Diamond Dawg Gameday: vs. LSU

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State Baseball will host No. 16-ranked LSU in an SEC home series this weekend beginning at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, April 8, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville.

The series opener will air nationally on SEC Network with Dave Neal and Chris Burke 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

Friday, April 8 – 7 p.m. | SEC Network | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Saturday, April 9 – 2 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Sunday, April 10 – 1 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

THE ROTATION

Friday, April 8
- MSU: Preston Johnson, RHP, So. (2-2, 4.70 ERA, 7-6 APP-GS, 38.1 IP, 57 SO, 18 BB)
- LSU: Ma'Khail Hilliard, RHP, R-Sr. (3-0, 4.34 ERA, 6-6 APP-GS, 29.0 IP, 28 SO, 5 BB)
Saturday, April 9
- MSU: Parker Stinnett, RHP, Jr. (3-1, 5.65 ERA, 9-5 APP-GS, 28.2 IP, 47 SO, 23 BB)
- LSU: Blake Money, RHP, So. (2-2, 4.70 ERA, 7-7 APP-GS, 38.1 IP, 41 SO, 13 BB)
Sunday, April 10
- MSU: Cade Smith, RHP, So. (4-1, 3.00 ERA, 7-7 APP-GS, 39.0 IP, 41 SO, 14 BB)
- LSU: TBD

PROMOTIONS/GIVEAWAYS

Friday, April 8

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 LSU.

Sunday, April 10

Trading Card Giveaway – Fans in attendance for the series finale will receive the first of four sets of Mississippi State Baseball trading cards upon entry into the stadium (while supplies last).

DAWG BITES

The series opener on Friday will mark the 403rd time Mississippi State and LSU have met on the diamond in a series that dates back to 1907.

Mississippi State holds a 216-186 edge over LSU in the all-time series. Last season, the Diamond Dawgs traveled to Baton Rouge and came away with a series victory with wins in the first two games of the weekend set. State opened the series with a 6-1 win before clinching the series with a 3-0 victory in game two. The Tigers took the series finale by a score of 8-3 over MSU.

After tying a school record with six home runs in Tuesday night's win over UT Martin, State is currently ranked 7th in the country and 3rd in the SEC with 54 home runs on the season. The Dawgs are led by sophomore Kellum Clark and freshman Hunter Hines with nine home runs each on the season.

MSU's pitching staff enters the week ranked 2nd in the SEC and 4th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11.6). Preston Johnson leads the team with 57 strikeouts in seven appearances (6 GS), while he is ranked 3rd among SEC pitchers and 27th nationally in strikeouts. Parker Stinnett is 2nd on the team with 47 strikeouts.

MSU's Luke Hancock ranks 2nd in the SEC in toughest to strikeout. He has only struck out nine times in 113 at bats. Over the last five games, Hancock is hitting a team-best .350 for the Diamond Dawgs. Hancock is 7-for-20 at the plate with four home runs, two walks and 8 RBIs, while he is slugging .950 with a .435 on base percentage over that five-game stretch.

The Dawgs are hitting .270 as a team with 48 doubles and 54 home runs. MSU is out-scoring opponents 236-158. State third baseman Kamren James leads the team with a .308 average on the season. James has three home runs, three doubles, 26 runs scored and 15 RBIs through 30 games.

On the mound, opponents are hitting .242 against the Dawgs' pitching staff, while MSU pitchers have struck out 339 batters and walked 131 in 262.2 innings.

THE COMPETITION

Opponent: No. 16 LSU Tigers
2022 Record: 20-9, 4-5 SEC

LSU is led by head coach Jay Johnson, who is in his first season with the Tigers. LSU enters the weekend with a 20-9 overall record on the season and a 4-5 mark in SEC play. The Tigers are 2-2 this season in road games.

LSU's pitching staff is ranked third in the SEC in ERA (3.54) and opponent batting average (.215), while the Tigers are fourth in the league in fewest earned runs allowed (102) and fifth in batters struck out (305).

LSU ranks second in the SEC in batting average (.307), slugging percentage (.539), on-base percentage (.426), runs scored (264), hits (308), runs batted in (246) and doubles (67).

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.

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Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Luke Hancock

Hunter Hines

Kamren James

Preston Johnson

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

Mississippi State University Athletics