Diamond Dawgs Set for Top 25 Showdown With Troy

STARKVILLE – The No. 18 Mississippi State baseball team is set for a midweek Top 25 showdown when they welcome No. 21 Troy into Dudy Noble Field. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

The game will be televised on SEC Network+ 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. 25 (4 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jacob Pruitt (0-0, 27.00 ERA), RHP, Jr.
TROY: Adam Falinski (0-0, 1.93 ERA), RHP, Rr.

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

Quick Hitters

New rankings came out on Monday and the Diamond Dawgs are ranked in the Baseball America (No. 15), D1 Baseball (No. 18), USA Today Coaches Poll (No. 16) and the NCBWA (No. 16).
For the first time since March 13, 2021, the Diamond Dawgs pitching staff pitched a two hitter. On Sunday to close out the Missouri State series, the Dawgs limited the Bears to only two hits. The pitching of Stone Simmons, Charlie Foster, Robert Fortenberry, Luke Dotson and Chase Hungate combined for the two-hitter. Prior to Sunday, the last time the Dawgs had a two-hitter was on March 13, 2021, against Eastern Michigan. Eric Cerantola, Preston Johnson, Cam Tuller and Carlisle Koestler were the pitching staff that limited Eastern Michigan to two hits in a 4-1 victory.
The Diamond Dawgs pitching staff has been dealin' this season. Over his first two starts of the season, Pico Kohn has shined as he is averaging 11 strikeouts per game. He has tallied 22 Ks and has not issued a walk this season. The Dawgs are averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings, the ninth best mark in the nation. The Diamond Dawgs have a team ERA of 2.02, the 13th best mark in the nation. MSU holds a WHIP (Walks and Hits per inning pitched) ranks 13th this season. The Dawgs have a whip of 0.98.
Prior to the start of the season, Chase Hungate, was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. This award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball. This season, he is only pitcher on the MSU staff to appear in four games. He picked up his first save of the season on Sunday as he closed the door against Missouri State. He has only allowed two hits and has been limiting opponents to a .167 batting average. He has not walked a batter and has two strikeouts on the season.
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 opened the 2025 season with back-to-back series weeks of Manhattan and Missouri State. MSU has outscored opponents 53 to 13 during its weekend series this season. MSU has not allowed a weekend opponent to score over four runs in a contest. Thie is the first time since the Dawgs swept back-to-back opponents since Mount St. Mary's and Evansville during the 2024 season.
For the first time since Feb. 28, 2023, State will play a ranked non-conference opponent. They welcome Troy into Dudy Noble Field for a game on Tuesday night. Troy enters the week as the No. 21 ranked team in the NCAA, while the Dawgs came in at No. 18. This will be the first Top 25 opponent that the Maroon and White have faced this season.
Hunter Hines is ranked fourth in program history with 56 career home runs, 11 home runs shy of tying for first in program history, which is held by Rafael Palmeiro. Hines' 56 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.

Scouting the Opponent – Troy

Troy enters the midweek tilt with the Diamond Dawgs ranked in three national polls. They are ranked No. 21 by D1 Baseball, No. 20 by the NCBWA and No. 24 by the USA Today Coaches' Poll.
The Trojans are 6-1 on the season and are on a three-game winning streak. They have won three-game set. The lone loss for the Trojans was a walk off loss to Auburn in midweek action.
Senior Adam Falinski makes his second straight of the season on Tuesday. He started the last midweek game against Auburn. He is 0-0 on the season with a 1.93 ERA in two appearances.
As an offense, the Trojans are hitting .362. They have two players, Sean Darnell (.542) and Blake Cavill (.500) hitting over .500 on this season. Besides leading the team hitting for average, they lead the team with 12 RBIs each.
They have hit eight home runs this season with Shane Lewis (3) and Darnell (3) combining for six of the eight.
Colby Frieda leads the Trojans in appearances with three, while seven other relievers have made two appearances each.
As a pitching staff, Troy posts a 3.26 earned run average over 58 innings pitched. They have combined for 65 strikeouts and are allowing opponents to hit .230.
Troy was picked second in the Preseason Coaches Poll. They were picked right behind Southern Miss.

Series Notes

Mississippi State leads the all-time series 5-0.
The last meeting between these two programs came during the 2018 season, when they met in May in Hoover, Ala. Mississippi State won, 9-8 in 10 innings.
MSU won the first meeting between these two programs on March 2, 2007, 2-1.

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Diamond Dawgs Set for Top 25 Showdown With Troy

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Dotson

Robert Fortenberry

Charlie Foster

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Pico Kohn

Jacob Pruitt

Stone Simmons

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Set for Top 25 Showdown With Troy

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Dotson

Robert Fortenberry

Charlie Foster

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Pico Kohn

Jacob Pruitt

Stone Simmons

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