can carry a team,” Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said of Hines.

But this blast, unlike the other 49 in Hines’ career, carried extra weight. It puts Mississippi State, which entered Sunday at No. 34 in the RPI, in position to compete for its standard down the stretch.

“It’s huge for us,” Lemonis said. “We’re still building our resume. We’re still fighting so many teams, trying to get ourselves pushed up as high as we can. Our goal is always to host.”

It's fitting Hines delivered the crucial blow.

He arrived at Mississippi State in 2022, with the team fresh off a national title. In his two seasons, the program hasn’t reached the postseason. Coming up short, watching as he and his teammates battle frustration, was common territory.

However, Hines didn’t return for his junior season to throw his helmet in anger. He came back to toss it in jubilation. With that home run, he got to do so.

After rounding the bases and stepping on home plate, he tossed his helmet as he jumped into a sea of black jerseys as the Bulldogs neared an accomplishment they felt was attainable.

“I believe we’re better than them,” Hines said. “They’re a great ballclub. We knew we had it in us. That’s all that matters. We believed.”

DUDY NOBLE FIELD: Country rock artist HARDY announces concert at Mississippi State baseball stadium

Vanderbilt outscored Mississippi State by 40 runs in a three-game series in Starkville last year. Hines was part of that sweep, watching as another season slipped away.

This year appears to be headed in a different route, though. Hines and his teammates are continuing to prove it.

“We want to be a No. 1 seed when it comes down to it,” Lemonis said. “That’s what our goal is. We can do that with what’s ahead of us, but it’s not an easy road.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hunter Hines may have changed Mississippi State's baseball's postseason