Dawgs Head to Pearl to Face Southern Miss

STARKVILLE - The Mississippi State Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday with a midweek matchup against Southern Miss in the first game of the C Spire College Series hosted by Spectrum Events. The game will be played in Pearl, Miss., at Trustmark Park, with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Tuesday, March 5 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Karson Ligon, (0-0), RHP, Jr.
USM: Cole Boswell (0-0), RHP, Sr.

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Quick Hitters

Mississippi State hits the road for the first time this season when they head to Pearl, Miss. to face Southern Miss in a neutral site non-conference match. This game is part of the C Spire College Series hosted at Trustmark Park.
Over the past weekend, the Diamond Dawgs earned a sweep of Mount St. Mary's. Pitching led the way to the sweep, as they only allowed three earned runs all weekend. The pitching staff tallied 37 strikeouts and limited the Mountaineers to 18 hits in the three-game series. Each starter for the Dawgs went 6+ innings, led by Nate Dohm, who went seven innings. In the series opener, Dohm went seven innings and had eight strikeouts. In the series' final game, Cijntje went 6 2/3 innings, a career-high, and had 10 punchouts, another career-high.
The Diamond Dawgs tallied a shutout for the first time since the 2021 season. The 6-0 shutout over Mount St. Mary's was the first shutout for Mississippi State since June 30, 2021, against Vanderbilt, which resulted in the Dawgs winning the National Championship. This was also the first shutout at Dudy Noble Field since March 12, 2021.
Hunter Hines has shown 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 (52) and Jac Caglianone (43) are the only active players ahead of Hines. The 38 home runs are the sixth most by an active player in Division 1 baseball. Besides hitting for power, Hines has driven in 126 runs and is 56 RBIs away from joining the career RBI mark at MSU.
After returning to the lineup seven games ago, David Mershon has been swinging a hot bat for the Diamond Dawgs. The switch hitter from Taylors, S.C., is hitting .500 this season. He had a four-hit game against Georgia Southern in the series finale. The four hits in a single game tied his career high. Currently, Mershon is on a four-game hitting streak. Besides collecting hits, Mershon is driving in runs. Over seven games, he has 12 RBIs, which is one off the team high. He drove in a career-high four runs against Jackson State on Tuesday night, three of which came on a bases-clearing triple.
After missing the 2023 season due to injury, Brooks Auger has returned to the pen for the Diamond Dawgs in 2024. Before pitching opening weekend for the Dawgs, Auger's last outing was April 14, 2022, against Auburn. He made his season debut against Air Force on Feb. 17. His longest outing came on Feb. 20 when he pitched 2 2/3 of an inning against Austin Peay. Auger has pitched six innings this season, only allowed three hits, and has eight strikeouts.
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.
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 – Southern Miss

Southern Miss enters the midweek contest with an 8-4 record and is coming off a series victory over Indiana State. The Golden Eagles won the series' first two games against Indiana State before dropping the finale.
The Golden Eagles are hitting .239 as a team, with Dalton McIntyre leading the team with a .310 batting average.
Carson Paetow follows, hitting .294 on the season with eight RBIs and two home runs. Paetow has a .479 on-base percentage this season.
Drawing the start for Southern Miss is senior Cole Boswell. He will make his third appearance of the season and has pitched four innings this season. He holds a 6.75 ERA on the season with five strikeouts.
During the season, the Golden Eagles' pitching staff holds a 3.96 ERA with 133 strikeouts.

Series Notes

Mississippi State faces off against the Eagles for the 129 time, with the first meeting between these two schools coming in 1947.
The Dawgs won the last meeting in 2023, 10-9, at Trustmark Park.
State leads the series 85-43.

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.

Dawgs Head to Pearl to Face Southern Miss

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brooks Auger

Nate Dohm

Hunter Hines

Karson Ligon

David Mershon

Mississippi State University Athletics

Dawgs Head to Pearl to Face Southern Miss

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brooks Auger

Nate Dohm

Hunter Hines

Karson Ligon

David Mershon

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