Beer runs and bathroom trips are key ingredients to a successful break between half-innings at a baseball game. That won’t be the case at Davenport Field this weekend when Mississippi State baseball takes part in the Charlottesville Regional.

When Jurrangelo Cijntje is the first to emerge from the MSU dugout and runs to the mound, it’s hard to look away. He throws a selection of his warmup pitches with his left hand. Then he does the same with his right hand.

Mississippi State’s ambidextrous sophomore is among the top pitchers in the SEC, and in the postseason, his skills will be put on display.

“It’s not a circus act,” coach Chris Lemonis said last year.

Cijntje owns a 3.55 ERA and has been Mississippi State’s No. 2 starter, behind Khal Stephen, this season. He’s lined up to face either No. 1 seed Virginia or No. 4 seed Penn on Saturday after No. 2 seed Mississippi State plays No. 3 seed St. John’s on Friday (6 p.m., ESPN+).

While a majority of his pitches have come from the right side this year, as opposed to a more-balanced attack last year, Cijntje has been among the unique talents to come through college baseball in recent history.

Here’s what you need to know about him.

Why does Jurrangelo Cijntje throw with both arms?

Cijntje is naturally left-handed, but at 6 years old, he started developing his ambidextrous skills. His father, Michelangelo, played baseball professionally in the Netherlands. Michelangelo was a right-handed catcher, so Cijntje tried to mimic his father.

It developed into a skill that made him a pro prospect out of high school. He can throw at least 90 mph with both arms, though his velocity reaches the upper 90s from the right side.

Where is Jurrangelo Cijntje from?

Mississippi State lists Cijntje as a product of Pembroke Pines, Florida, where he attended Champagnat Catholic High School. But his rise to stardom is rooted in Curacao.

His family comes from the Dutch Caribbean island, where Cijntje was a baseball standout from a young age. He helped lead Curacao to the 2016 Little League World Series.

When was Jurrangelo Cijntje drafted?

Cijntje was picked as a shortstop in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. However, he elected not to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers and instead enrolled at Mississippi State.

A big reason for his decision, according to Lemonis, was the promise to throw with both arms. As a freshman, Cijntje had an 8.10 ERA with a 34-to-63 strike-to-walk ratio. This year, he has struck out 108 hitters while walking only 29.

He is the No. 41 prospect in this year's draft, according to MLB.com.

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What are Jurrangelo Cijntje’s splits?

Left-handed hitters are batting .256 against Cijntje this year, and right-handed batters are hitting .175. However, those numbers don’t directly reflect which arm he throws with.

Mississippi State hired pitching coach Justin Parker from South Carolina to fill that role in Starkville. His work with Cijntje included an analysis of potential reverse splits.

In a start against Auburn last year, Cijntje allowed five runs in five innings. with two home runs allowed against left-handed first baseman Cooper McMurray. Cijntje threw left-handed against him.

He allowed only one run in 6⅔ innings against Auburn this year. McMurray was 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. Cijntje threw right-handed against him.

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: Jurrangelo Cijntje: Mississippi State baseball's ambidextrous pitcher