![]() “I talked to our band manager in January and told him, ‘Do not book a show in June because I will not be there,’” Liebelt said. Like he has been so many times before, Jared could be the first Bulldog out of the bullpen when Small's night is finished Sunday. There was no way he was going to miss this, especially with Jared poised to play a big role. Liebelt knew Mississippi State was fully loaded and ready for another run at Omaha six months ago. Liebelt will be in the ballpark, and it just so happens to be Father's Day. Mississippi State starts its 2019 College World Series run Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. “He's a huge part of me just having confidence in myself and being comfortable with everything that I’m doing," Jared said. "Having a dad be the backbone of everything and knowing that he’s going to support me from 10 hours away is just awesome.” Nervous excitement Foxhall deserves credit for getting Jared back in a groove, but Jared knows his father does too. He also went to the away series in Arkansas and to the two games MSU played in Frisco, Texas, in March. Liebelt has made five trips to watch his son at Dudy Noble Field this season. ![]() His ERA of 2.79 is also the second lowest on the team behind red-shirt junior Tyler Spring, who has only pitched 10.1 innings. He has pitched more innings in relief (51.2) than any other Mississippi State pitcher this season. When the season came around, Jared proved them right. Soon, Mississippi State's batters lumped Jared into the mix with guys like Ethan Small and JT Ginn when deciding who were the hardest pitchers on the roster to get a hit against. Liebelt FaceTimed his son and had his band and the patrons of the bar sing happy birthday to him. ![]() This past January, Liebelt was playing at a bar when the clock struck midnight on Jared's 22nd birthday. "They always tell me how proud they are of me and how excited they are being able to watch me play,” Jared said. The musicians frequently send Jared messages of encouragement on social media. ![]() Liebelt wears 'M over S' hats during shows and constantly brags about his son's endeavors to his band members, so much so that they too have adopted Mississippi State fandom as well. When Jared accepted his offer to play ball at State, his dad instantly became a Bulldog for life. "We knew the history of SEC baseball and especially Mississippi State," Liebelt said. "It was almost surreal to think he was getting the opportunity that he was getting. Though Liebelt knew accepting an offer from Mississippi State would take his son 10 hours south of where he had lived for essentially his entire life, he also knew it was in Jared's best interest to go. ![]()
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