Kruger Earns National Honor; MSU Hosts Memphis Tuesday
February 22, 2016 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After leading the Southeastern Conference with eight runs scored and five doubles this past weekend, Mississippi State junior Jack Kruger was named a Louisville Slugger® National Player of the Week, Collegiate Baseball announced Monday.
Making his MSU debut, Kruger finished the weekend with a .563/.650/1.063 statline, finishing second in the SEC with nine hits. The Calabasas, California, native made four starts at designated hitter, tallying a trio of three-hit games, two games with four runs scored (only player in SEC), two games where he doubled twice and three games with multiple RBIs. Kruger set or tied single-game career highs in seven different offensive categories: at-bats (5), runs (4), hits (3), RBIs (4), doubles (2), home runs (1) and walks (2).
Kruger and the No. 20 Diamond Dawgs (2-2) return to action Tuesday, Feb. 23, with a 4 p.m. contest against Memphis (1-2). For more information on MSU, 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.”
MSU vs. Memphis
Need To Know
- Mississippi State is 52-26 all-time against Memphis.
- John Cohen is 5-3 versus the Tigers as MSU's skipper.
- The latest rankings came out Monday, with MSU being ranked No. 20 in D1Baseball, No. 22 in Perfect Game and No. 24 in Baseball America and NCBWA.
- Memphis is unranked after losing a three-game series to Tennessee in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this past weekend. The Blue and White lost the opener 8-4, won game two by a score of 13-8 and then dropped the series finale by a score of 5-2.
- The Diamond Dawgs currently rank first or second in the SEC in average (.356), on-base percentage (.460), runs (38), hits (52), RBIs (37), doubles (20), total bases (78) and walks (23).
- On the mound, Wes Johnson's pitching staff leads the league with 40 strikeouts.
- Sixteen players made their MSU debut this past weekend: 10 true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, two sophomores and three juniors.
- The Bulldogs belted out 20 doubles in four games this past weekend, a figure they did not reach until their 12th game last season. No other SEC team has more than eight this spring.
- While Kruger and junior Reid Humphreys are tied for the SEC lead with five doubles, redshirt sophomore Brent Rooker is the only Bulldog to have doubled in every game so far this season.
- The Maroon and White outscored their opponents 3-0 after the seventh inning this past weekend and 10-3 in the first two stanzas.
Tuesday's Forecast (Feb. 23) – High 68, Low 46 – Thunderstorms (100%)
Live Video and Television
Tuesday's game will be available on SEC Network + via the WatchESPN app.
Live Audio and Radio
Tuesday's game will be available locally on WKBB 100.9 FM. The contest will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription).
Probable Starters
TBA vs. TBA
Tickets
Tickets are still available and can be purchased at HailState.com/tickets or at the MSU ticket office behind home plate, which opens two hours before first pitch every game.
Promotions
For all midweek games this season, general admission tickets will be sold for $2. Hot dogs will also be available for $2 at concessions. Fans can also visit HailState.com/memories for incredible fan experiences.
