Diamond Dogs Host Austin Peay, Kansas In NBC Classic
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
The Austin Peay Governors (4-2) test the Kansas Jayhawks (12-5) in Friday's 11 a.m. opening game, while Mississippi State (3-0) begins '05 Classic play against APSU at 3 p.m. It will be the first meeting on the diamond between MSU and Austin Peay. State topped Kansas in their only previous meeting in 1968. The Bulldogs and the Jayhawks meet Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and again Sunday at Noon.
Tickets for the event will be available at the stadium ticket office each day.
"This is the fifth year for this event and we appreciate the great support from the National Bank of Commerce that makes it all possible," said Mississippi State head coach Ron Polk. "The fans are in for a weekend of highly-competitive baseball."
The Bulldogs, ranked 17th in this week's NCBWA writer's poll and 19th by Collegiate Baseball, will send senior righthander Alan Johnson (1-0, 1.69) to the hill opposite APSU ace lefty Rowdy Hardy (2-0, 0.60). A pair of right-handers are matched in Friday's opener, with sophomore Shawn Kelley 1-1, 3.55) of APSU matching up with KU senior Clint Schamback (2-1, 2.28).
Three games deep into the 2005 campaign, MSU enters the weekend sporting a .379 team batting average, tops in the Southeastern Conference. Junior outfielder Jeff Butts is off to a league-best .583 start at the plate. The Fort Worth, Texas product went 6-for-9 with seven RBI in his last two games, and a team-leading five of his seven hits are doubles. Butts lead the SEC with a 1.167 slugging percentage and shares SEC on-base percentage honors (.615) with teammate Brad Jones.
Kansas and Austin Peay bring an impressive collection of pitchers and sub-3.00 team earned run averages to Dudy Noble Field. Junior righty Kodiak Quick (4-0, 1.11) and senior lefty Mike Zagurski (3-1, 2.28, 39 strikeouts) rate among the Jayhawks' early-season leaders, while APSU left-hander Rowdy Hardy has registered 18 strikeouts and allowed but one earned run in his first 15 innings of mound duty.
NBC Classic Schedule
Friday - Austin Peay vs. Kansas (11 a.m.)
Friday - MSU vs. Austin Peay (3 p.m.)
Saturday - Kansas vs. Austin Peay (11 a.m.)
Saturday - MSU vs. Kansas (4:30 p.m.)
Sunday - MSU vs. Kansas (Noon)
Team Stats Capsule
TEAM (W-L) BA ERA FLD% MSU (3-0) .379 4.00 .967 Kansas (12-5) .295 2.68 .950 Austin Peay (4-2) .284 2.94 .957
