Diamond Dawgs Set For Magnolia State Showdown

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State baseball team heads to Oxford for the Magnolia State Showdown when they take on Ole Miss in SEC action. The Dawgs and Rebels series starts on Friday.

Friday's game will be aired on SECN, Saturday will be on ESPN 2 and Sunday will be broadcasted on SECN+. The series will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Friday, April 12 (7 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Khal Stephen, (4-2, 3.38 ERA), RHP, Jr.
OM: Riley Maddox, (2-3, 4.46 ERA), RHP, Jr.

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Saturday, April 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje, (5-1, 3.45 ERA), BHP, So.
OM: Liam Doyle, (2-2, 7.01 ERA), LHP, So.

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Sunday, April 14 (1:30 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: TBD
OM: Mason Nichols, (3-0, 3.93 ERA), RHP, Jr.

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Quick Hitters

For the fourth straight week, the Diamond Dawgs find themselves in the national rankings. The Diamond Dawgs came in at No. 23 by Perfect Game, NCBWA and USA Today Sports, No. 22 by D1 Baseball and No. 15 by Baseball America.
On April 4, Jordan was name to the Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List. He is one of 45 players on the list and ninth Dawg in program history to be named to this list. His 45 RBIs are the 17th most in the NCAA, only nine behind the national leader. His 14 homers are the 13th most in the NCAA and fifth in the SEC. Jordan has the ninth best batting average in the SEC hitting .372 this season.
It's rivalry week, as the Dawgs take on the Rebels this weekend in SEC action. The Diamond Dawgs won the last three matchups. Last season, the Dawgs set the NCAA On-Campus Attendance Record as The Dude saw 16,423 fans at the game at game two of the series. The last time the Dawgs headed north, Mississippi State came away with a series victory. The Maroon and White have won seven straight series against Ole Miss, including sweeping the Rebels in Oxford in 2017 and 2019.
Junior infielder/outfielder Hunter Hines enters the 2024 season as a Third Team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game. For his career, Hines has hit 46 home runs. The 46 home runs are the fourth most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (62), Jac Caglianone (57) and Braden Montgomery (52) are the only active players ahead of Hines. The 46 home runs are the eighth most by an active player in Division 1 baseball. The 46 home runs are tied for the seventh most in a career at Mississippi State. He is five homers away from moving into the top five at MSU.
Dakota Jordan has shined this season for the Diamond Dawgs. He leads the team in batting average (.372), home runs (14) and RBIs (45). On April 4, Jordan was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List. He is one of 45 players on the list and the ninth Dawg in program history to be named to this list. His 45 RBIs are the 17th most in the NCAA, only seven behind that national leader. His 14 homers are the 14th most in the NCAA this season and the fifth most in the SEC. Jordan has the ninth best batting average in the SEC hitting. 372 this season. Teams have walked Jordan 31 times this season, with 10 being intentional walks. This is the fourth most in the SEC and the 28th most walks in the NCAA.
The Diamond Dawg pitching staff has tallied the fifth most punchouts in the SEC with 342. They are two strikeouts behind Vanderbilt for the fourth spot. Jurrangelo Cijntje leads the Dawgs with 61 strikeouts this season, the sixth most in the SEC.
The Diamond Dawgs lead the SEC in runners picked off. Mississippi State has picked off 11 runners this season. The next closest team has picked off six.
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.
On March 22 Mississippi State's 5-1 victory over Texas A&M marked their 1,000^th career SEC victory. Only four schools have accomplished this feat. MSU joined Florida, LSU, and Alabama to reach 1,000 wins in SEC games.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 69 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

Scouting the Opponent – Ole Miss

Ole Miss enters the rivalry weekend with a 18-15 record and 3-9 SEC record. Ole Miss is currently tied for fifth in the SEC West.
Ole Miss is 13-7 in home games and 2-4 in home SEC games this season.
The Rebels are currently on a seven-game losing streak heading into the weekend. Ole Miss was swept by No. 1 Arkansas in Fayetteville last weekend.
The Rebels offense has two players batting over .300 this season. Ethan Ledge leads the way with a .351 batting average and Ethan Groff follows with a .306 batting average.
Maddox Riley leads the Ole Miss pitching with a 4.46 ERA. Riley has 2-3 record through eight appearances on the mound and seven starts. Riley has 27 punchouts on the year and 12 walks.
As a staff, the Rebels have a team ERA of 5.85 and have tallied 327 strikeouts this season. The 327 batters struck out are the eighth most in the SEC.

Series History

The in-state rivalry dates back to 1892 where the Diamond Dawgs claimed their first win over Ole Miss with a 6-3 win in Starkville.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series 264-211-5
The Bulldogs and Rebels last faced off on Apr. 25, 2023, and the Dawgs claimed the win 2-1 for the Governor's Cup.
Last season, MSU took the series against Ole Miss at Dudy Noble Field. The Rebels won Friday night before the Diamond Dawgs took the next two games. Saturday's game was played in front of the largest crowd in NCAA history for an on-campus facility.

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.

Diamond Dawgs Set For Magnolia State Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Khal Stephen

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Set For Magnolia State Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Khal Stephen

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