Diamond Dawg Gameday: South Carolina

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Bulldogs returns to Southeastern Conference play on Thursday when they host the Gamecocks against South Carolina. The series opens on Thursday at 6 p.m.

All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and Thursday's game will be aired on the SEC Network. The games 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
Thursday, March 30 (6 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje (3-1), BHP, Fr.
SC: Eli Jones (4-0), RHP, So.

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Gameday Info
Friday, March 31 (6 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters
MSU: TBD
SC: Noah Hall, (5-0), RHP, Sr.

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Gameday Info
Saturday, April 1 (2 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Nate Dohm, (3-3), RHP, So.
SC: Jack Mahoney, (3-0), RHP, Jr.

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Quick Hitters

The Diamond Dawgs have been racking up strikeouts this season. Over the 26 games the Dawgs have played, they have tallied 277 Ks. The 277 punchouts are the seventh most in the NCAA this season. The staff ranks 15th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 11.0.
GOOD EYE: The Diamond Dawgs are finding ways to reach base this season, including drawing walks. The Bulldogs have drawn 169 base on balls this season, the fourth most in the NCAA. Seven different players have drawn ten or more walks this season. Colton Ledbetter leads the team with 29 walks this season. Luke Hancock follows with 28 walks, while Lane Forsythe is third with 22. Ledbetter ranks 3rd in the nation in walks and first in the SEC. He is five walks behind the nation's leader, Bryce Madron of Oklahoma.
The Dawgs have been stealing bases this season and have the second most stolen bases in the SEC with 43. Amani Larry and Colton Ledbetter have 13 stolen bases to lead the team. The Dawgs stole a season-high seven bases against Samford. The single game record for stolen bases in a contest is ten, which was set for March 14, 2017 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The Dawgs are looking at becoming just the third school in SEC history to win 1,000 Southeastern Conference contests. The only schools to accomplish this feat are Florida and LSU. Mississippi State has 988 SEC wins in program history.
Since March 4, the Dawgs have been showing off their power. Over this span, MSU has hit 25 homers over the 16 games. They have hit 40 home runs this year, including a four-homer game against Lipscomb to close out the series. The 40 home runs this season are the 27th most in the NCAA.
Head Coach Chris Lemonis is closing in on 300 wins as a head coach. Lemonis currently has 296 wins as a head coach. He has been a head coach at Indiana and here.
Over the first 26 games of the season, the Diamond Dawgs have racked up 50 doubles. They are averaging 1.9 doubles per game. Over the five years under Coach Lemonis, the Dawgs have two seasons with over 100 doubles.
Mississippi State has the BEST fans in collegiate baseball, which showed during the season's first two weeks. The Dawgs averaged the most fans on opening weekend and led the nation drawing 11,127 per game. The Dawgs are averaging 10,761 per game, the most in the NCAA.
The Bulldog's captain, Luke Hancock, was named to the 2023 Buster Posey Award Watch List. This award goes to the best catcher in collegiate baseball.

Scouting the Opponent – South Carolina

South Carolina is led by sixth-year head coach Mark Kingston. Kingston has a career record of 162-111 as the head coach in Columbia.
· The Gamecocks are 24-2 on the season with a 6-0 conference record, including sweeps over Georgia and Missouri. The two losses for USC have come against Clemson and Charlotte.
· South Carolina ranks first in the nation in home runs with 66 blasts on the year. Gavin Casas leads the team with 14 homers.
· The Gamecocks are tied with the Bulldogs with 169 walks, the fourth best in the nation.
· South Carolina averages ten runs per game, which ranks top-10 nationally.
· As a staff, the Gamecocks rank fourth nationally with a 2.81 ERA, which is second in the Southeastern Conference behind LSU.
· South Carolina bats an even .300 as a team. Ethan Petry leads the team with a .446 average.

Series Notes

The Dawgs and Gamecocks will meet for the 79th time on Thursday night.
This will be the first matchup since May 9, 2021, as these two programs did not play each other last season.
South Carolina leads the all-time series 40-38.
Mississippi State won the last series, which took place in Columbia, S.C.
The first matchup between these two programs was during the 1981 season.

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: South Carolina

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Nate Dohm

Lane Forsythe

Luke Hancock

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: South Carolina

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Nate Dohm

Lane Forsythe

Luke Hancock

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

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