No. 8 Mississippi State baseball looks to get back on track in 3-game series against Kentucky

Thursday’s first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

By Collin Wilmes@CollinWilmes Apr 1, 2021, 5:43pm EDT

STARKVILLE, Miss. — After losing all three games to then-No. 3 Arkansas last weekend, the No. 8 Mississippi State baseball team will look to get back on track in a three-game series against Kentucky at Dudy Noble Field beginning on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

The series continues Friday at 6 p.m. and concludes Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday’s game will air on SEC Network, while the series finale will be streaming on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs (17-7, 2-4 SEC) were outscored 25-11 in last weekend’s series against the Razorbacks. Senior Tanner Allen recorded two multihit games in the series and batted 4-for-13 (.308) overall.

MSU is batting for a team average of .270 with Allen leading the offensive attack with 30 hits, 23 RBIs and 26 runs on a .326 batting average. Sophomore Kamren James is batting .289 with 26 hits, 22 RBIs and five home runs, while junior Luke Hancock is batting .284 with 23 RBIs and a team-high six home runs.

The Bulldog pitching staff owns a 2.97 ERA, which ranks 13th in the nation. MSU has also struck out an average of 13.2 batters per nine innings, which ranks second in the nation.

The Wildcats (18-4, 5-1 SEC) have won five straight games, including a sweep at Auburn last weekend. They also beat Bellarmine 4-3 on Tuesday. Kentucky is one of two programs in the Southeastern Conference with a .300 team batting average and an ERA of under 3.00.

Junior Austin Schultz leads Kentucky with a team-high .352 batting average and 32 hits. Graduate student T.J. Collett is batting .299 with a team-high 27 RBIs and eight home runs.

Thursday’s game will mark the 104th meeting between the Bulldogs and Wildcats on the diamond. MSU owns a 62-41 edge all-time.

Thursday, April 1 (6:30 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: LHP Christian MacLeod (2-2, 3.33 ERA)

UK: RHP Ryan Hagenow (1-0, 1.00 ERA)

TV: ESPNU

Live Video: https://hailst.at/3sHhLGr

Live Audio: https://hailst.at/audio

Live Stats: http://hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Friday, April 2 (6 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: RHP Will Bednar (1-0, 2.12 ERA)