Dawgs Travel to Southern Miss For Midweek Action

STARKVILLE – After a perfect 3-0 Opening Weekend, the Mississippi State baseball team hits the road to face the University of Southern Miss for a midweek contest on Tuesday in Hattiesburg, Miss.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Pete Taylor Park on the campus of Southern Miss. The contest can be seen on ESPN+ and will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by Learfield, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Tuesday, Feb. 18 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Charlie Foster (0-0, 0.00 ERA), LHP, Fr.
Southern Miss: Colby Allen (0-0, 6.00 ERA), RHP, Jr.

Live Video: hailst.at/4hMHiYn
Live Audio: hailstate.com/OnDemand
Live Stats: hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Quick Hitters

After the first weekend of play, the Diamond Dawgs are ranked in the Baseball America (No. 16), D1 Baseball (No. 18) and the NCBWA (No. 17). The USA Today Coaches Top 25 will be updated next Monday.
Senior Aaron Downs shined on opening weekend against Manhattan. He ended the 2024 season on a five-game hitting streak and he extended it to eight games by hitting safely in the first three games of the season. In the first game of the season, Downs collected his first career home run, a three-run blast to left field. He led the team with a .571 batting average and drove in a team best seven RBIs.
The Diamond Dawgs pen will have a familiar face in this year with Stone Simmons returning from injury. The senior missed the entire 2023 and 2024 season because of an injury. On Sunday, Simmons made his return to the mound in a Bulldog uniform. It was his first appearance in 1,079 days. His last outing was on March 5, 2022. In his start on Sunday, Simmons went three innings, struck out five batters, a single-game career high at MSU.
The Diamond Dawgs pitching staff was dealin' this past weekend against Manhattan. Over the three-game series, 12 different made an appearance. Of the 12 pitchers, eight made their Maroon and White debut this past weekend. Freshmen Dane Burns, Mikhai Grant, Charlie Foster and Ryan McPherson all made appearances, while transfers Ben Davis, Chase Hungate, Nate Williams and Jacob Pruitt pitched. As a staff, 10 of the 12 pitchers tallied one strikeout in their appearance.
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.
Noah Sullivan earned preseason All-American honors by the NCBWA as a two-way player. Last season, Sullivan finished 8-1 on the mound through 75 and 2/3 innings of work and hit .324 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs while at USC Upstate as a utility player.
Hunter Hines bat is a thing to watch for the 2025 season as he was named Pre-season First Team All-SEC First Baseman. Hines is ranked fourth in program history with 55 career home runs, 12 home runs shy of tying for first in program history, which is held by Rafael Palmeiro. Hines' 55 career home runs are the most among any active player in the SEC.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 70 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 tilt with the Diamond Dawgs coming off a four-game sweep of Lafayette. During the four games, the Golden Eagles only allowed 12 runs.
Junior Colby Allen draws the start for Southern Miss on Tuesday night. The Starkville Academy product has appeared in one game this season and holds a 6.00 ERA. Last season, he pitched two and a third innings against the Diamond Dawgs and had three strikeouts.
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles offense came out swinging on opening weekend as they hit .356 on the weekend. Ozzie Pratt led the way hitting .500 on the weekend with four extra base hits. He also drove in seven.
Davis Gillespie leads Southern Miss with two home runs and eight RBIs.
As a pitching staff, the Golden Eagles hold an ERA of 3.16. They tallied 43 strikeouts on the weekend. The staff limited opponents to a .206 batting average.
Southern Miss was named the Preseason Coaches Poll favorite to win the Sun Belt this season. Along with being named as the favorite, give players earned All-Sun Belt Team honors.

Series Notes

Mississippi State leads the all-time series 86-43.
MSU has won the last two meetings and have won five of the last six meetings.

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Dawgs Travel to Southern Miss For Midweek Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dane Burns

Ben Davis

Aaron Downs

Charlie Foster

Mikhai Grant

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Ryan McPherson

Jacob Pruitt

Stone Simmons

Noah Sullivan

Nate Williams

Mississippi State University Athletics

Dawgs Travel to Southern Miss For Midweek Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dane Burns

Ben Davis

Aaron Downs

Charlie Foster

Mikhai Grant

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Ryan McPherson

Jacob Pruitt

Stone Simmons

Noah Sullivan

Nate Williams

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