State has won six of its last seven SEC series for a 16-5 record.
Six-Game Road Trip Concludes In Athens For No. 6 #RoadDawgs
May 10, 2017 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Atop the Southeastern Conference standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season, Mississippi State will hit the road for its second road series in as many weeks when it takes on Georgia at Foley Field, starting Friday.
While the No. 6 Diamond Dawgs (32-17, 16-8 SEC) are 16-5 in their last 21 league games and have won six of their last SEC series, the Georgia Bulldogs (20-29, 7-17 SEC) have won three of its last four games, highlighted by a series win at No. 4 Kentucky last weekend.
The series will open on Friday at noon CT on SEC Network+, which can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app, the game was previously scheduled for 6 p.m. as rain in the evening forecast forced a schedule change. SEC Network will be the place to watch Saturday's 3 p.m. CT game. Sunday's (Noon CT) game will also air through SEC Network+.
Georgia holds a slim 46-45 advantage in the all-time series between the two sides and a 22-15 edge in games played in Athens. State has won five of the last six meetings between the two sides, which has helped MSU to two-straight series wins over UGA, dating back to 2014. State is searching for its first back-to-back series wins in Athens since 1989, which was also the last time MSU won three-straight series against the Red & Black Bulldogs.
VIDEO: Andy Cannizaro meets with the media to preview the series at Georgia
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
WEEKLY REWIND
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 86, Low 62 – PM Thunderstorms – 60% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 74, Low 54 – Thunderstorms – 80% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 83, Low 57 – Sunny – 0% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO & TELEVISION
Friday's lid lifter and Sunday's finale will both air on SEC Network+ via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com, while game two on Saturday will be nationally televised on SEC Network, as well as on mobile devices through the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
All three games this weekend will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network. They will also be on TuneIn Radio and will be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – MSU So. LHP Konnor Pilkington (5-4, 3.82 ERA) vs. UGA Sr. LHP Andrew Gist (2-3, 3.75 ERA)
Saturday – MSU Fr. RHP Denver McQuary (2-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. UGA Jr. RHP Chase Adkins (5-6, 4.19 ERA) OR So. LHP Kevin Smith (3-5, 5.94 ERA)
Sunday – MSU Jr. RHP Jacob Billingsley (1-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. UGA TBA
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for the weekend are still available and are available for purchase through Georgia's website, or at the ticket office on game day.
FOLLOW THE DIAMOND DAWGS
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
While the No. 6 Diamond Dawgs (32-17, 16-8 SEC) are 16-5 in their last 21 league games and have won six of their last SEC series, the Georgia Bulldogs (20-29, 7-17 SEC) have won three of its last four games, highlighted by a series win at No. 4 Kentucky last weekend.
The series will open on Friday at noon CT on SEC Network+, which can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app, the game was previously scheduled for 6 p.m. as rain in the evening forecast forced a schedule change. SEC Network will be the place to watch Saturday's 3 p.m. CT game. Sunday's (Noon CT) game will also air through SEC Network+.
Georgia holds a slim 46-45 advantage in the all-time series between the two sides and a 22-15 edge in games played in Athens. State has won five of the last six meetings between the two sides, which has helped MSU to two-straight series wins over UGA, dating back to 2014. State is searching for its first back-to-back series wins in Athens since 1989, which was also the last time MSU won three-straight series against the Red & Black Bulldogs.
VIDEO: Andy Cannizaro meets with the media to preview the series at Georgia
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
- 21 of MSU's 32 wins this season have come in comeback fashion, with 12 of those having come in SEC play.
- State is now 25-2 this season when leading after six innings, 20-8 when hitting a home run, 29-3 when holding opponents to four or fewer runs and 28-5 when outhitting opponents.
- The Bulldogs are 8-0 in their last eight games decided by one run and 11-5 in one-run games on the year.
- Since March 13, 2016, the Diamond Dawgs are 37-16 in SEC regular season play. State has also won 15 of its last 18 SEC regular season series dating back to 2016.
- By defeating Texas A&M, Mississippi State has now won 15 Southeastern Conference series over the last two seasons (six in 2017 and nine in 2016), the most SEC series wins by a Bulldog team in consecutive seasons since 1988-89 (15).
- Andy Cannizaro is just the second MSU coach to achieve 30 or more victories in his very first season at the helm. (Pat McMahon won 42 games in 1998)
- In Year One of the Andy Cannizaro Era, the Diamond Dawg offense is putting up numbers that are far ahead of the 2016 offense. Last season, State hit 34 home runs and recorded 38 steals through the first 49 games. Through 49 games this season, MSU has hit 45 home runs and stolen 64 bases.
- State ranks second in the SEC in hits (481) and triples (12), while ranking third in batting average (.287), slugging percentage (.437), doubles (93), home runs (45), total bases (733), hit by pitch (58) and stolen bases (64).
- Three-time SEC Player of the Week Brent Rooker leads the SEC in nine offensive categories – batting average (.404), slugging (.885), on-base percentage (.502), hits (74), RBIs (65), doubles (25), home runs (19), total bases (162) and stolen bases (17).
- Three Diamond Dawgs rank in the top six in the SEC for hits – Brent Rooker, 1st (74); Jake Mangum, 5th (64) and Ryan Gridley, 6th (63).
- Spencer Price still stands atop the SEC for saves with 14.
- Now with 25 doubles on the year, Rooker ranks fourth in the MSU single season record books with the most doubles by a Bulldog since 2016 Gold Glove first baseman Mitch Moreland hit 26 in 2007. (Paul Young's 27 doubles in 1989 is the record)
- Rooker is tied for 8th in the MSU record books for home runs in a single season with 19.
- Elijah MacNamee is riding a career-long seven-game hit streak and has reached base safely in nine-straight games.
- Senior Josh Lovelady has reached base in a career-best seven-straight games.
- State has received five wins on the mound from three of its position players in OF Brant Blaylock (1-0), 1B Cole Gordon (2-0) and OF Jake Mangum (2-1).
WEEKLY REWIND
- Over the last 10 games, six Diamond Dawgs are hitting .300 or better (Cody Brown – .378, Hunter Stovall – .357, Ryan Gridley – .325, Harrison Bragg – .313, Brent Rooker – .308 and Dustin Skelton – .300).
- In the series at Texas A&M, eight different Bulldogs recorded a hit and those same eight each drove in a run, with six of the eight having notched an extra-base hit and Texas natives Hunter Vansau and Elijah MacNamee each having driven in a team-high two runs.
- In Game 2 on Friday, Vansau went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs, while Luke Alexander posted a 3-for-5 day at the plate with one RBI.
- Making his first-career SEC start on Friday, freshman RHP Denver McQuary (2-1) went 5.0 IP and allowed just one run on three hits, along with five strikeouts.
- RHP Cole Gordon recorded a four-inning save in the game, allowing just two hits in 4.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
- In the Saturday rubber match, Josh Lovelady led the State offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with one RBI and two runs scored, while Tanner Poole and Elijah MacNamee each posted two-hit performances.
- With a 3.1 inning victory on Saturday, freshman Riley Self improved to 5-0 on the year and lowered his season ERA to 2.21 with the hitless outing, paired with three strikeouts.
- Self's five victories are the most by an MSU freshman since Evan Mitchell won six contests in 2011.
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 86, Low 62 – PM Thunderstorms – 60% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 74, Low 54 – Thunderstorms – 80% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 83, Low 57 – Sunny – 0% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO & TELEVISION
Friday's lid lifter and Sunday's finale will both air on SEC Network+ via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com, while game two on Saturday will be nationally televised on SEC Network, as well as on mobile devices through the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
All three games this weekend will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network. They will also be on TuneIn Radio and will be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – MSU So. LHP Konnor Pilkington (5-4, 3.82 ERA) vs. UGA Sr. LHP Andrew Gist (2-3, 3.75 ERA)
Saturday – MSU Fr. RHP Denver McQuary (2-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. UGA Jr. RHP Chase Adkins (5-6, 4.19 ERA) OR So. LHP Kevin Smith (3-5, 5.94 ERA)
Sunday – MSU Jr. RHP Jacob Billingsley (1-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. UGA TBA
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for the weekend are still available and are available for purchase through Georgia's website, or at the ticket office on game day.
FOLLOW THE DIAMOND DAWGS
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
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