STARKVILLE - Chris Stratton made his name early on as a starter, but the bullpen might be where his future lies at Mississippi State.

The junior right-hander from Tupelo came out of the pen in Friday's season-opening win over Washington State, tossing four shutout innings while allowing just one hit.

That was part of coach John Cohen's plan to get all of his starting candidates some early innings. However, he said Monday that more relief work could be in Stratton's future.

"Certainly we like Stratton out of the bullpen, and his talent, his stuff is undeniable. He's going to be a factor for us," Cohen said.

Stratton came in as a freshman and was an SEC weekend starter from the get-go. He went 5-3 with a 5.29 ERA and showed great promise, but 2011 was a struggle, and he lost his starting job toward the end of the season.

Cohen said Stratton had a strong offseason, and that coming out of the bullpen might give him a fresh focus.

"When you look at it, certain infielders just as an example, they don't see the ball coming off the bat from the right side the same way they do from the left side. Certain pitchers feel more comfortable coming out of the pen than they do starting a ballgame," Cohen said. "Stratton might be one of those guys."

Stratton could certainly still wind up a starter. Only junior Nick Routt has more career starts among current Bulldog pitchers.

Following his outing against Washington State, though, Stratton talked like a pitcher very willing to become a full-time reliever.

"It's a lot different," he said. "I kind of like it though, because you blow it out and don't really have to worry about going long in the game, because you know how long you've got."

Cohen said Bracewell will likely start Friday's game against Kansas. It's the first of four games on the weekend, and Cohen added that freshmen Will Cox (Amory) and Brandon Woodruff (Wheeler) will likely see their first action of the season on the mound.

brad.locke@journalinc.com