Diamond Dawg Gameday: ULM

Tuesday, February 21

Starkville

4 p.m.

Mississippi State

ULM

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STARKVILLE, MS - February 19, 2023 - Mississippi State Outfielder Kellum Clark (#11) during the game between the Virginia Military Institute Keydets and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. Photo By Will Porada

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

February 20, 2023 | Baseball

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The Dawgs return to action on Tuesday against ULM

STARKVILLE – After winning the series against VMI on Opening Weekend, Mississippi State turns its attention to a midweek series against ULM. The series' first game will take place on Tuesday at 4 p.m. from Dudy Noble Field. The final game on Wednesday is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch.

Gameday Info
Tuesday, Feb. 21 (4 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Bradley Loftin, LHP, Fr.
ULM: Henry Shuffler, RHP, So.

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Wednesday, Feb. 22 (3 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje, BHP, Fr.
ULM: Brandt Corley, LHP, Fr.

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Quick Hitters

Mississippi State has the BEST fans in collegiate baseball, which showed during the opening weekend. The Dawgs averaged the most fans on opening weekend. The SEC had the six best-attended games during opening weekend, with the Dawgs leading the way averaging 11,290.
The Dawgs are seeing double this season. Over the season's first three games, MSU has hit 12 doubles, the third most in the NCAA. They are one behind Stetson and Texas State, tied for the most with 13. The Dawgs have three players, Amani Larry, Luck Hancock, and Colton Ledbetter, who all have three doubles on the season.
Redshirt Freshman Bryce Chance started the year with a bang and was named Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Making his collegiate debut on Friday, Chance went 3-for-5 at the plate, including hitting his first career home run. In the next game, he set a career-high by driving in four runs.
The Dawgs have been hot at the plate to open the 2023 season, as they have the most hits in the SEC and the seventh most in the NCAA. Over the first three games of the season, Mississippi State has tallied 43 hits and has had ten or more hits in each game. The Dawgs pounded out 16 hits in the season opener before exploding for 17 in game two.
Junior second basemen Amani Larry shined this weekend at the plate and on the field. He made an impact in his first at-bat as a Diamond Dawg as he picked up a double. Larry led the Dawgs over the opening weekend with eight hits and nine RBIs. He is one of two players with a four-hit game this season. Larry has tallied four RBIs in two games this season, the second and third game of the VMI series. He leads the team in multi-hit games (3) and multi-RBI games (2).

Scouting the Opponent

ULM enters the midweek series against the Dawgs after taking two of three from Bradley on Opening Weekend.
As a team, the Warhawks hit .269, and Matt Abshire led the team hitting .571.
The Warhawks were aggressive on the bases, stealing nine bases over the three games. They have five players with a stolen base.
As a pitching staff, ULM is limiting opponents to a .227 batting average. Over 27 innings of play, the Warhawks' pitching staff only allowed 22 hits.
Freshman outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux made a splash over opening weekend. He started all three games and hit .444 with four stolen bases.

Series Notes

The Dawgs and Warhawks will meet on Tuesday night for the first time since the 2019 season.
The Diamond Dawgs lead the all-time series going 28-7 against ULM.
The first matchup between these two programs came during the 1958 season.
During the last meeting, MSU came away with a 21-8 victory. State jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
The Dawgs have won nine of the last ten against the Warhawks.