Diamond Dogs Host Kentucky In Super Bulldog Weekend Series
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State opens the second half of its 30-game Southeastern Conference baseball schedule on the home field this weekend, playing host to SEC Eastern division foe Kentucky in a three-game Super Bulldog Weekend series at Dudy Noble Field.
The Bulldogs (19-18, 5-10 SEC) and the Wildcats (19-16, 4-11 SEC) meet for the 83rd time in Friday’s 6:30 p.m. series-opener. State has built up a 52-30 all-time lead in a series that got its start in Starkville in 1925. The home team has claimed wins in the last four series, including a 2-1 UK edge (5-6, 13-4, 9-8) in last year’s series contested in Lexington, Ky.
Junior lefty Tyler Whitney (2-3, 4.25) will draw his seventh start of the year for State while the Wildcats will counter with junior lefty James Paxton (4-2, 6.07).
Bulldog skipper John Cohen, who served as Kentucky’s head baseball coach the past five seasons before returning to his alma mater last June, guided UK to an 8-7 mark against State and a pair of series wins over the Diamond Dogs from 2004 to 2008. MSU’s first base coach, Nick Mingione, also has Kentucky connections, having served for two seasons on Cohen’s staff in Lexington. UK is coached by Gary Henderson, a member of Cohen’s UK staff in 2008.
Both teams enter the series in search of win No. 20, their second league series win of the year and in a battle for a top eight league finish. State begins the weekend two games out of sixth place in the SEC’s overall standings and a game ahead of Kentucky.
A pair of Bulldogs are riding career-best hitting streaks. Sophomore shortstop Ryan Powers (.306) has hit safely in 14 games, the longest hitting streak of the year by a Bulldog and the second-longest active hitting streak in the Southeastern Conference. Junior first baseman Connor Powers (.308), who has homered in six of his last nine games and hit safely in those nine contests. He leads the team with 11 roundtrippers and 40 RBI. Junior third baseman Russ Sneed (.361) and senior catcher Scott DeLoach (.350) pace State at the plate.
Mississippi State currently sits atop the SEC in three varied statistical categories. MSU batters have been struck by pitches a league-high 52 times. The Bulldog defense has turned an SEC-leading 39 double plays while State also leads the conference with 34 sacrifice hits. Bulldog senior outfielder Grant Hogue has been struck by a league-high 13 pitches and ranks third in the SEC with 21 stolen bases.
The series continues Saturday at 1 p.m. and concludes with a 1:30 p.m. contest Sunday.