Rivalry renewed: No. 5 Mississippi State baseball hosts No. 7 Ole Miss

Friday’s first pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

By Collin Wilmes@CollinWilmes Apr 16, 2021, 5:36pm EDT

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Two programs with national championship aspirations will be on display this weekend as the No. 5 Mississippi State baseball team hosts No. 7 Ole Miss in a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field.

The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. CT and will air nationally on SEC Network. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streaming on SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will also be streaming on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs (25-7, 8-4 SEC) enter the weekend with the longest winning streak in the Southeastern Conference at eight games, including series sweeps over Kentucky and at Auburn.

MSU is hitting .281 as a team and is led by senior Tanner Allen with a .333 batting average, 38 hits and 34 RBIs. He is also second on the team in runs scored with 33. Senior Rowdey Jordan is batting .306 with 37 hits, 36 runs and 21 RBIs, while sophomore Kamren James is batting .303 with 37 hits, 32 RBIs and seven home runs.

The MSU pitching staff has struck out 10-plus batters in a school-record 12 straight games and leads the nation with 421 strikeouts. The staff has also limited opposing hitters to a .197 batting average.

The Rebels (25-8, 8-4 SEC) have won four of their last six games but have dropped their last two SEC series against No. 1 Arkansas and at No. 16 Florida.

Junior Kevin Graham leads Ole Miss with a .349 batting average and 44 hits. He is second on the team with 31 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Senior Tim Elko leads the team with 36 RBIs on a .340 batting average with 36 hits and 27 runs.

In SEC play, the Ole Miss pitching staff owns a 5.09 ERA with 133 strikeouts and 51 walks in 106 innings pitched.

Friday marks the 471st meeting between the Bulldogs and Rebels. MSU owns a 258-207-5 edge and has won six consecutive games against Ole Miss.

Friday, April 16 (6 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: LHP Christian MacLeod (3-2, 2.72 ERA)

OM: RHP Gunnar Hoglund (3-1, 2.57 ERA)

TV: SEC Network

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

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

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

Saturday, April 17 (2 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters: