Diamond Dogs Open Weekend Series Friday At No. 3 Georgia
ATHENS, Ga. - Mississippi State makes its seasonal SEC road debut and faces its stiffest challenge of the 2009 campaign this weekend when the Bulldogs (13-6, 2-1 SEC) take on the third-ranked defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs (16-2, 1-2 SEC) in a three-game series at UGA’s Foley Field. The series-opener is set for 6 p.m. (CDT) and will be televised live regionally by Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS).
The Bulldogs, ranked 25th in this week’s Collegiate Baseball poll, successfully opened their 30-game league slate last weekend at Dudy Noble Field, taking two of three games from No. 17 South Carolina. State then split a pair of midweek contests, seeing a rally fall short in a 10-7 Tuesday night loss to Southern Miss in Pearl, Miss., before besting UAB 8-4 Wednesday in Starkville. Tuesday’s neutral site contest at Trustmark Park was played before 7,947 fans, the second-largest crowd hosted at the home of the Mississippi Braves.
Georgia held down a No. 1 national ranking before dropping two games in a three-game series at Alabama last weekend. UGA rebounded from a 23-33 mark in 2007 to win the 2008 league title and advance to the finals of the NCAA College World Series.
Junior right-hander Tyler Whitney (2-0, 1.12) will open on the hill for State while Georgia will counter with senior righty Trevor Holder (3-1, 2.01).
State will be out to snap a run of six consecutive series wins by the Georgia Bulldogs, who took two of three games in last year’s series in Starkville. MSU’s last series win in Athens came with a State series sweep in 1997.
The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. (CDT) game and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. (CDT), a game also televised regionally by Comcast Sports Southeast.