Friday, April 13
Auburn, Ala.
7:30 PM
Mississippi State
at
Auburn
MSU is 4-1 in its last five games and is outscoring opponents by a combined score of 41-18.
Photo by: Nicole Reighter
State Looks To Carry Momentum Into Series At No. 21 Auburn
April 12, 2018 | Baseball
AUBURN, Ala. – Entering the fifth weekend of Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State will look to continue its recent success when it faces No. 21 Auburn in a three-game series this weekend from Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park.
The Diamond Dawgs (18-16, 4-8 SEC) and Tigers (23-11, 4-8 SEC) will open the weekend Friday with a nationally-televised 7:30 p.m. CT contest on SEC Network. The series will continue with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and conclude Sunday with a 1 p.m. game time. Saturday's and Sunday's games can be viewed on SEC Network+.
Having won four of its last five games, State has outscored opponents by a combined score of 41-18. The Bulldog batters have also posted a pair of 10+ run performances, with both games having been 10-run victories for MSU. All 14 Diamond Dawgs that have recorded an at bat in the last five games have also recorded a hit.
State leads the all-time series with Auburn 106-90-1, while the Tigers hold a 50-39 advantage in games played in Auburn. The two sides met in Starkville in 2017, with Auburn having won the series with wins in games two and three after MSU took game one. The Diamond Dawgs have won six straight games against the Tigers in Auburn, including sweeps in their last two three-game series (2014 and 2016). MSU is 7-2 in their last nine games at Plainsman Park.
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
At 23-11 overall and 4-8 in the SEC, Auburn is ranked in four of the six national baseball polls ranging from No. 21 (Perfect Game) to No. 25 (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association). The Tigers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak after being swept at Arkansas last weekend and dropping a midweek contest at Samford. Entering this weekend's series, Auburn is 1-6 in its last seven games.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (2-4, 2.61 ERA) vs. AU RHP Casey Mize (6-1, 2.17)
Saturday: MSU LHP Ethan Small (2-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. AU RHP Davis Daniel (2-2, 4.29)
Sunday: MSU RHP Jacob Billingsley (2-2, 3.93 ERA) vs. AU RHP Tanner Burns (2-4, 2.29)
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 79, Low 62 – Mostly Sunny – 10% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 81, Low 59 – PM Thunderstorms – 80% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 64, Low 42 – AM Rain – 80% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
Friday's series opener will air live nationally on SEC Network, while the Saturday and Sunday games can be viewed on SEC Network+ which is accessible through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
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
All of this weekend'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, the contests will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for each of this weekend's three games at Plainsman Park are still available for purchase through Auburn's website.
NEXT UP FOR MSU
State will make a day trip to Memphis on Wednesday, April 18 for at 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch against the Memphis Tigers at AutoZone Park.
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."
The Diamond Dawgs (18-16, 4-8 SEC) and Tigers (23-11, 4-8 SEC) will open the weekend Friday with a nationally-televised 7:30 p.m. CT contest on SEC Network. The series will continue with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and conclude Sunday with a 1 p.m. game time. Saturday's and Sunday's games can be viewed on SEC Network+.
Having won four of its last five games, State has outscored opponents by a combined score of 41-18. The Bulldog batters have also posted a pair of 10+ run performances, with both games having been 10-run victories for MSU. All 14 Diamond Dawgs that have recorded an at bat in the last five games have also recorded a hit.
State leads the all-time series with Auburn 106-90-1, while the Tigers hold a 50-39 advantage in games played in Auburn. The two sides met in Starkville in 2017, with Auburn having won the series with wins in games two and three after MSU took game one. The Diamond Dawgs have won six straight games against the Tigers in Auburn, including sweeps in their last two three-game series (2014 and 2016). MSU is 7-2 in their last nine games at Plainsman Park.
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
- In 16 of State's 18 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) and the midweek victory against Alabama State helped the Diamond Dawgs climb 27 spots (from No. 91 to 64) in the latest RPI rankings.
- MSU is 17-7 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 10-0 when scoring six or more runs, 11-2 when scoring first and 10-2 when having scored in the first inning.
- The MSU pitching staff has combined for 10+ strikeouts in 12 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 last 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 (17), Josh Hatcher (11), Tanner Allen (11) and Hunter Stovall (11) aren't far behind their junior center fielder.
- MSU leads the SEC in batters struck out looking (106), 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 (328).
- Pilkington ranks 23nd 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 (28), while Hatcher ranks third in the conference with 25.
- As a team, State is tied for the league lead and ranks ninth in the nation in fielding double plays (33).
- The MSU defense also leads the SEC in runners caught stealing with 15 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.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
At 23-11 overall and 4-8 in the SEC, Auburn is ranked in four of the six national baseball polls ranging from No. 21 (Perfect Game) to No. 25 (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association). The Tigers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak after being swept at Arkansas last weekend and dropping a midweek contest at Samford. Entering this weekend's series, Auburn is 1-6 in its last seven games.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (2-4, 2.61 ERA) vs. AU RHP Casey Mize (6-1, 2.17)
Saturday: MSU LHP Ethan Small (2-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. AU RHP Davis Daniel (2-2, 4.29)
Sunday: MSU RHP Jacob Billingsley (2-2, 3.93 ERA) vs. AU RHP Tanner Burns (2-4, 2.29)
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 79, Low 62 – Mostly Sunny – 10% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 81, Low 59 – PM Thunderstorms – 80% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 64, Low 42 – AM Rain – 80% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
Friday's series opener will air live nationally on SEC Network, while the Saturday and Sunday games can be viewed on SEC Network+ which is accessible through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
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
All of this weekend'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, the contests will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for each of this weekend's three games at Plainsman Park are still available for purchase through Auburn's website.
NEXT UP FOR MSU
State will make a day trip to Memphis on Wednesday, April 18 for at 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch against the Memphis Tigers at AutoZone Park.
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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