Diamond Dawg Gameday: Alabama

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Bulldogs are on the road this weekend as they return to Southeastern Conference play when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. The series begins on Thursday at 5 p.m., continuing Friday at 12 p.m., and concluding Saturday at 5 p.m.

All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+, with Saturday's game airing on ESPNU. 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 complete list of the 2023 MSU Baseball Radio Affiliates.

Gameday Info
Thursday, April 6 (5 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Cade Smith (1-1), RHP, Jr.
UA: Garrett McMillan (0-1), RHP, Sr.

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Gameday Info
Friday, April 7 (12 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje (3-1), BHP, Fr.
UA: Luke Holman (4-1), RHP, So.

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Gameday Info
Saturday, April 8 (5 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Landon Gartman (2-2), RHP, Jr.
UA: Grayson Hitt (3-1), LHP, Jr.

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Quick Hitters

Over the first 30 games of the season, the Diamond Dawgs have racked up 61 doubles. They are averaging 2.03 doubles per game. Over the five years under Coach Lemonis, the Dawgs have had two seasons with over 100 doubles. The 2019 team set the school record with doubles with 166.
Over the Dawgs' last five games, sophomore Hunter Hines and freshman Dakota Jordan have shined at the plate. They have combined to go 24-for-48 over that span. Hines is hitting .619 over that span, including hitting two bombs and collecting 12 RBIs. Jordan has shined over the past week as he is hitting .579 and had his first multiple-hit games as a Dawg.
The Diamond Dawgs are finding ways to reach base this season, including drawing walks. The Bulldogs have drawn 188 base on balls this season, the fourth most in the NCAA. Eight different players have drawn ten or more walks this season. Colton 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 Diamond Dawgs have been racking up strikeouts this season. Over 30 games the Dawgs have played, they have tallied 329 Ks. The 329 punchouts are the fifth most in the NCAA this season. The staff ranks seventh in the country in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 11.4. Four pitchers have 30 or more punchouts this season, Bradley Loftin (39), Landon Gartman (39), Jurrangelo Cijntje (39), and Nate Dohm (35).
Ross Highfill exploded at the plate in game three against Lipscomb. He hit three home runs, becoming the first Bulldog to do such since Brent Rooker did on April 8, 2017.
The Dawgs have been stealing bases this season and have the second most stolen bases in the SEC with 49. Colton Ledbetter and Amani Larry lead the team with 14. The Dawgs stole a season-high seven bases against Samford.
Head Coach Chris Lemonis is closing in on 300 wins as a head coach. Lemonis currently has 298 wins as a head coach. He has been a head coach at Indiana and here.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 66 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus. The Dawgs returned one player, KC Hunt, who was drafted in the 12th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. The Dawgs will have seven on Opening Day MLB rosters. This season, the Dawgs had seven players on Opening Day Rosters.
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 10,708 per game, the second 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 – Alabama

Brad Bohannon is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. He holds a 158-117 record.
Alabama enters the weekend with an overall record of 22-8 and a conference record of 3-6. They have dropped two out of three in each series against #2 Florida, #22 Kentucky, and #6 Arkansas.
The Crimson Tide finished 31-27 in the 2022 campaign.
Tommy Seidl leads Alabama with a .413 batting average, with nine other players batting over .300.
Colby Shelton leads the team with home runs with 12 on the season, hitting .313.
As a team, the Crimson Tide is hitting .323, the 10th-best mark in the country. They have eight players with two plate appearances per game, hitting over .300 this season.
As a pitching staff, Alabama holds an ERA of 3.76, the 18th-best mark in the nation. The pitching staff is holding opponents to a .231 batting average on the season. They have tallied 296 strikeouts.
Ben Hess leads the staff as he is 4-0 on the season with a 3.22 era in seven starts. He has 49 strikeouts on the season.

Series Notes

The Dawgs and Crimson Tide meet for the 422nd time on Thursday when they begin the three-game series.
In last year's series, Mississippi State took two out of three against the Tide, including a 10th-inning walk-off win in game one.
Alabama leads the all-time series 213-205-4
The first matchup between these two programs was in 1896.

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

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Nate Dohm

Landon Gartman

Luke Hancock

Ross Highfill

Hunter Hines

KC Hunt

Dakota Jordan

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Bradley Loftin

Cade Smith

Mississippi State University Athletics