Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. Alabama

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State Baseball is set to host Alabama in its first SEC home series of the season beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, March 25, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville.

The first two games of the series will be broadcast on SEC Network+, while the series finale will air nationally on SEC Network with John Schriffen and David Dellucci on the call. The series will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/plus. Click HERE for a full list of the 2022 MSU Baseball Radio Affiliates.

GAME COVERAGE

Friday, March 25 – 6 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Saturday, March 26 – 2 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Sunday, March 27 – 2 p.m. | SEC Network | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

THE ROTATION

Friday, March 25
- MSU: Preston Johnson, RHP, So. (2-1, 3.18 ERA, 5-4 APP-GS, 28.1 IP, 43 SO, 10 BB)
- ALA: Garrett McMillan, RHP, Jr. (2-1, 3.00 ERA, 5-5 APP-GS, 30.0 IP, 29 SO, 6 BB)
Saturday, March 26
- MSU: Parker Stinnett, RHP, Jr. (3-0, 4.64 ERA, 7-3 APP-GS, 21.1 IP, 38 SO, 17 BB)
- ALA: Jacob McNairy, RHP, Sr. (4-0, 3.26 ERA, 6-2 APP-GS, 19.1 IP, 17 SO, 4 BB)
Sunday, March 27
- MSU: Cade Smith, RHP, So. (4-0, 2.57 ERA, 5-5 APP-GS, 28.0 IP, 28 SO, 8 BB)
- ALA: Grayson Hitt, LHP, So. (1-0, 2.33 ERA, 5-5 APP-GS, 19.1 IP, 22 SO, 7 BB)

PROMOTIONS/GIVEAWAYS

Friday, March 25

Welcome, Coach Jans – For the series opener, fans are encouraged to join Mississippi State's new head men's basketball coach Chris Jans at 5 p.m. in Adkerson Plaza for autographs and photos. Jans will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch at 5:50 p.m. on Friday.
Friday Night Fireworks – Friday Night Fireworks presented by Pearl River Resort return to Dudy Noble Field! Fireworks will begin following the completion of the game between Mississippi State and Alabama.

Saturday, March 26

Mini-Bat Giveaway – The first 1,000 fans in attendance for Saturday's contest will receive a Mississippi State mini-bat courtesy of Country Pleasin'.

Sunday, March 27

Mini Cooler Giveaway – The first 100 fans in attendance for the series finale will receive a Mississippi State 'M over S' mini cooler upon entry into the stadium.

DAWG BITES

The series opener on Friday will mark the 423rd time Mississippi State and Alabama have met on the diamond in a series that dates back to 1896.

Alabama holds a slight edge over State in the all-time series with a record of 214-204-4. In games played in Starkville, MSU leads with a record of 114-80-2. MSU has won seven straight games over the Crimson Tide entering this weekend's series.

Last season, Mississippi State swept Alabama in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa. State won the opener, 4-2, while the Diamond Dawgs shut out Alabama, 7-0. In the series finale, MSU secured the series sweep with a 7-3 victory over the Crimson Tide.

In State's midweek win over Southern, Kellum Clark, Brad Cumbest and RJ Yeager hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the third. It marked the first time MSU has hit three straight home runs since May 3, 2009 vs. Alabama (Russ Sneed, Connor Powers, Ryan Duffy).

In the last five games, Kamren James is hitting .526 (10-for-19) with a double and home run. He has drawn five walks and stolen three bases with a .625 on base percentage.

MSU's RJ Yeager also paced the Dawgs at the plate in the last five games after going 9-for-20 (.450) with five home runs, a double and 14 RBIs. Yeager slugged 1.250 with a .500 on base percentage in the last five games.

The Dawgs rank third in the SEC and 11th nationally in home runs with 36 as a team. Kellum Clark, Brad Cumbest and Hunter Hines lead MSU with seven each on the season.

MSU's pitching staff enters the week ranked second in the SEC and fourth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2). MSU RHP Preston Johnson leads the team with 43 strikeouts in five appearances (4 GS), while he is ranked fourth among SEC pitchers and 24th nationally in that category. Parker Stinnett ranks fifth in the SEC with 38 strikeouts.

THE COMPETITION

Opponent: Alabama Crimson Tide
2022 Record: 13-9, 1-2 SEC

Alabama is led by head coach Brad Bohannon, who is in his fifth season with the Crimson Tide. Alabama enters the week with a 13-9 overall record on the season and a 1-2 mark in SEC play.

Alabama is still searching for its first road win of the season after posting an 0-5 mark thus far.

In the opening weekend of SEC play, Alabama took the series finale over No. 9 Florida after dropping the first two contests in Tuscaloosa.

On Wednesday night, Alabama traveled to Birmingham to take on UAB in midweek action and fell by a score of 5-4 to the Blazers.

Entering the weekend, Alabama's Tommy Seidl leads Alabama in batting average (.377), hits (29), stolen bases (6-6) and on-base percentage (.419).

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. Alabama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Hunter Hines

Kamren James

Preston Johnson

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. Alabama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Hunter Hines

Kamren James

Preston Johnson

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

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