No. 12 Diamond Dogs Test McMahon's No. 23 Gators
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The 12th-ranked Baseball Bulldogs (29-10-1, 11-6 SEC) return to Southeastern Conference competition on the road Friday night in Gainesville, opening a three-game weekend series against No. 23 Florida (29-12-1, 8-9-1). Friday's opener is set for 5:30 p.m. (CDT) at UF's McKethan Stadium/Perry Field.
The series pits the SEC-leading pitching (2.78 ERA) and defense (.976) of Mississippi State against the league's top-hitting team. Florida, coached by former Mississippi State skipper Pat McMahon, enters the weekend with an SEC-leading .320 team batting average.
MSU junior ace lefty Paul Maholm (6-1, 1.46) will open on the mound for the Bulldogs. Florida was undecided on its Friday night starter. Maholm's earned run average is tops in the SEC and ranks 10th nationally. He also holds opposing hitters to a .197 batting average, also the best in tmark in the SEC.
The Bulldogs are facing their second consecutive ranked opponent. State split a pair of midweek home games against No. 21 Southern Miss (6-4, 2-5).
Both Mississippi State and Florida are bidding to become the SEC's third 30-game winner this season and challenging for first place in their respective league. State trails SEC West leader LSU (27-13-1, 12-5-1) by one and one-half games while Florida is a half-game behind SEC East front runner South Carolina (27-15, 9-9). With its next win Mississippi State will nail down its 20th straight 30-win season, tops in the Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs will be without the services of starting freshman center fielder Joseph Hunter (.275) this weekend. Hunter, who shares the SEC lead with four triples and ranks second in the league with six sacrifice flies, underwent successful surgery on his left thumb Thursday, repairing ligaments damaged in last Saturday's game at South Carolina. Hunter is expected to be replaced in center field by another true freshman, Jeff Butts. Butts (.308) has started all three games in center field since Hunter's injury.
Junior third baseman Steve Gendron (.351, 21 RBI), one of four Florida natives on the MSU travel squad, leads Mississippi State in batting average. Senior shortstop Matthew Maniscalco (.351, 6 HR, 27 RBI), who has started all 223 of his career games at shortstop, leads the team with a career-best 15 stolen bases.
Junior first baseman Matthew Brinson (.327, 6 HR, 29 RBI) enters the weekend with a season-best eight-game hitting streak, MSU's longest current hitting streak.
The series continues Saturday at 3 p.m. (CDT) and will be televised in Florida on the Sunshine Network. The teams conclude their series Sunday at Noon (CDT).
