On The Road Again: MSU Continues SEC Play At No. 25 Mizzou

Friday, March 23

Columbia, Mo.

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

#25 Missouri

MSU's next seven games will be on the road, six of which will be SEC contests.

Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics

On The Road Again: MSU Continues SEC Play At No. 25 Mizzou

March 22, 2018 | Baseball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Having scored 28 runs in its last two games, Mississippi State will look to continue its offensive surge when returning to Southeastern Conference play this weekend at Missouri.

The Diamond Dawgs (12-10, 0-3 SEC) will play their first SEC road series of the year at Missouri (17-5, 1-2 SEC) beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT from Taylor Stadium. The series will continue Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch before coming to a close Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

State enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak (having outscored opponents 28-7), along with having won its last three games outside of Mississippi. The Diamond Dawgs are also 8-2 in their last 10 games against unranked opponents and 11-4 on the year.

MSU holds an 8-0 mark against the Tigers in the all-time series between the two sides. This weekend will mark the first time the two sides have met since the 2016 season in Starkville and the first time they have faced off in Columbia since 2014. State swept the 2014 SEC series against the Tigers, in what was the first and only time the two programs faced off in Columbia.

Game Notes | Live Stats

NEED TO KNOW

In 10 of State's 11 wins thus far, opponents have been held to four runs or less.
The Diamond Dawgs have six comeback wins on the year, all of which have come in the month of March. In 2017, 25 of State's 40 wins were come-from-behind victories.
MSU is 11-4 when holding opponents to five or less runs, 8-1 when holding others to two or less runs and 1-5 when allowing six or more runs. State is also 7-2 when scoring first and 6-2 when having scored in the first inning.
The MSU pitching staff has combined for 10+ strikeouts in eight games this season.
With 34 strikeouts last weekend vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt, the MSU pitching staff has collected 30+ punch outs in its third consecutive weekend series.
While Jake Mangum leads MSU in multi-hit games (12), Josh Hatcher (9), Tanner Allen (8) and Hunter Stovall (8) aren't far behind their junior center fielder.
MSU leads the SEC in batters struck out looking (80), while Konnor Pilkington leads the league in strikeouts looking (21) and Ethan Small ranks tied for fourth (13). State's staff ranks second in the league in batters struck out (224).
Pilkington also leads all of Division I baseball with a 21.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has issued the fewest walks (2) in the SEC.
Josh Hatcher is tied for the most fielding double plays in the SEC (19), while Hunter Stovall ranked sixth overall and second among second basemen (16).
39 strikeouts over the three-game stretch that was the Shriner's College Classic (March 2-4) at Minute Maid Park made for the most in a three-game weekend series by a Diamond Dawg pitching staff since 45 on March 2-3, 2002 against Jacksonville State (doubleheader on March 2).
The Diamond Dawgs got off to an 0-3 start for the first time since 1996, a year that saw State go on to finish 38-24 (17-13 SEC) and make one of its 36 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances.
A total of 12 newcomers have made their MSU debut through the early part of the season (Tanner Allen, Jordan Anderson, JP France, Justin Foscue, Marshall Gilbert, Josh Hatcher, Rowdey Jordan, Jared Liebelt, Cole Marsh, Zach Neff, Alex Pener and Jordan Westburg), 10 of those have also recorded a start in 2018.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (1-2, 1.55 ERA) vs. MIZ LHP T.J. Sikkema (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
Saturday: MSU LHP Ethan Small (1-2, 3.04 ERA) vs. MIZ LHP Michael Plassmeyer (3-0, 2.81 ERA)
Sunday: MSU RHP Jacob Billingsley (2-1, 3.52 ERA) vs. MIZ RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (3-1, 2.17 ERA)

WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 54, Low 48 – PM Rain – 80% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 51, Low 33 – Cloudy – 10% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 55, Low 43 – Partly Cloudy – 10% Chance of Rain

LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
This weekend's games can be viewed live on SEC Network+, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Those interested in watching this weekend's games can click on the links below to go directly to the viewing page for the respective games.

Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game

LIVE STATS
All season long, fans can follow the action with pitch-by-pitch updates through live stats. Visit the Diamond Dawgs' schedule page and click on the "Live Stats" link associated with the appropriate game.

LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
As a result of the MSU women's basketball team competing in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, Friday's baseball broadcast will be "local only," meaning it can only be heard through WKBB-FM (100.9) or WLZA-FM (96.1) in the Starkville area. Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled to air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville.

With Jim Ellis on the call, all three games will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.

TICKETS
Tickets for this weekend's games can be purchased in advance through Missouri's website, with the price ranging from $5 to $10.

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."