Diamond Dawg Gameday: Arizona State

STARKVILLE – With opening weekend now in the rear view, the Mississippi State Bulldogs welcome the Arizona State Sun Devils to Dudy Noble Field for the second weekend series of the year. The series starts Friday evening at 4 p.m. CT, continuing Saturday at 5 p.m. and concluding Sunday at 1 p.m.

All three games will be broadcast 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/Listen. Click HERE for a full list of the 2023 MSU Baseball Radio Affiliates.

Gameday Info
Friday, Feb. 24 (4 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Cade Smith (1-0), RHP, Jr.
ASU: Ross Dunn (0-0), LHP, Jr.

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Saturday, Feb. 25 (5 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Graham Yntema (0-0), RHP, So.
ASU: Khristian Curtis (1-0), RHP, Jr.

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Sunday, Feb. 26 (1 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Landon Gartman (1-0), RHP, Jr.
ASU: Timmy Manning (0-0), LHP, Jr.

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Quick Hitters

The Diamond Dawgs head into the weekend sporting a .337 batting average. Bryce Chance leads Mississippi State with a .474 batting average, including 3 extra base hits on the year.
Bryce Chance looks to continue his strong start to the season after being awarded with Co-Freshman of the Week honors. Chance leads the Bulldogs with a .474 batting average. He totals for nine hits on the season, including two home runs and one double, reaching three times on walks as well.
THE LONG BALL: Home Runs have been an essential factor to the Mississippi State offense throughout the year. Three Dawgs have two home runs on the season – Kellum Clark, Amani Larry, and Bryce Chance. As a team, the Bulldogs rank sixth nationally with 11 total home runs.
This season, Mississippi State has excelled in extra base hits, specifically doubles. The Diamond Dawgs rank fourth nationally with 15 total doubles. Luke Hancock, Amani Larry, and Colton Ledbetter all lead the team with three.
The Diamond Dawgs have flaunted their speed on the basepaths, accounting for ten stolen bases, which is good for second best in the Southeastern Conference.
Mississippi State and Arizona State will be facing off for the second time ever, the first being a matchup in the 1981 College World Series where the Bulldogs suffered a 4-3 loss.
Freshman Shine: The freshmen duo of Bradley Loftin and Jurrangelo Cijntje shined during the midweek series against ULM. The freshman duo combined to pitch eight innings and tallied 15 strikeouts in the game. These were the first two starts of the career for Loftin and Cijntje.
Luke Hancock, a multi-year starter for Mississippi State, will be sporting the eye-catching "C" on his jersey this season. As he prepares for his fifth year with the Diamond Dawgs. Thus far, Hancock has proved worthy of the status, batting .412 on the year.
It's been written about. It's been Tweeted about. It's been talked about. It's what has become known as The Dude Effect. If anyone had forgotten or doubted that the best home-field advantage in all of college baseball is inside the confines of Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field. Opponents don't simply have to defeat the Diamond Dawgs. Visitors have to conquer the cowbell-crazed home crowd as well.
Did you know that the Diamond Dawgs are one of three programs in NCAA History and the only Southeastern Conference program to play in the NCAA Men's College World Series in six-straight decades.
The opening weekend against VMI is the first meeting between these two programs in school history. This will be the eighth team under Coach Lemonis that the Dawgs will see for the first time.
Mississippi State's Luke Hancock and Colton Ledbetter are two of 25 players selected to the Preseason All-SEC baseball teams by the league's coaches. Hancock was named second-team catcher, while Ledbetter was named a second-team outfielder.

Scouting the Opponent

Arizona State is led by second year head coach Willie Bloomquist. Bloomquist is a 14-year Major League Baseball veteran and former Sun Devil standout.
The Sun Devils come into the weekend with a 4-0 record with a series sweep of San Diego State and midweek victory over UNLV.
The first season under Bloomquist on the 2022 campaign resulted with a record of 26-32 and 13-17 in the PAC-12.
The Sun Devils are hitting .322 as a team coming into the series with the Diamond Dawgs.
Freshman Luke Hill leads the Sun Devils with a .636 batting average.
As a pitching staff, Arizona State has a combined ERA of 2.50, including one shutout of San Diego State.

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: Arizona State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bryce Chance

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Kellum Clark

Landon Gartman

Luke Hancock

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Bradley Loftin

Cade Smith

Graham Yntema

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: Arizona State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bryce Chance

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Kellum Clark

Landon Gartman

Luke Hancock

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Bradley Loftin

Cade Smith

Graham Yntema

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