Diamond Dawgs Host Austin Peay in Midweek Action

STARKVILLE - The Mississippi State Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday and Wednesday when they host Austin Peay in midweek action at Dudy Noble Field. First pitch for each contests are set for 4 p.m.

Both contests 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/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Tuesday, Feb. 20 (4 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Evan Siary, (0-0), RHP, So.
APSU: Lyle Miller-Green, (0-0), RHP, Gr.

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Wednesday, Feb. 21 (4 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: TBD
APSU: TBD

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Promotions/Giveaways
Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Fans can receive a State-To-The-Show Poster of JP France while supplies last
Wednesday, Feb. 21 – Fans can take pictures with a live camel at the right field gate from 2-5 p.m.

Quick Hitters

The Dawgs continued to break their own records against Air Force. Mississippi State set the schools opening day attendance record (11,216) and then broke the schools opening weekend record by having 33,942 come through the gates this past weekend.
Mississippi State starts the season at home for the third straight season. The Dawgs will host the first 12 games of the season at Dudy Noble Field before heading to Trustmark Park to face Southern Miss in a midweek matchup.
The Dude Effect is alive and well. Reserved seating has once again sold out for the season. Mississippi State has sold out reserved seating since 1987.
The Diamond Dawgs had a successful first weekend on the mound under first year pitching coach Justin Parker. The Diamond Dawgs held Air Force to a .206 team batting average over the weekend, while striking out 38 hitters. The 38 punchouts are the 16th most in the NCAA. Mississippi State is averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Hunter Hines has showed his power over his first two seasons in the Maroon and White. He has hit 38 homers over that span. The 38 home runs are the third most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (51) and Jac Caglianone (40) are the only active players ahead of Hines. The 38 home runs are the seventh most by an active player in the division 1 baseball.
Following a freshman season that saw Dakota Jordan show off his power by hitting tape measure homers, the sophomore is ready for his second season in the Maroon and White. On Feb. 9, Jordan was one of 55 players in the nation that were named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. The Golden Spikes award to the best amateur baseball player in the nation. Last week, Jordan was named Third Team Preseason All-American by Baseball America. Jordan opened the 2024 season hitting .417, a team-high along with hitting two home runs against Air Force.
Making his MSU debut on Saturday, Khal Stephen limited Air Force all game. He only allowed three hits to the Falcons, while punching out a career-high 11. He pitched 7.0 innings on Saturday, one off his career-high of 8.0 that he pitched against South Dakota State on May 5, 2023, at a member of the Purdue baseball team.
The Dawgs pitching staff closed out the series with Air Force by striking out 16 batters. This was the most since they had 15 Ks against Texas A&M on May 18, 2023.
Junior Cam Schuelke has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. He is one of 73 relievers on the list. Before joining the Diamond Dawgs, Schuelke had an outstanding sophomore year at College of Central Florida. He posted a 2.09 ERA and a 9-1 record in 32 appearances out of the pen.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 68 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

Scouting the Opponent – Austin Peay

Austin Peay enters the midweek series with the Dawgs with a record of 2-1. The Govs swept a doubleheader with Western Illinois on Sunday. Last season, Austin Peay went 26-32.
Pitcher/outfielder Lyle Miller-Green enters the year as the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Sun Conference's Player of the Year honor. The league's head coaches and D1Baseball.com tapped him for the preseason honor in early February. In addition, outfielder Clayton Gray was named to the Preseason All-ASUN team by the league's coaches. The coaches picked Austin Peay to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll.
Jon Jon Gazdar may not have earned a spot on the Preseason All-ASUN team, but the shortstop did not go without recognition. D1Baseball.com listed the Walnut Creek, California product among its Top 50 shortstops nationally – the only ASUN shortstop listed. Miller-Green (No. 83) and Gray (No. 90) also were listed on the website's Top 100 Outfielder list.
Austin Peay returns nearly all the regulars off an offense that posted one of the best seasons in program history. Of the nine hitters with 100 or more at-bats last season, only one will not return. Outfielder Garrett Martin is the Govs' lone departure after graduation and signing as a free agent with the New York Yankees.
While the offense returns the bulk of its output, the situation on the mound will be drastically different. Austin Peay saw 10 letterwinners depart from last season's pitching staff, leaving only six returnees. Each of those six returnees supplied 27 or more innings in 2023. Eleven newcomers bolster the Govs' bullpen, including five transfers from other Division I programs.

Series Notes

MSU and Austin Peay meet for the eighth time on Tuesday when the Governors travel to Dudy Noble Field.
Mississippi State last met Austin Peay in Starkville in 2013 where the Diamond Dawgs won the game 13-5.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series 5-2. The Diamond Dawgs have won the last four meetings.

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 X, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Host Austin Peay in Midweek Action

Players Mentioned

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Cam Schuelke

Evan Siary

Khal Stephen

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