SEC Play Opens At The #NewDude For No. 19 State, No. 11 Vanderbilt

Friday, March 16

Starkville

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

#11 Vanderbilt

State opens a five-game homestand with a three-game series vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt to open SEC play.

SEC Play Opens At The #NewDude For No. 19 State, No. 11 Vanderbilt

March 15, 2018 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)VIDEO | Henderson & Pilkington Preview Vanderbilt Buy Tickets

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Picked to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference's Western Division prior to the season, Mississippi State is out to exceed expectations and their quest begins this weekend against Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field.

The Diamond Dawgs (10-7) will host the No. 11 Commodores (12-5) for a three-game weekend series to open SEC play, which will commence Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT as both teams open league play. The series will continue Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch, originally scheduled for 2 p.m. and moved as a result of MSU women's basketball hosting the NCAA Tournament in Starkville. The series will conclude Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.

After a 4-1 performance last week, State jumped up two spots in D1 Baseball's rankings to No. 19, improved five spots to No. 21 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and from receiving votes to No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

State leads the all-time series 68-43-2 and holds a 37-17-1 advantage over the Commodores in games played in Starkville. The Diamond Dawgs have won their last two series against Vanderbilt, including winning two of three during the 2016 season in Nashville.

Game Notes | Live Stats

VIDEO: Gary Henderson & Konnor Pilkington preview SEC-opening series vs. Vanderbilt

NEED TO KNOW

In all 10 of State's wins thus far, opponents have been held to four runs or less.
State is 10-3 since 29-year coaching veteran Gary Henderson took over the reins of the MSU program, with the Diamond Dawgs having posted a 2.65 team ERA in those games.
The Diamond Dawgs have five comeback wins on the year, all of which have come in the month of March. In 2017, 25 of State's 40 wins were come-from-behind victories.
MSU is 10-2 when holding opponents to five or less runs and 0-4 when allowing six or more runs. State is also 7-1 when scoring first and 6-1 when having scored in the first inning.
While Jake Mangum leads MSU in multi-hit games (9), Tanner Allen (7), Hunter Stovall (6) and Josh Hatcher (6) aren't far behind their junior center fielder.
Freshman Tanner Allen has become a staple in the starting lineup and has had an impact at the plate especially, currently hitting .441 (15-for-34) with runners on base and .368 (7-for-19) with runners in scoring position. Allen leads the Diamond Dawgs in both categories.
MSU leads the SEC in batters struck out looking (63), while Konnor Pilkington leads the league in strikeouts looking (18) and Ethan Small ranks tied for fourth (11).
Pilkington also leads all of Division I baseball with a 35.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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).
MSU opened the season on a 12-game span away from Dudy Noble Field, 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 are coming off 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).
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 debut through the early part of the season (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 in 2018.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (1-1, 1.17 ERA) vs. VU RHP Drake Fellows (2-0, 2.42 ERA)
Saturday: MSU LHP Ethan Small (1-1, 3.54 ERA) vs. VU RHP Patrick Raby (1-2, 1.98 ERA)
Sunday: MSU RHP Jacob Billingsley (2-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. VU TBA

WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 66, Low 59 – PM Thunderstorms – 60% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 79, Low 54 – Cloudy – 20% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 73, Low 57 – PM Rain – 90% Chance of Rain

WHAT THE DAWGS ARE SAYING
Head coach Gary Henderson
On Wednesday's loss to Southeastern Louisiana…
"We certainly didn't play to our capabilities. We weren't efficient at the mound, and not as competitive at the plate as we have been. Obviously, it was a disappointing night for us."

On defining bullpen roles…
"I think not having Spencer (Price) early on has forced us to figure some things out. 17 games later, we have interchangeable pieces down there. We don't have a solid and dominant closer at the end, but we have some guys who have fulfilled the role. They've given us some great outings late in the game. That's been very positive to see. I think (Cole) Gordon, (Keegan) James, (Denver) McQuary and (JP) France have all pitched well, at times, late in the game. Those guys will be interchangeable. We don't have any hard and fast roles down there yet."

On Vanderbilt…
"It'll be another well-balanced and deep club. Vanderbilt is pitching at about a .29 and batting just over .300, so they have good and interchangeable pieces. Their starting pitching will be good, and they will have depth. They'll have a solid approach to offense. They always do."

Junior LHP Konnor Pilkington
On starting the SEC season…
"Every year, the first SEC weekend, you always want to look good. Vanderbilt is a very good club. We will stick with the plan that we've always stuck with, and we will go in and compete."

On Gary Henderson as head coach…
"He's still our pitching coach, while being acting head coach. He's brought a lot of wisdom to our team. He's slowed the team down, and he's broken down the fundamentals of our mindset in baseball. With him being our head coach, I think it brings a lot to the table."

On a program culture change…
"He talks about the human aspects. If something is funny, then he wants you to laugh. If you have a question, then ask it. He wants men, not boys. That's what it comes down to, becoming a man. In someone's three or four years at Mississippi State, he wants to know he's mad an impact on somebody's life."

LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
This weekend's games, along with all 23 of MSU's home games in 2018, can be viewed live on SEC Network+, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Those interested in watching this week's games can click on the links below to go directly to the viewing page for the respective games.

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
Friday's game is scheduled to air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. As a result of the MSU women's basketball team competing in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday and the men's team playing in the NIT, both of the baseball broadcasts will be "local only," meaning it can only be heard through WKBB-FM (100.9) or WLZA-FM (96.1) in the Starkville area.

With Jim Ellis and former Diamond Dawg Jay Powell on the call, all three games will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.

#NEWDUDE POLICIES
Fans can enter Dudy Noble Field through the right field plaza and Left Field Lounge gates, with gates opening two hours before first pitch on game day. Stadium gates will close one hour after the conclusion of each game. The right field terrace is a public, grill-free, first come first served area. Should fans wish to purchase ice at Dudy Noble, they will be able to do so behind the center field wall in the Left Field Lounge.

Approved coolers cannot exceed the maximum size of 10" by 10" by 10" after gates open, with coolers exceeding the restriction size being prohibited. Other prohibited items include alcoholic beverages, smoking (in all areas), weapons, fireworks, electric power generators, pets, non-approved banners and signs, bicycles, any illegal substances, carts, wagons, wheeled supply carriers, personal tailgate tents (on concourse or lawn areas) and lawn chairs on sidewalks or concourse areas).

All bags are subject to search and security screening, along with items prohibited from being stored along stadium fencing and gates. MSU encourages fans to leave all unnecessary and prohibited items at home or in their vehicles to expedite security and screening procedures.

PROMOTIONS
The weekend will begin with free #MaroonFriday 1985 Style Shirseys for the first 500 fans through the right field gates, while on Sunday free brunch at the ballpark will be served while supplies last.

As is always the case, MSU students will be admitted into the games for free with their student ID and Bully's Kids Club members will also receive free admission.

Fans can upgrade their game day experience with multiple options throughout the year from HailState.com/memories.

TICKETS
Tickets for this weekend's games, along with all of MSU's home games and some road games, can be purchased through HailState.com/tickets.

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."