MSU Opens Four-Game Alabama Trip At Riverwalk Stadium

Wednesday, April 11

Montgomery, Ala.(Riverwalk Stadium)

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama State

Jake Mangum vs. Ole Miss (Aprili 8, 2018)

With its series win over Ole Miss this weekend, Jake Mangum and the rest of the junior class is 9-2 in their career against the Rebels.

Photo by: Nicole Reighter

MSU Opens Four-Game Alabama Trip At Riverwalk Stadium

April 10, 2018 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Buy Tickets VIDEO | Henderson & Stovall preview road trip

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Fresh off of a Southeastern Conference series victory over a top-5 team, Mississippi State will look to carry its momentum into a four-game road trip that begins Wednesday vs. Alabama State.

The Diamond Dawgs (17-16) will face off against the Hornets (17-13) with a 6 p.m. CT first pitch from Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A affiliate Montgomery Biscuits. State is 13-8 in non-conference contests this season.

MSU posted a strong showing last week at home with a 3-1 mark that included a midweek win over Southern and a pair of conference victories over then-No. 3 Ole Miss. Juniors Luke Alexander and Jake Mangum highlighted the week with a strong Sunday showing as Alexander delivered a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning and Mangum went 5-for-5 at the plate with four runs scored and an RBI.

This week's contest between MSU and Alabama State will mark the first all-time meeting between the two programs in the sport of baseball. Nine of the 29 teams MSU will face in 2018 are first-time opponents for the Diamond Dawgs.

Game Notes | Live Stats

VIDEO: Head coach Gary Henderson and junior second baseman Hunter Stovall preview State's four-game week in the state of Alabama.

NEED TO KNOW

In 15 of State's 17 wins thus far, opponents have been held to four runs or less.
The Diamond Dawgs have nine comeback wins on the year, seven of which came in the month of March with the other two having come in April against then-No. 3 Ole Miss. In 2017, 25 of State's 40 wins were come-from-behind victories.
The series win against Ole Miss (April 7-8) helped the Diamond Dawgs climb 21 spots in the latest RPI rankings.
MSU is 16-7 when holding opponents to five or less runs, 11-1 when holding others to two or less runs and 1-9 when allowing six or more runs. State is also 9-0 when scoring six or more runs, 10-2 when scoring first and 9-2 when having scored in the first inning.
The MSU pitching staff has combined for 10+ strikeouts in 11 games this season.
State's staff has also collected 26 or more punch outs in five of its last six weekend series, with four of those having been 29+ strikeout weekends.
Jake Mangum went 8-for-15 against Ole Miss over the weekend with two doubles, two RBIs, two stolen bases and seven runs scored, including a 5-for-5 performance on Sunday with four runs scored.
While Mangum leads MSU in multi-hit games (16), Josh Hatcher (11), Tanner Allen (10) and Hunter Stovall (10) aren't far behind their junior center fielder.
MSU leads the SEC in batters struck out looking (103), while Konnor Pilkington leads the league in strikeouts looking (29) and Ethan Small ranks seventh (17).
State's staff also ranks second in the league in batters struck out (318).
Pilkington also ranks 22nd in all of Division I baseball and second in the SEC with a 7.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Stovall has recorded the most fielding double plays in the SEC (27), while Hatcher ranks second in the conference with 25.
As a team, State ranks second in the league and 13th in the nation in fielding double plays (32).
The MSU defense also leads the SEC in runners caught stealing with 14 and is third in the league in runners picked off with seven.
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 began the year with an unprecedented road trip that had MSU away from home for 12-straight days, including eight games and spanning six cities. Originally scheduled to include nine games, a Feb. 26 meeting between State and UT-Rio Grande Valley was canceled in the bottom of the fourth inning due to heavy amounts of fog (State led 4-0). It was the longest stretch without a home game to begin a season for State since the 1982 season (14 games) and the longest span without a home game since 1982 (14 games).
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 thus far in 2018 (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), eight of those have also recorded a start this season.

STATE SPEAKS
Head Coach – Gary Henderson
On Auburn pitching…
"Their starting staff is very good. We're looking for another weekend of very competitive pitching in the SEC. You probably get tired of hearing that, but it's true. Every weekend you're seeing top-flight guys. We've certainly seen that in every rotation so far."

On (Keegan) James…
"I'm not looking to replace anyone right now. You never know who's going to stay healthy, or who's going to do well. Nobody is invincible, and thing are always inflexed. I'm happy with the starting rotation, and what James is doing for us."

SS – Hunter Stovall – Jr.
On himself and (Luke) Alexander turning double plays…
"It's awesome, and if a ground ball is hit, with a runner on first, there's a double play getting turned. Luke and I have talked about being in the middle together since we've know each other. It's so cool getting to live it out and looking up to see him every day. We're best friends, and we live together. It's cool to go home and talk about. We work on making dirty double plays in practice, and we try to make them look cool. We want to implement those in a game, but that's not what matters. I have complete trust and confidence, that if a ball is hit to him, he will get it to me."

On Auburn…
"I'm expecting to see their best. I have a cousin on their pitching staff, but I haven't talked much with him. He said they are competitors. They will get on the mound, throw the ball and throw strikes. I'm expecting to see their best, and I hope to see our best."

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
At 17-13 overall and 11-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play this season, Alabama State is in the midst of a three-game win streak. The Hornets are 5-2 in their last seven games and have outscored opponents 59-39 combined over that span. Alabama State is hosting South Alabama on Tuesday night at Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex on the ASU campus in Montgomery.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Wednesday: MSU RHP Denver McQuary (0-1, 6.19 ERA) vs. ASU LHP Ivanniel Vazquez (1-3, 4.71 ERA)

WEATHER FORECAST
Wednesday Forecast: High 72, Low 47 – Sunny – 10% Chance of Rain

LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
There will be no way to view Wednesday's game live, but fans can still follow along by listening to the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network.

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
Wednesday's game is scheduled to air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. With Jim Ellis on the call, the contest will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.

TICKETS
Executive seating, reserved seating and general admission seating is available for Wednesday's game at Riverwalk Stadium and can be purchased through HailState.com/tickets.

NEXT UP FOR MSU
After taking on the Hornets, State will return to SEC play with a three-game series at No. 21 Auburn. The action begins with a nationally-televised tilt on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT.

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."