No. 3 Mississippi State baseball returns to action against Missouri

Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Collin Wilmes@CollinWilmes May 13, 2021, 6:26pm EDT

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 3 Mississippi State baseball team (35-11, 16-8 SEC) is set to host the Missouri Tigers (12-32, 5-19 SEC) at Dudy Noble Field for its final home series of the 2021 season.

The three-game Southeastern Conference series begins Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU and continues Friday at 6:30 p.m. before concluding with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Game 2 and Game 3 of the series will be streaming on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs went 3-1 last week on the road, which included a midweek win over The Citadel and a series win over then-No. 18 South Carolina.

Senior Tanner Allen leads MSU with a .379 batting average, 66 hits, 46 RBIs and 50 runs. Senior Rowdey Jordan, who is hitting .318, leads the Bulldogs with 52 runs scored and has also recorded 55 hits and 31 RBIs.

The Tigers have lost nine consecutive games and were outscored 26-10 by then-No. 6 Tennessee over the weekend.

Senior Andrew Keefer leads the team with a .294 batting average and 42 hits, while sophomore Torin Montgomery has accounted for a team-high 28 RBIs on a .271 batting average.

Thursday’s meeting will mark the 12th between MSU and Missouri on the diamond. The Bulldogs own a 9-2 record against the Tigers all-time.

Thursday, May 13 (7:30 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: LHP Christian MacLeod (4-3, 3.05 ERA)

UM: RHP Jacob Kush (2-2, 4.95 ERA)

TV: ESPNU

Live Video: https://hailst.at/3hng0vq

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

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

Friday, May 14 (6:30 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: RHP Will Bednar (5-1, 3.31 ERA)