Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. No. 14 Auburn

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State Baseball will host No. 14-ranked Auburn in an SEC home series as part of Super Bulldog Weekend beginning at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 14, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville.

The series opener will air nationally on SEC Network with Dave Neal and Lance Cormier on the call, while all three games will be available on SEC Network+. 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

Thursday, April 14 – 7 p.m. | SEC Network | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Friday, April 15 – 6 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Saturday, April 16 – 1 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

THE ROTATION

Thursday, April 14
- MSU: Brandon Smith, RHP, Jr. (2-2, 4.22 ERA, 13-2 APP-GS, 32.0 IP, 33 SO, 3 BB)
- AUB: Hayden Mullins, LHP, Jr. (2-1, 3.04 ERA, 8-5 APP-GS, 23.2 IP, 32 SO, 17 BB)
Friday, April 15
- MSU: Preston Johnson, RHP, So. (2-2, 4.26 ERA, 8-7 APP-GS, 44.1 IP, 67 SO, 22 BB)
- AUB: Trace Bright, RHP, Jr. (2-3, 3.83 ERA, 8-8 APP-GS, 40.0 IP, 43 SO, 19 BB)
Saturday, April 16
- MSU: Cade Smith, RHP, So. (4-2, 3.89 ERA, 8-8 APP-GS, 44.0 IP, 42 SO, 19 BB)
- AUB: Joseph Gonzalez, RHP, So. (4-0, 1.95 ERA, 7-6 APP-GS, 32.1 IP, 24 SO, 7 BB)

PROMOTIONS/GIVEAWAYS

Thursday, April 14

StarkVegas Pop-up – Try your luck and shop at the StarkVegas Pop-up store during Super Bulldog Weekend! Perks include a prize wheel, craps table, apparel and more. The pop-up store opens 90 minutes prior to first pitch and closes approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of each game.
Thursday Night Fireworks – A special edition of Thursday Night Fireworks presented by Pearl River Resort will be featured at Dudy Noble Field! Fireworks will begin following the completion of the series opener between Mississippi State and Auburn.

Friday, April 15

StarkVegas Pop-up – Try your luck and shop at the StarkVegas Pop-up store during Super Bulldog Weekend! Perks include a prize wheel, craps table, apparel and more. The pop-up store opens 90 minutes prior to first pitch and closes approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of each game.
Friday Night Fireworks – Friday Night Fireworks presented by Pearl River Resort return to Dudy Noble Field the following night! Fireworks will begin following the completion of game two between Mississippi State and Auburn.

Saturday, April 16

StarkVegas Pop-up – Try your luck and shop at the StarkVegas Pop-up store during Super Bulldog Weekend! Perks include a prize wheel, craps table, apparel and more. The pop-up store opens 90 minutes prior to first pitch and closes approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of each game.
Trading Card Giveaway – Fans in attendance for the series finale will receive the second of four sets of Mississippi State Baseball trading cards upon entry into the stadium (while supplies last).

DAWG BITES

This weekend's series will mark the 208th time Mississippi State and Auburn have met on the diamond in a series that dates back to 1908. Mississippi State holds a 113-93-1 edge over Auburn in the all-time series. The Dawgs are 59-35 against the Tigers in games played in Starkville.

Last season, the Diamond Dawgs traveled to Auburn and came away with a series sweep over the Tigers. In that series, MSU won the opener, 6-5, before clinching the series with a 7-2 victory in game two. The Dawgs out-slugged Auburn in the finale to win by a score of 19-10 to secure the series sweep on the road.

The Diamond Dawgs are in the midst of four games over the span of five days, including Tuesday's midweek home win against UAB and the upcoming three-game home series against No. 14 Auburn to kickoff Super Bulldog Weekend.

State is currently ranked eighth in the country and third in the SEC with 59 home runs on the season. Freshman Hunter Hines leads the team with 10 home runs, while two Diamond Dawgs are tied for the second with Kellum Clark and RJ Yeager each with 9 home runs on the season. Brad Cumbest ranks third on the team with 8 home runs through 33 games.

MSU's pitching staff enters the weekend ranked third in the SEC and fifth nationally in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.3). Preston Johnson leads the team with 67 strikeouts in eight appearances (7 GS), while he is ranked second among SEC pitchers and 22nd nationally in strikeouts. Parker Stinnett is second on the team with 49 strikeouts.

Over the last five games, Mississippi State shortstop Lane Forsythe is hitting a team-best .500 for the Diamond Dawgs. Forsythe is 6-for-12 at the plate with two stolen bases and three runs scored.

State second baseman RJ Yeager leads the team with a .314 average on the season and a .392 clip in SEC games. Yeager is tied for second on the team with nine home runs and has recorded five doubles, 20 runs scored and 26 RBIs in 33 games.

Entering Thursday's series opener versus Auburn, State is 14-7 this season in games played at Dudy Noble Field.

THE COMPETITION

Opponent: No. 14 Auburn Tigers
2022 Record: 23-10, 7-5 SEC

Auburn is led by head coach Butch Thompson, who is in his eighth season with the Tigers.

The Tigers are 9-3 this season in road games, including a 4-2 mark in league road contests.

Auburn defeated Vanderbilt in two of three games last weekend to secure its third straight SEC series win for the first time since 2017. The Tigers haven't won four straight series since the 2013-14 campaigns.

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. No. 14 Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Lane Forsythe

Hunter Hines

Preston Johnson

Brandon Smith

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. No. 14 Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Brad Cumbest

Lane Forsythe

Hunter Hines

Preston Johnson

Brandon Smith

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

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