Dogs Host Alcorn In Season's Final Tuesday Game At Dudy Noble
STARKVILLE, Miss. - With wins in three of their last four games and a second SEC weekend series secured, the Bulldogs (19-17) welcome Alcorn State (17-20) to Dudy Noble Field Tuesday to close out a nine-game homestand. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on the final Bryan Foods-sponsored "Dollar Dog Night" of the season at Dudy Noble Field.
State took two of three games from Tennessee over the weekend to climb into a three-way tie for eighth place with Alabama and Kentucky in the league's overall standings at the midway point of the 10-weekend SEC baseball schedule. The Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide open a key three-game series Friday night in Tuscaloosa.
Freshman Matt Lane (0-0, 5.06) of Marietta, Ga., is set to make his debut as a starting pitcher for State Tuesday night. The lanky left-hander, with four brief pitching appearances in relief under his belt, would become the 12th Bulldog to draw game-opening pitching duty this season.
Alcorn State has not announced its Tuesday night starting pitcher. The Braves dropped two games of a three-game SWAC Eastern Division series last weekend at Jackson State.
MSU holds an 8-0 all-time series lead over Alcorn State in a series that got its start in 1976.
The Diamond Dogs are led at the plate by this week's SEC Player of the Week, Connor Powers (.414, 10 HR, 53 RBI). Powers piled up 12 hits, drove in eight runs and hit at a .706 clip over his last four games to garner his second SEC weekly award this year.