Bulldogs Find The Right Fit In Vilicich

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s coaching staff was in search of a midyear enrollee to join the men’s tennis team that could step on the court and play right away this year.

Assistant coach Jake Jacoby knew just the player who could fulfill that role. Two years prior, he’d come across a young man from Argentina named Bautista Vilicich that had paid his own way to play tennis across Europe.

It was just the kind of commitment and dedication to the sport Jacoby and head coach Matt Roberts were looking for on their roster.

“He was a lot younger and super raw but really talented,” Jacoby said. “He went on his own to Europe from Argentina without a lot of resources and that showed a lot of desire, self-belief and determination in himself to be the best tennis player he can be. Combining his character and raw talent, we thought that he’d be a great fit to come in January.”  

So Jacoby reached out to Vilicich to see if he’d be interested in coming to MSU on an official visit. Vilicich was playing a Futures tournament in Ecuador when he received Jacoby’s message and the two arranged for him to fly to Starkville in August.

“When I came, it was unbelievable,” Vilicich said. “Everything was incredible. The facilities that we have here are impossible to compare with somewhere else. But the thing that made me make the decision (to come) was the group of people that they have here – the guys and the coaches. I’m very happy with the relationships that I’ve made here.”

So Vilicich made preparations to move to the United States and join the Bulldogs in January. Just days after enrolling at State, Vilicich made his collegiate debut and knocked off then-No. 106 Stepan Holis of Middle Tennessee in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in his first match.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know that he was ranked,” Vilicich said. “I don’t look at stats and rankings all that much, I just try to play and be healthy. It was really cool because it was my first match in a long, long time and I wanted to play so much. I wasn’t expecting the atmosphere that we had that day at the tennis courts. It was unbelievable.”

Vilicich went on to win 11 more matches during his freshman campaign but hit a snag in mid-March when a stress fracture was discovered in his left foot. The injury kept the Balcarce native out of action for over a month during the SEC slate.

“I’m a guy that…