MSU Opens Seven-Game Road Trip In Tuscaloosa

STARKVILLE, Miss. – With just 10 regular season games remaining, Mississippi State opens a pivotal seven-game road stretch this weekend with a three-game series against Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

The Diamond Dawgs (24-21, 9-11 SEC) and Crimson Tide (23-23, 5-16 SEC) will face off with a Southeastern Conference series that will commence Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The series will resume and conclude Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., respectively. The first two games will air live on SEC Network+, with Sunday's finale to be nationally televised on ESPNU.

Following a midweek win over No. 5 Ole Miss to claim the Governor's Cup on Tuesday, State took one of three against No. 18 Texas A&M in Starkville. Newcomer Marshall Gilbert paced the Diamond Dawgs at the plate in those four games, hitting .643 (9-for-14) with two doubles, one home run and four RBIs for a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .688 on-base percentage.

Alabama leads the all-time series 213-194-4, while the Crimson Tide also holds a 125-79-2 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa, with the series having begun in 1896. The Bulldogs aim for their third-straight series win over Alabama as State enters the series on a five-game win streak against the Tide, and seven of the last nine.

VIDEO: Gary Henderson and Marshall Gilbert preview this weekend's series at Alabama

Game Notes | Live Stats

NEED TO KNOW

In 18 of State's 24 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 12 comeback wins on the year (23 wins total), seven of which came in the month of March with the other five 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.
After an up-and-down journey through the first 38 games of the season, MSU showed glimpses of what it is capable of. After going 5-2 against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M over the past two weeks, State improved to 6-1 on the year against top-five teams with 11 wins against ranked opponents this season.
Holding a RPI of 92 on April 1, State has climbed 53 spots to No. 39 in just over one month by posting a 10-6 mark in the month of April with eight of those wins having come against ranked teams, six against teams ranked in the top five and five against top-three teams.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, six of those games will come against teams with an RPI of 15 or better (No. 2 Florida and No. 13 Kentucky). The remaining four games will be against teams with an RPI of 40 (Troy) and 71 (Alabama).
Considering its cumulative opposition for the 2018 season, the Diamond Dawgs have the second-toughest schedule in all of Division I baseball with a winning percentage of .610 (1424-912-1) on the year. State's 10 remaining regular-season games rank as the seventh-toughest remaining schedule in the country as future opposition has a .651 winning percentage.
MSU is 21-8 when holding opponents to five or less runs, 12-2 when holding others to two or less runs and 3-13 when allowing six or more runs. State is also 15-0 when scoring six or more runs, 15-3 when scoring first and 10-2 when having scored in the first inning.
With 98 doubles on the year, State ranks second in the SEC and 12th in the country in the category. 13 different Diamond Dawgs have tallied a double on the year, with Jake Mangum's 15 being a team best. Mangum and Stovall rank second and third in the league, respectively.
Mangum's 67 hits are the second-most in the conference and rank 50th in the country.
The MSU pitching staff has combined for 10+ strikeouts in 16 games this season.
State's staff has also collected 26 or more punch outs in seven of its last nine weekend series, with five of those having been 29+ strikeout weekends. The Bulldogs most recently struck out Arkansas 29 times.
While Mangum leads MSU in multi-hit games (20), Hunter Stovall (15), Tanner Allen (14) and Josh Hatcher (11) are the next closest to their junior center fielder.
MSU is second in the SEC in batters struck out looking (128), while Konnor Pilkington leads the league in strikeouts looking (32).
State's staff also ranks fifth in the league in batters struck out (417).
Stovall ranks second in the SEC in fielding double plays (34), while Luke Alexander ranks fifth in the conference (29) and Hatcher is 10th (25). State is one of two SEC teams with three players in the top 14 (Alabama).
As a team, State ranks second in the league and 22nd in the nation in fielding double plays (41).
The MSU defense also leads the SEC in runners caught stealing with 19 and is fifth in the league in runners picked off with seven.
In just 29 appearances this year, Marshall Gilbert is fourth in the conference with 10 runners caught stealing.

STATE SPEAKS
Head Coach – Gary Henderson
On the importance of the Alabama series.…
"It is as important as it could be. We do this every year, and every weekend is the same. Every (SEC game) is important. You have 30 of them. There is a different feel, depending on the week you've had, but it's important. We need to play well, and win the series."

On catcher Marshall Gilbert…
"What you saw Sunday was fatigue. He has absolutely swung the bat well, and that's why we did that. That's why we started him for three games. He produced offensively, but I think he got tired behind the plate. You saw the effects of some fatigue. He's been throwing the ball extremely well. He had three balls go sailing, which is uncharacteristic."

On facing Alabama…
"They have some power at the top. They have two experienced starting pitchers, and a very good left-handed bullpen. Overall, their bullpen is strong. They have a good core of left and right in the pen. They have and experienced front end, like I mentioned. They have a good bit of power. You will have to deal with Chandler Taylor effectively."

C – Marshall Gilbert – Jr.
On posting better numbers in the later part of the season…
"Yes, I'm getting used to the pitching, and better at making better decisions on what pitches to swing at. That was a problem at the start. I was seeing nastier off-speed stuff than I was used to. Some of the pitches I'm seeing are very good, and that plays a part of it. After getting more at bats and opportunities, I'm making the most of what I can. I'm getting better every day."

On getting in a rhythm at the plate…
"It helps a lot getting in and getting the reps I needed when I wasn't in the game. I talk with my coaches to make sure it's not a mechanical thing, but more just swinging at better pitches. That comes now that I'm able to get in the game more. Outside of that, it's about being comfortable when I get the opportunity, and not being afraid to make the most of it."

On making an impact…
"Any time I can get on the field and help the team win is huge for me. I want to be a part of the contribution. I'm open to anything. Nothing is set in stone. I'm open to being back there, and getting to work with coach Henderson. I'm able to monitor the game because I have an impact on every pitch behind the plate. I love playing, and every opportunity I can get is awesome."

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Having posted a 2-11 mark in its last 13 games, Alabama has struggled as of late after having started the season 16-3. The Tide has also dropped its last nine SEC games by suffering sweeps to Texas A&M, Auburn and Arkansas. Alabama also boasts a 19-9 record at home in 2018, including a win over Georgia and a series win against Kentucky.

PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington (2-5, 3.04 ERA) vs. UA RHP Sam Finnerty (4-3, 4.66 ERA)
Saturday: MSU LHP Ethan Small (5-3, 2.98 ERA) vs. UA RHP Jake Walters (2-5, 4.83 ERA)
Sunday: MSU TBA vs. UA LHP Garret Rukes (1-2, 3.22 ERA)

WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 87, Low 64 – Partly Cloudy – 10% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 81, Low 60 – PM Showers – 60% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 82, Low 59 – Mostly Sunny – 10% Chance of Rain

LIVE VIDEO/TELEVISION
Friday's and Saturday's games can be viewed live on SEC Network+, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Sunday's series finale will be a nationally-televised tilt on ESPNU.

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
All of this weekend's games are scheduled to 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
Tickets for all three of this weekend's games against the Crimson Tide are available for purchase through Alabama's website here.

NEXT UP FOR MSU
The seven-game road trip will continue for State with a midweek matchup vs. Troy at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT and tickets are available for as low as $5.

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."

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MSU Opens Seven-Game Road Trip In Tuscaloosa

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