Bulldogs Welcome Jackson State For Midweek Matchup
March 17, 2025 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – For the second time this season, Mississippi State will welcome an instate foe to Dudy Noble Field for a midweek matchup.
The Diamond Dawgs are set to host Jackson State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network +. MSU fared well earlier this month when then 20th-ranked Southern Miss came to town, a game in which the Bulldogs won 18-3 in seven innings.
Chris Lemonis' clubs have fared well against the Tigers over the years, winning all four matchups by a combined score of 60-15 - including a 19-6 victory in Starkville last season. Hunter Hines went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in that contest while Joe Powell and Dylan Cupp were both 2-for-4 with a double each and Powell driving in three.
Nolan Stevens picked up the win in relief, logging 2 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
Noah Sullivan will make his second-straight midweek start on the mound for Mississippi State. The junior right-hander logged three scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks in his MSU mound debut against Nicholls last Wednesday in Biloxi
JSU has not announced its pitching plans other than it would be a bullpen game for the Tigers.
The Diamond Dawgs enter the contest at 13-7 overall after dropping three-straight to now eighth-ranked Texas over the weekend in one, two and three-run games. MSU is hitting .313 as a team with 33 home runs and averaging 7.6 runs per game. It is also fielding at a .977 clip and 29 of 32 on stolen base attempts.
Sullivan is also MSU's top bat with a .400 average and is one of 10 players currently hitting over .300 this spring. Aaron Downs leads the club with seven homers while Ace Reece has knocked in a team-best 27 runs and reached base in a team-high 15-straight games. Ross Highfill has swiped eight bases, which is currently tied for sixth in the SEC.
Bulldog hurlers have a collective 3.25 earned run average and rank second nationally in WHIP (1.05) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.91) and are third in strikeouts per nine innings (12.6). Opponents are hitting just .184 against them and have racked up 233 strikeouts in 166 innings of work.
Sullivan is one of four pitchers with perfect ERAs on the year joining Evan Siary, Gavin Black and Cade O'Leary. Pico Kohn leads Mississippi State in strikeouts with 43 while Chase Hungate holds half of the team's four saves.
Jackson State is currently 12-6 on the year and coming off a series loss at Prairie View A&M over the weekend. The Tigers won their SWAC opener 12-0 on Friday but dropped a 7-6 decision in 11 innings on Saturday and fell 9-5 on Sunday.
The Tigers are batting .314 as a team with 10 long balls and scoring 8.8 runs per game. They hold a .958 fielding percentage and are aggressive on the base paths, swiping 48 bases in 56 attempts on the year.
Joseph Eichelberger leads JSU with a .397 batting average and 19 runs batted in. Wilbert Perez (2) is the lone Tiger with multiple homers on the year while Jordan McCladdie is the team's top base thief with 18 steals in 20 tries.
The Tigers' pitching staff maintains a 4.70 ERA and have struck out 152 and walked 94 in 145 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .249 against them with eight home runs.
Stevins Spurgeon Jr. holds a flawless ERA for Jackson State while Erick Gonzalez tops the team with 38 strikeouts. CJ Lewis and Brandon Haston are responsible for the Tigers' two saves on the season.
Mississippi State holds a commanding 55-8 lead in the series over the Tigers and have claimed the past six meetings in a series that dates back to 1976.
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