Tuesday, May 22
Hoover, Ala. (Hoover Met)
4:30 PM
Mississippi State
vs
LSU
MSU enters the tournament on a four-game win streak that includes a game three win at Kentucky and a three-game sweep of 2018 SEC Regular Season Champion Florida.
Diamond Dawgs Open Postseason Play With LSU in Hoover
May 21, 2018 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The hottest team in the Southeastern Conference, Mississippi State turns its attention to postseason play with the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala.
The ninth-seeded Diamond Dawgs (31-24, 15-15 SEC) will face off against eighth-seeded LSU (33-23, 15-15 SEC) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally-televised on SEC Network.
MSU enters the tournament on a four-game win streak that includes a game three win at Kentucky and a three-game sweep of 2018 SEC Regular Season Champion Florida. During the sweep of the Gators, three Diamond Dawgs hit .500 on the weekend (Elijah MacNamee – .538, Tanner Allen – .538, Jake Mangum – .500).
During the sweep of the Gators, State became the first team to complete a three-game sweep of the No. 1 team since April 1-3, 2016, while having outscored Florida, 31-13. MSU also improved to 9-1 on the year against top-five teams, including two sweeps of top-three teams. The Diamond Dawgs posted a pair of six-run innings against Florida, something no team had done against UF in 2018.
MSU holds a 212-181-1 advantage over LSU in the all-time series between the two programs, with the Bulldogs leading the series 12-8 in games played at neutral sites. The two sides most recently met during the regular season in Baton Rouge with the Tigers winning two of three (March 29-31).
SEC Tournament Bracket | Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
PROBABLE STARTERS
Tuesday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (2-6, 4.30 ERA) vs. LSU LHP Nick Bush (1-1, 3.11 ERA)
HOOVER WEATHER FORECAST
Tuesday Forecast: High 82, Low 67 – Scattered Thunderstorms – 50% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
SEC Network will televise all of the SEC Tournament games from Tuesday until Saturday, with Sunday's championship game to air on ESPN2. All of the games will also be streamed live through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
Watch Tuesday'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
Tuesday's game, along with all of State's SEC Tournament games, will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. With Jim Ellis on the call, the contests will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
Several ticket options remain available for Tuesday and for all SEC Tournament games through the SEC.
NEXT UP FOR MSU
With a win on Tuesday, State will advance to Wednesday for a rematch against top-seeded Florida at 4:30 p.m. CT. A loss would end MSU's time in Hoover and the Bulldogs will then await their NCAA Tournament fate. The 2018 NCAA Tournament Selection Show is set for Monday, May 28 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
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."
The ninth-seeded Diamond Dawgs (31-24, 15-15 SEC) will face off against eighth-seeded LSU (33-23, 15-15 SEC) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally-televised on SEC Network.
MSU enters the tournament on a four-game win streak that includes a game three win at Kentucky and a three-game sweep of 2018 SEC Regular Season Champion Florida. During the sweep of the Gators, three Diamond Dawgs hit .500 on the weekend (Elijah MacNamee – .538, Tanner Allen – .538, Jake Mangum – .500).
During the sweep of the Gators, State became the first team to complete a three-game sweep of the No. 1 team since April 1-3, 2016, while having outscored Florida, 31-13. MSU also improved to 9-1 on the year against top-five teams, including two sweeps of top-three teams. The Diamond Dawgs posted a pair of six-run innings against Florida, something no team had done against UF in 2018.
MSU holds a 212-181-1 advantage over LSU in the all-time series between the two programs, with the Bulldogs leading the series 12-8 in games played at neutral sites. The two sides most recently met during the regular season in Baton Rouge with the Tigers winning two of three (March 29-31).
SEC Tournament Bracket | Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
- In 21 of State's 31 wins thus far, opponents have been held to four runs or less. In three of the remaining six, opponents scored just five runs.
- The Diamond Dawgs have 17 comeback wins on the year (31 wins total), seven of which came in the month of March with the other 10 having come in April (three against Ole Miss and two against Arkansas). In 2017, 25 of State's 40 wins were come-from-behind victories.
- Despite an up-and-down journey through this season, MSU has shown glimpses of what it is capable of. By going 5-2 against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M in April and 3-0 vs. Florida, State improved to 9-1 on the year against top-five teams and has tallied 15 wins against ranked opponents this season.
- State has come on strong after a 14-15 start and 2-7 in SEC play on March 31. Since April 1, MSU is 17-9 overall and 13-8 in conference play.
- Holding a RPI of 92 on April 1, State has climbed 66 spots to No. 26 in just over seven weeks by posting an 10-6 mark in the month of April and a 7-3 record in May with 12 of those wins having come against ranked teams, nine against teams ranked in the top five and eight against top-three teams.
- The three-game sweep of Florida helped MSU rise nine spots from No. 35 on May 14 to No. 26 on May 19.
- MSU is 24-10 when holding opponents to five or less runs, 12-2 when holding others to two or less runs and 7-14 when allowing six or more runs. State is also 22-1 when scoring six or more runs, 18-5 when scoring first and 14-4 when having scored in the first inning.
- Over the last 10 games, the bats have been hot as six different Bulldogs are averaging .300 or better at the plate during that stretch (Jordan Westburg – .462, Elijah MacNamee – .455, Hunter Stovall – .400, Tanner Allen – .395, Jake Mangum – .341, Rowdey Jordan – .324).
- MacNamee is riding a career-best and team-best 20-game reached base streak, and in that span has batted .365 (27-for-74) with 19 runs scored, 10 doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs.
- With 121 doubles on the year, State leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the country in the category. 13 different Diamond Dawgs have tallied a double on the year, with Jake Mangum's 20 being a team best. Mangum ranks second in the league and 22nd nationally.
- Along with holding a league-best five triples, Tanner Allen ranks 30th nationally in the category.
- Mangum's 82 hits are the most in the conference and rank 23rd in the country. Stovall ranks fifth in the SEC with 75 hits on the year.
- While Mangum leads MSU in multi-hit games (24), Tanner Allen (21) and Hunter Stovall (20) are the next closest to their junior center fielder.
- The MSU pitching staff has combined for 10+ strikeouts in 21 games this season.
- State's staff has also collected 26 or more punch outs in nine of its last 12 weekend series, with six of those having been 29+ strikeout weekends. The Bulldogs most recently struck out Florida 33 times.
- MSU is third in the SEC in batters struck out looking (152), while Konnor Pilkington leads the league in strikeouts looking (37).
- State's staff also ranks sixth in the league in batters struck out (504).
- As a team, State leads the league and ranks 13th in the nation in fielding double plays (53).
- Stovall ranks second in the SEC in fielding double plays (44) and Luke Alexander ranks fourth in the conference (36).
- The MSU defense also leads the SEC in runners caught stealing with 26 and is fifth in the league in runners picked off with seven.
- In just 37 appearances this year, Marshall Gilbert is second in the conference with 16 runners caught stealing. Dustin Skelton ranks 10th with seven.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Tuesday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (2-6, 4.30 ERA) vs. LSU LHP Nick Bush (1-1, 3.11 ERA)
HOOVER WEATHER FORECAST
Tuesday Forecast: High 82, Low 67 – Scattered Thunderstorms – 50% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
SEC Network will televise all of the SEC Tournament games from Tuesday until Saturday, with Sunday's championship game to air on ESPN2. All of the games will also be streamed live through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
Watch Tuesday'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
Tuesday's game, along with all of State's SEC Tournament games, will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. With Jim Ellis on the call, the contests will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus and on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
Several ticket options remain available for Tuesday and for all SEC Tournament games through the SEC.
NEXT UP FOR MSU
With a win on Tuesday, State will advance to Wednesday for a rematch against top-seeded Florida at 4:30 p.m. CT. A loss would end MSU's time in Hoover and the Bulldogs will then await their NCAA Tournament fate. The 2018 NCAA Tournament Selection Show is set for Monday, May 28 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
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."
Players Mentioned
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