No. 4 Mississippi State baseball visits No. 18 South Carolina

The series begins Friday at 6 p.m.

By Collin Wilmes@CollinWilmes May 7, 2021, 5:24pm EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 4 Mississippi State baseball heads to No. 18 South Carolina for a three-game weekend series at Founders Park.

The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, while Saturday’s game will begin at 3 p.m. and will also be streaming on SEC Network+. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. and will air nationally on SEC Network.

The Bulldogs (33-10, 14-7 SEC) are fresh off a 10-2 win over The Citadel on Wednesday. Last weekend, MSU swept Texas A&M in a three-game Southeastern Conference series.

Offensively, MSU is led by senior Tanner Allen, who is hitting .360 with 58 hits, 46 runs and 40 RBIs. Senior Rowdey Jordan is batting .309 with 50 hits, 44 runs and 29 RBIs.

The MSU pitching staff is averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks No. 1 in the nation. The South Carolina pitching staff is averaging 11.9, which ranks second.

The Gamecocks (27-15, 11-10 SEC) beat North Florida 7-6 on Wednesday after getting swept by then-No. 15 Ole Miss last weekend.

South Carolina is hitting .255 as a team and is led by junior Brady Allen, who is hitting .296 with 50 hits, 39 runs and 34 RBIs. Junior Wes Clarke leads the Gamecocks with 40 RBIs and 17 home runs on a .279 batting average.

Friday’s meeting will mark the 76th game between the Bulldogs and Gamecocks on the diamond. MSU trails 39-36 head-to-head but has won the last four series.

Friday, May 7 (6 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: LHP Christian MacLeod (3-3, 3.49 ERA)

USC: RHP Brannon Jordan (4-3, 3.42 ERA)

Live Video: https://hailst.at/3xSftY7

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

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

Saturday, May 8 (3 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters:

MSU: RHP Will Bednar (4-1, 3.14 ERA)

USC: RHP Will Sanders (6-2, 3.38 ERA)

Live Video: https://hailst.at/3h6NBcM