State Returns To Dudy Noble Field To Host Georgia Bulldogs
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
Friday's series-opener is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT with MSU senior lefty BrooksDunn (5-1, 2.63) paired with UG junior right-hander Brooks Brown (3-2,3.02).
All three weekend games will be broadcast on the Mississippi StateUniversity Baseball Radio Network and live video streaming of the serieswill be available to subscribers of "Maroon to the Max", the premiumextension of the MSU Athletic Department web site (www.MStateAthletics.com).MSU baseball's radio coverage continues this weekend on SIRIUS SatelliteRadio, with both the Saturday and Sunday games available to SIRIUSsubscribers on channel 155.
Mississippi State hits the midpoint of its 2006 schedule with thesecond-best 28-game record in school history, trailing only the 1979 SECchampion and College World Series MSU edition's 25-3 start.
Senior shortstop Thomas Berkery (.439), who sports the SEC's second-highestbatting average, enters the weekend riding an impressive SEC-leadingcareer-best 25-game hitting streak. The Bulldog co-captain from Sarasota,Fla., has hit safely in 27 of 28 games this season has has six multiple-hitgames in his last seven. he leads the team with 15 multi-hit games and his47 total hits ranks second in the SEC. Ron Brown holds the school hittingstreak record with a 27-game run in 1993.
MSU head coach Ron Polk enters the weekend nearing yet another milestone inhis storied 33-year career as a collegiate head coach. Polk, whose resumeincludes two seasons as head coach at Georgia (2000 and 2001), registeredhis 1,299th win with Wednesday night's 11-0 shutout of Louisiana-Monroe atTrustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. With his next win Polk becomes only the 10thcoach in college baseball history to reach the 1,300-win milestone and willtie former Fresno State coach Bob Bennett as college baseball'sninth-winningest coach.
Ranked third in this week's Baseball America rankings, Mississippi Statewill be looking to reverse Georgia's recent success in the MSU-UG baseballseries. While MSU holds a 35-31 all-time lead in the series, Georgia has wonsix of the last seven from State and the last three series, including arivalry-first three-game series sweep of the Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field in2004.
Georgia, ranked among the nation's top 25 prior to dropping a three-gameseries at home to Mississippi last weekend, owns a 6-2 record this seasonagainst ranked opponents. The wins have come against San Diego, at Arkansasand against Clemson.
Prior to the Friday's series-opener Mississippi State will host an openhouse from 5 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. at the recently-completed Palmeiro Centerand the adjoining Bryce Griffis Banquet Hall adjacent to Dudy Noble Field.And in ceremonies on the field prior to first pitch MSU senior first basemanBrad Jones will join five other MSU athletes honored with 2005-06 NewsomAwards for academic excellence.
Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field while Sunday'sseries-finale has a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
