Diamond Dawg Gameday: host North Alabama

Tuesday, May 16

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

North Alabama

Buy Tickets

STARKVILLE, MS - May 06, 2023 - Mississippi State Infielder David Mershon (#3) during the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: host North Alabama

May 15, 2023 | Baseball

MSU Game Notes Buy Tickets Listen: Hail State On-Demand Live Stats Watch Live Game Day Central

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Bulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field to open a four-game homestand to close out the 2023 regular season. The Dawgs open the homestand against North Alabama on Tuesday night. First pitch for the contest is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Tuesday's game will be broadcast on SECN+. The midweek contest 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
Tuesday, May 16 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Parker Stinnett, (2-0), RHP, Jr.
UNA: Justin Battle, (0-3), RHP, Fr.

LIVE VIDEO: hailst.at/3oblI9j
LIVE AUDIO: hailst.at/audio
LIVE STATS: hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Quick Hitters

On Monday afternoon, David Mershon was named SEC Freshman of the Week. This was his first SEC honor of the season. For the week, Mershon hit .600 (6-for-10) and had an on-base percentage of .714. He closed out the week going 4-for-5 with two walks and an RBI against LSU, helping the Dawgs come from behind to beat then-No. 2 LSU. Mershon was a perfect 3-for-3 on the week in stolen bases. He now swiped 11 bags this season.
The Dawgs came away with a huge SEC Series victory at LSU this past weekend. MSU dropped game one before winning the final two games. Mississippi State won the series in Baton Rouge in 2023 and 2021. The Dawgs have won three of the last four series played at The Box.
Over 50 games of the season, the Diamond Dawgs have racked up 95 doubles. They are averaging 1.90 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.
The Dawgs have hit 87 home runs, the 25th-best mark in the NCAA. The Bulldogs finished with home runs in 13 of the 16 games played in April, including two four-homer games against Alabama and Auburn. The most home runs the Dawgs have hit in a single season came during 1998 when they hit 97 homers. The 87 homers this season are the fourth most hit in a single season for the Dawgs. MSU is ten away from tying the school record. The Dawgs have hit a home run in 40 of 50 games this season, including hitting a homer in all three games at LSU.
The Diamond Dawgs have been racking up strikeouts this season. Over 50 games, the Dawgs have tallied 499 Ks. The 499 punchouts are the 19th most in the NCAA this season. The staff ranks 14th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.5. Seven pitchers have 40 or more punchouts this season, Jurrangelo Cijntje (61), Landon Gartman (47), Nate Dohm (47), KC Hunt (47), Colby Holcombe (44), Bradley Loftin (43) and Cade Smith (40).
Throughout the season, Hines is hitting .301 with 22 home runs and 60 RBIs.
His 22 home runs are the third most in the NCAA this season. Hines hit one homer against Arkansas moving him to sixth most all-time at State. He is tied with Tommy Raffo, who hit 22 homers in 1989. The most homers in a season single for State is 29 by Rafael Palmeiro and Bruce Castoria. With his 22 homers this season, Hines became the first player since Brent Rooker in 2017 to hit 20 or more home runs in a Dawg uniform.
The Dawgs have hit 87 home runs, the 25th-best mark in the NCAA. They have hit at least one home run in 15 of the last 18 SEC games. The Dawgs have hit a home run in 40 of 50 games this season.
APRIL BOMBS: The Bulldogs finished with home runs in 13 of the 16 games played in April, including two four-homer games against Alabama and Auburn.
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. He then added a two-home run game against Alabama in the first game of the series.
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. This season, the Dawgs had seven players on Opening Day Rosters.
JP France got the call to the majors. He was the 67th Diamond Dawg to get the call to MLB. He debuted Saturday night when he started for the Houston Astros. He went five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out five.
Mississippi State has the BEST fans in collegiate baseball, which showed during the 2023 season. The Dawgs averaged the most fans on opening weekend, leading the nation with 11,127 per game. For Super Bulldog Weekend, 43,986 fans showed up and out for a three-game set, averaging 14,662 per game. They also set the NCAA record for single-game attendance for an on-campus facility at the Dude when 16,423 fans gushed into the stadium when the Diamond Dawgs took on Ole Miss on April 15, 2023.

Scouting the Opponent – North Alabama

The Lions of North Alabama come into the midweek contest against the Dawgs with an overall record of 12-36 and on a three-game winning streak after sweeping a road series at Kennesaw State.
North Alabama is in its fifth year as an NCAA Division I baseball program and is led by Jad Prachniak, who is in his first season as head coach.
The Lions are 6-15 in non-conference games this season.
The wins at Kennesaw snapped an 11-game losing streak that dated back to a series sweep at Bellarmine from April 14-16.
The Lions have been outscored 64-19 in the first inning and 44-21 in the second of games this season.
North Alabama has a 7-50 all-time record against SEC schools in baseball and is 2-14 against SEC teams as a Division I program.
Kyle Machado leads the team at the dish, hitting .316 on the season. He has a team-high eight home runs and 37 RBIs.
As a team, the Lions are hitting .255 and have 36 homers. They are 30-for-38 on stolen bases.
North Alabama pitching staff has an ERA of 8.85 this season in 391.1 innings pitched. The opponents are hitting .298 off the Lion's pitchers.
Tuesday night's starter is Justin Battle, who will be making his fifth start of the season. He has pitched 23.2 innings this season and has an ERA of 10.27.

Series Notes

The Dawgs and the Lions meet for the 11th time on Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.
These two programs met last season, with the Dawgs coming away with a 14-4 victory in eight innings.
The Dawgs have won the previous four meetings.
State leads the all-time series 8-2.
The first matchup between these two programs was in 1986.

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.