Bulldogs and Wildcats meet for first time since 2018 and match up as ranked opponents for the third time since 2012
STARKVILLE – For the third straight weekend, the No. 5 Mississippi State baseball program will meet a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent when No. 21 Kentucky comes to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game series beginning on Thursday (April 1).
The first two games of the series will be aired nationally on the ESPN family of networks, with the series opener at 6:30 on ESPNU and the Friday, April 2 contest on SEC Network at 6 p.m. Dave Neal and Chris Burke will be on the call for both contests. Saturday’s series finale will air on the SEC Network+ and start at 2 p.m.
Mississippi State (17-7, 2-4 SEC) enters on a three-game skid after falling to No. 1 Arkansas last weekend, while Kentucky (18-4, 5-1 SEC) has won five straight. It is the sixth straight time dating back to 2012 that MSU or UK enter their series matchup with at least one team ranked, while both have been ranked in three of those seasons (2021, 2017, 2013).
Dating back to the 2018 season, the Diamond Dawgs have won 10 of it last 13 SEC series. That span includes four sweeps by the Bulldogs (2018 – Florida; 2019 – Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia).
As a pitching staff, Mississippi State continues to own some of the best numbers in college baseball. The 2.97 ERA sits No. 3 in the SEC and No. 13 in college baseball, while MSU is one of only three Power 5 programs to rank among the top 15 in both strikeouts per nine innings (No. 2; 13.2) and WHIP (No. 7; 1.08), along with Vanderbilt and Indiana.
At the plate, Mississippi State owns the fewest strikeouts among the 61 Division I programs with at least 100 base on balls on the season.
Kentucky won two of three games over Missouri to open SEC play, before sweeping Auburn at Plainsman Park in the second weekend of conference play. The Wildcats join Vanderbilt as the only two teams in the SEC with a .300 team batting average and an ERA of under 3.00. As a team, UK is a perfect 33-of-33 in stolen bases on the season, including 12-of-12 in SEC play.
Gameday Info
Thursday, April 1 (6:30 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Christian MacLeod, RHP, So.
UK: Ryan Hagenow, RHP, Fr.
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Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/StatBroadcast
Friday, April 2 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Will Bednar, RHP, Fr. (2Y)
UK: Cole Stupp, RHP, So.
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Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/StatBroadcast
Saturday, April 3 (2 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jackson Fristoe, RHP, Fr.
UK: Zack Lee, RHP, So.
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Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/StatBroadcast
Quick Hitters
- Mississippi State enters the week among the top 10 in four of the major polls. The Diamond Dawgs are as high as No. 5 per Baseball America.
FULL POLLS ON PAGE 6 - Mississippi State picked up its NCAA best fifth shutout of the season at LSU on March 20. The Diamond Dawgs are tied for the most shutouts in 2021 with Oklahoma State.
- Mississippi State has fanned 10-plus batters in 19 of 24 games this seasons, including a school-record-tying 10 straight games from Feb. 26-March 12.
MORE ON PAGE 11 - Junior Tanner Allen posted three multi-hit games last week and was on base in each of the four contests. Allen ranks among the SEC leaders in runs scored (5th), hit-by-pitch (10th), stolen bases (11th), RBIs (13th) and hits (14th).
- Mississippi State last met during the 2018 season in Lexington, with the No. 21 Wildcats winning two of three games in the series. This will mark the third straight meeting that Kentucky is ranked entering the series.
- The Diamond Dawgs have won 10 of it last 13 SEC series dating back to a series sweep of No. 1 Florida to end the 2018 regular season. That span includes four sweeps by the Bulldogs (2018 – Florida; 2019 – Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia).
- As a pitching staff, Mississippi State continues to own some of the best numbers in college baseball. The 2.97 ERA sits No. 3 in the SEC and No. 13 in college baseball, while sitting as one of only three Power 5 programs to rank among the top 15 in both strikeouts per nine innings (No. 2; 13.2) and WHIP (No. 7; 1.08), along with Vanderbilt and Indiana.
- At the plate, Mississippi State owns the fewest strikeouts among the 61 Division I programs with at least 100 base on balls on the season.
- For the seventh straight semester under head coach Chris Lemonis, the baseball program logged a GPA of 3.0 or better during the Fall 2020 term. The team compiled a 3.19 GPA, with 33 student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or better.
Scouting the Opponent
- Kentucky enters on a five game winning streak with includes a series sweep at Auburn last weekend. Overall, the Wildcats are 18-4 and own an SEC mark of 5-1.
- UK won two of three games over Missouri to open SEC play, before sweeping Auburn at Plainsman Park in the second weekend of conference play.
- Kentucky and Vanderbilt are the only two teams in the SEC with a .300 team batting average and an ERA of under 3.00
- Leading the way offensively is Austin Schultz with a team-high .352 batting average, 32 hits and is a perfect 12-of-12 in stolen bases. He ranks No. 2 on the team with 19 runs scored.
- Friday night starter Cole Stupp is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and a .231 batting average against in 30 2/3 innings of work. He owns 31 strikeouts and just four walks.
- Kentucky is a perfect 33-of-33 in stolen bases on the season, including 12-of-12 in SEC play.
Series Notes
- Mississippi State and Kentucky will meet for the 104th time in program history in the series opener at Dudy Noble Field on Friday, with State owning a 62-41 edge on the all-time ledger.
- Mississippi State and Kentucky were both charter members of the Southern Conference (1921) and the Southeastern Conference (1933).
- The first meeting came during the 1925 season, when Kentucky traveled to Starkville for a pair of Southern Conference contests. State claimed both, winning 9-0 and 9-3.
- Kentucky followed with a pair of wins in Lexington during the 1926 season.
- The first meeting as SEC opponents came in Starkville in 1934, with MSU claiming both of those games. From 1949-1979, MSU and Kentucky did not meet in baseball.