Diamond Dawg Gameday: host Southern Miss

STARKVILLE – The first top-25 matchup at the new Dudy Noble Field will have the No. 9 Mississippi State baseball program facing off against in-state foe No. 21 Southern Miss beginning on Friday (Feb. 22) at 2 p.m.

The Bulldogs (4-0) are off to a solid start after sweeping Youngstown State to open the season and earning a 3-2 victory over UAB on Wednesday (Feb. 20) night. Southern Miss (3-0) swept Purdue to open 2019, but the Golden Eagles midweek contest was washed out by the rain.

The two teams have met each year since 1967, with MSU owning the advantage, 82-42, on the all-time ledger. The series is even over the last 10 games, as each team has won five of those. The Golden Eagles swept a three-game series in Hattiesburg to start the 2018 season, after the Diamond Dawgs won two winner-take-all games at the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional during the 2017 season.

Gameday Info
Friday, Feb. 22, 2019
Probable Starters
MSU: Ethan Small, LHP, R-Jr.
USM: Walker Powell, RHP, Jr.

Live Video: https://hailst.at/2txviU0
Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/2ItU81C

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019
Probable Starters
MSU: JT Ginn, RHP, Fr.
USM: Stevie Powers, LHP, Sr.

Live Video: https://hailst.at/2SRxYLq
Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/2SVIsJF

Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019
Probable Starters
MSU: Keegan James, RHP, R-Jr.
USM: TBA

Live Video: https://hailst.at/2SSyatG
Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/2SSyoRy

Along with the audio stream of each game, the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville will carry all three games this weekend.

Quick Hitters

Senior Jake Mangum is chasing a couple of high-profile records entering the 2018 season, including the Mississippi State and Southeastern Conference all-time hit records. MORE ON PAGE 4 &9
Sophomore Tanner Allen opened the season with a monster weekend and earned two national player of the week awards. He drove in 13 RBIs and owned a .538 on-base percentage in three games last week. MORE ON PAGE 4 & 6
Graduate Cole Gordon owns an 18 2/3-inning scoreless streak after a two scoreless innings versus UAB on Feb. 20. Gordon's streak began in the 2018 NCAA Tallahassee Regional and remains intact entering the second weekend of play. MORE ON PAGE 4
Mississippi State and Southern Miss will meet for the 125th time in program history on Friday, with State owning an 82-42 edge in the series, with the two teams splitting the last 10 meetings.
MORE ON PAGE 5
Head coach Chris Lemonis has won his first four games as Mississippi State skipper. Lemonis is one of nine MSU head coaches to win his first career game and one of three to start 4-0 or better. BIO ON PAGE 3, MORE ON PAGE 7
The new Dudy Noble Field opens its gates for the 2019 campaign, with the newly constructed stadium featuring a multitude of upgrades and fan-friendly amenities. BIO ON PAGE 7

Series Notes

Mississippi State and Southern Miss will meet for the 125th in program history on Friday night at Dudy Noble Field to open a three-game series.
Overall, State owns an 82-42 edge in the series, but the Southern Miss won all three games in a season-opening series in Hattiesburg.
The Bulldogs are 44-12 in games played in Starkville, 29-26 when playing in Hattiesburg and 9-4 in neutral site contests.
Over the last 25 meetings, MSU is 13-12 against USM.
This will be the first trip to Starkville for Southern Miss since 2009. In that game, State won on a Ryan Duffy walk-off home into the Left Field Lounge off of USM reliever Collin Cargill. The 2009 contest also featured a school-record five double plays.
Ten of the last 17 meetings have come on a neutral site, including one match up at the NCAA Atlanta Regional. The other nine neutral site games have been played in Pearl, Mississippi.
The only two postseason meetings in the all-time series have come since 2011. The NCAA Atlanta Regional in 2011 and the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional in 2017, all MSU victories.
Mississippi State senior Jake Mangum owns a .310 batting average all-time versus Southern Miss in six games (all starts). He is 9-for-29 with one double, four runs scored and three RBIs

Promotions
Friday: The first 1,000 fans through the gates on Friday night will receive the second in the series of commemorative baseballs, this one in honor of Ron Polk.

Saturday: The Super Saturday ticket offer gets you a ticket to the baseball game versus Southern Miss and the men's basketball game vs. South Carolina. Use the promo code "SUPER" at checkout to get two tickets for only $15.

Sunday: Kids Run the Bases, presented by LeBonheur is scheduled to occur, weather permitting.

The Drew Wilson 'Lil Dudes Zone located beyond the right field wall will be available when gates open on both days, weather dependent.

For all regular season home games at Dudy Noble, 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.

Dudy Noble Field Policies
Gates open two hours before first pitch on game day and the 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 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.

Tickets
Tickets for the weekend series versus Southern Miss, along with all of MSU's home games, can be purchased through HailState.com/tickets.

Tickets for Saturday's game with Southern Miss can be purchased as part of the Super Saturday ticket offer, which will also get you a ticket to the men's basketball game vs. South Carolina. Use the promo code "SUPER" at checkout to get two tickets for only $15.

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.".

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: host Southern Miss

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