Mississippi State Poll Update, 4/29/14

Although grabbing the Governor's Cup against Ole Miss Tuesday night, Mississippi State dropped a series versus Texas A&M, so they go down in this week's polls. Here are the rankings:

NCBWA - This Week: 23,  Last Week: 21

Coaches - This Week: 23,  Last Week: 22

Collegiate Baseball - This Week: 28,  Last Week: 20

Baseball America - This Week: NR,  Last Week: 20

Mississippi State's schedule this week includes a Wednesday night game versus Jacksonville State and a weekend road series against Auburn.

Recap - #20 Mississippi State, Texas A&M Doubleheader, 4/25/14

After a Thursday night rain delay, Mississippi State and Texas A&M played two Friday night, Mississippi State winning game one 5-1 and A&M winning two 6-3.

Game one started Thursday night with Trevor Fitts starting, and after a shaky 1st inning, he got hot. He struck out six and gave up one run in 6 innings. With the threat of bad weather coming into the Starkville area, they finished that night's action through 6 innings. Jacob Lindgren resumed the game for the Bulldogs on Friday and struggled. He gave up two walks and a hit and faced only four batters. Jonathan Holder finished the job for MSU, getting out of that 7th inning, striking out four and giving up one hit in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Trevor Fitts Struck Out Six and Gave Up One Run in MSU's 5-1 Win Over Texas A&M

Seth Heck had the hot bat in game one, going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Wes Rea also had a good day going 2-4.

This game was pretty much all Mississippi State, all the time. Mississippi State scored three runs in the 1st after a 2 RBI single by Gavin Collins and a wild pitch scoring Collins. The Bulldogs scored again in the 2nd after an RBI double by Seth Heck. After two scoreless innings for both teams, A&M got a run on the board in the 5th off of a wild pitch. In the 8th, Mississippi State finished the scoring with a solo shot by Cody Brown, sealing the 5-1 victory.

Game two showed a completely different story, as Texas A&M dominated the Bulldogs with a 6-3 victory. Ross Mitchell started for MSU, and had a very shaky outing. In 4 1/3 innings, Mitchell struck out two, but gave up five runs on seven hits. Myles Gentry replaced Mitchell on the mound and struck out four and gave up one run in 4 innings pitched. Vance Tatum finished the job, striking out one in 2/3 innings.

This game is another one where the Bulldog bats were hot, but no one could put a run across. Alex Detz went 3-5 with 1 RBI, Brett Pirtle went 3-4 with 1 RBI, which could've been more after he hit a home run that could have scored two, but it was a ground rule double in the 3rd. The Bulldogs didn't score any in that inning. Seth Heck went 2-4, and Matthew Britton went 2-4 with a run scored.

As I said before, this game was all Texas A&M. After two scoreless innings to open up the ballgame, Texas A&M was able to put a run across in the 3rd with and RBI single. After a scoreless 4th for both teams, it was a run friendly 5th. A&M scored four runs and MSU scored two, giving the Aggies the 5-2 lead. In the 7th, Mississippi State scored from a sac fly from Gavin Collins and in the 9th, A&M scored after an RBI single, finishing the game at 6-3.

Mississippi State is now 28-16, 11-9 and will look to win the series Saturday at 2:15 on FSN or ESPN3.

Recap - #20 Mississippi State 8, #16 Ole Miss 3, 4/22/14

                                         The Bulldogs Hoist the Governor's Cup

Mississippi State scored six consecutive runs in front of a stadium record breaking crowd at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi en route to an 8-3 victory over hated rival Ole Miss.

John Cohen and Butch Thompson surprised us all when they decided that JUCO transfer Lucas Laster would start on the mound for the Bulldogs, but boy, did he surprise us all. Although he gave up three runs and hit six batters, he struck out two and gave up just two hits in 5 1/3 innings. Freshman Vance Tatum replaced Laster on the mound and he struck out three and gave up just one hit in 3 2/3 innings.

The bats woke up for Mississippi State in Pearl, and Gavin Collins had a tremendous day. He went 3-4 with 2 RBIs. Also, Wes Rea woke up from hibernation Tuesday as he went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and scored a run.

Wes Rea Went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and a Run in Mississippi State's 8-3 Victory Over Ole Miss

Overall, it was a back and forth battle between the two teams. Ole Miss started with a run in the 1st and no one put anything on the board until the 3rd when Gavin Collins hit a 2 RBI single, giving MSU the 2-1 lead. After a 1-2-3 4th for both teams and a scoreless 5th, more was added to the board in the 6th. Although not getting a hit, Ole Miss was able to get 2 runs and the Bulldogs answered with 3 of their own, and they took the 5-3 lead. From there, it was all Bulldogs. 2 more were added in the 7th and another in the 8th sealed the victory for Mississippi State at 8-3.

Mississippi State improves to 27-15, 10-8 and will play a three game series versus Texas A&M, the first being Thursday at 6:30 PM on ESPNU. 

Mississippi State Poll Update, 4/22/14

After going 4-0 this past week with a sweep of Missouri, the Bulldogs jumped up in the polls this week. Here are the rankings:

NCBWA - This Week: 21,  Last Week: 22

Coaches - This Week: 22,  Last Week: NR

Collegiate Baseball - This Week: 20,  Last Week: 22

Baseball America - This Week: 20,  Last Week: 24

Mississippi State's schedule this week includes the Governor's Cup game Tuesday night in Pearl versus Ole Miss and a Thursday through Saturday home series against Texas A&M.

Recap - #24 Mississippi State 9, Missouri 7, 4/20/14

For the second time in the series, it took 11 innings to close a game out, but this time it required a late rally by Mississippi State on their way to a 9-7, extra innings victory over Missouri.

Brandon Woodruff was the starter for the Bulldogs on the Sunday game and he struggled yet again. He struck out two, but gave up five runs 4.1 innings pitched. Myles Gentry replaced Woody on the mound, and he faced only two batters before getting tossed, as he gave up a run. Ben Bracewell replaced Gentry, and he had a great day. He struck out seven and gave up only one run in 6 innings pitched. A good comeback for Benny after a bad Sunday game versus Ole Miss. Jacob Lindgren came in and threw a strikeout to end the game.

The Bulldogs came ready to play offensively. The led Missouri with fifteen hits, and the hot bat was C.T. Bradford. C.T. went 2-4 with 3 RBIs and he scored a run. This included a 2 RBI single that tied the game up at 7 in the bottom of the 9th after trailing 7-5. The Bulldogs were down 7-3 going to the 7th inning. Other hot bats were Brett Pirtle, who hit a solo home run in his first at bat, he went 3-6 with 1 RBI and scored 3 runs, Reid Humphreys who went 2-3 with 2 RBIs and scored 1 run, Demarcus Henderson who went 2-4 with an RBI and a run, and Seth Heck who went 2-5 with an RBI and a run. It was a big day.

 C.T. Bradford Had the Game Tying Hit in the 9th in MSU's 9-7 Comeback Win Over Missouri

Mississippi State grabs the sweep from the Tigers and improves to 26-15, 10-8. The Bulldogs will be back in action Tuesday in the Governor's Cup game vs Ole Miss in Pearl, Mississippi at 6:35 PM on the MSU Radio Network.

Recap - #24 Mississippi State 6, Missouri 2, 4/19/14

Mississippi State wins game two of the weekend series with Missouri, a crucial series for the Bulldogs, 6-2.

Ross Mitchell started on the mound for Mississippi State, and indeed he did have a stellar day. He threw a complete game, striking out three and giving up two runs. This was Mitchell's third SEC complete game in his six starts this year.

For the Bulldogs bats, Cody Brown was hot. He went 4-4 with 2 RBIs, scored a run and was walked. Special day for the freshman.

Cody Brown Went 4-4 With 2 RBIs In Mississippi State's 6-2 Road Victory Against Missouri

The Bulldogs will go for the sweep Sunday at 1:00 PM on the MSU Radio Network.

Recap - #24 Mississippi State 3, Missouri 2, 4/18/14

The last time these two teams met was in the 2013 SEC Tournament, where it took 17 innings to give Mississippi State the victory. This game went into extras, but only 11 as the Bulldogs snatched the 3-2 victory.

The Bulldogs went to Trevor Fitts to start on the mound for MSU, and he had a good outing. He struck out one and gave up one run through 2 2/3 innings pitched. Jacob Lindgren replaced Fitts on the bump and had a stellar day. In 3 innings, he struck out seven, gave up one hit and one run. Lindgren got into some trouble and Jonathan Holder replaced Lingo on the mound. Holder struck out six, gave up three hits and no runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

For the Bulldog bats, C.T. Bradford no doubt had the hot bat. He went 3-5, and had the game winning hit in the 11th, a single that drove Seth Heck home. Other good days included Seth Heck, who went 2-4 and scored two runs, Gavin Collins who went 2-5 with an RBI, and Brett Pirtle who went 1-5 and scored a run.

C.T. Bradford Went 3-5 and Had the Game Winning Hit in MSU's 3-2 Win Over Missouri

Mississippi State and Missouri play again Saturday at 2:00 CT on the MSU Radio Network.

SEC Baseball Schedule, 4/18/14 - 4/20/14

We are just past midway through the SEC baseball schedule, and here are the games being played for this weekend. (All times Central time, rankings from Baseball America poll)

#8 Alabama - at Tennessee (Friday - 5:00 PM, Saturday - 3:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

Arkansas - vs #18 Vanderbilt (Friday - 6:35 PM, Saturday - 6:05 PM, Sunday - 12:00 PM)

Auburn - vs #11 South Carolina (Friday - 6:00 PM, Saturday - 4:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

#9 Florida - vs Georgia (Friday - 6:30 PM, Saturday - 6:00 PM, Sunday - 11:00 AM)

Georgia - at #9 Florida (Friday - 6:30 PM, Saturday - 6:00 PM, Sunday - 11:00 AM)

#19 Kentucky - at Texas A&M (Friday - 6:35 PM, Saturday - 2:05 PM, Sunday - 12:05 PM)

#12 LSU - at #13 Ole Miss (Thursday - W, 4-3, Friday - 6:30 PM, Saturday - 1:00 PM)

#13 Ole Miss - vs #12 LSU (Thursday - L, 3-4, Friday - 6:30 PM, Saturday - 1:00 PM)

#24 Mississippi State - at Missouri (Friday - 6:00 PM, Saturday - 2:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

Missouri - vs #24 Mississippi State (Friday - 6:00 PM, Saturday - 2:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

#11 South Carolina - at Auburn (Friday - 6:00 PM, Saturday - 4:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

Tennessee - vs #8 Alabama (Friday - 5:00 PM, Saturday - 3:00 PM, Sunday - 1:00 PM)

Texas A&M - vs #19 Kentucky (Friday - 6:35 PM, Saturday - 2:05 PM, Sunday - 12:05 PM)

#18 Vanderbilt - at Arkansas (Friday - 6:35 PM, Saturday - 6:05 PM, Sunday - 12:00 PM)

Recap - #24 Mississippi State 16, Alcorn State 2, 4/15/14

Mississippi State looked to bounce back after a tough series loss to Ole Miss, and they did just that Tuesday night in a 16-2 thumping of the Braves of Alcorn State.

Vance Tatum started for the Bulldogs and had a decent showing. He struck out four and gave up three hits and two runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Austin Sexton replaced Tatum on the mound and had a stellar night, striking out three and giving up three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Alex Detz was by far the dominant hitter for MSU, going 3-4 with four RBIs and scoring two runs. Other solid performances included Wes Rea, who went 2-4 with an RBI, and Matthew Britton, who went 2-5 and scored two runs.

Alex Detz Hit 3-4, 4 RBIs, and Scored 2 Runs in Mississippi State's 16-2 Win Over Alcorn State

One sad note about this game was that it ended an era. This was the first ever game since early last season that the players of Mississippi State were beardless. Trevor Fitts noted on "Dawg Talk with John Cohen" that Coach Cohen told his team to shave as a result of the series loss to Ole Miss. Maybe this will spark some sort of run in the team moving forward.

Mississippi State starts a three game weekend series against Missouri in Columbia, Missouri on Friday at 6:00 PM on HailState TV.

Mississippi State Poll Update - 4/15/14

After going 2-2 on the week with a series loss to hated rival Ole Miss, Mississippi State dropped in the polls significantly. Here are the rankings:

NCBWA - This Week: 22,  Last Week: 19

Coaches - This Week: NR,  Last Week: 21

Collegiate Baseball - This Week: 22,  Last Week: 21

Baseball America - This Week: 24,  Last Week: 17

Mississippi State's schedule this week includes a home Tuesday night game versus Alcorn State and a  weekend series on the road against Missouri.

Recap - #19 Ole Miss 12, #17 Mississippi State 2, 4/13/14

After the improbable comeback victory on Saturday, the pressure of this game was intense. The pressure got to Mississippi State, and the result was a 12-2 beating by Ole Miss.

It was another TBA on the mound for the Bulldogs and they chose Ben Bracewell to start on the bump. It was a bad day for Benny. It was a bad start, giving up two runs in the 1st, and was tossed after giving up five hits and striking out one in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Brandon Woodruff replaced Bracewell on the mound, and he had an even worse day. In 2 1/3 innings, he gave up seven hits and seven runs and struck out zero. Junior College transfer Lucas Laster entered the game and gave up five hits and three runs and struck out one in 2 innings pitched. Myles Gentry finished the game pitching 2 innings, striking out two and giving up three hits.

Derrick Armstrong had another great day at the plate for Mississippi State, hitting 2 for 4 and scoring a run. That's about it for Bulldog hitting.

Derrick Armstrong Hit 2 for 4 in Mississippi State's 12-2 Loss to Ole Miss

Mississippi State drops to 22-15, 7-8 and will be back in action vs Alcorn State Tuesday night in Starkville at 6:30.

Recap - #17 Mississippi State 6, #19 Ole Miss 5, 4/12/14

15,586. 15,586 people. 15,586 people attended the heroic, unthinkable comeback victory at Dudy Noble Field on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, making it the largest on campus baseball attendance in NCAA history, as Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss 6-5 in ten innings.

Trevor Fitts got the start for the Bulldogs and he had another great day. He struck out one and gave up one in 4 innings pitched. Jacob Lindgren replaced Fitts on the mound in the 5th, and he struck out five in 3 1/3 innings. Jonathan Holder came into the ballgame and got into some trouble. He gave up 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings before Vance Tatum entered the game and got an out.

Now, let's talk about arguably one of the greatest comebacks in college baseball history. Tied 2-2 through 8, Ole Miss sent Braxton Lee home in the top of the 9th, only to get tagged out because of a cannon throw by Derrick Armstrong, ending Ole Miss' chance to score. In the bottom of the 9th, Mississippi State stranded three runners with a foul out by Jake Vickerson, sending the game to extras. In the 10th, Sikes Orvis hit a two run shot, followed by a sac fly, giving Ole Miss the 5-2 lead going to the B10. Mississippi State had to score at least three runs in one inning. Impossible. But, not on this historic day. It started with a Cody Brown double, followed by a Seth Heck double which brought in Brown. Alex Detz reached first off of a throwing error and Seth Heck reached third. Brett Pirtle then hit a sac fly, scoring Heck. Wes Rea stepped up to the plate with 2 outs and Detz on third. He doubled, bringing in Detz, and Gavin Collins stepped up to the plate. Matthew Britton came in to pinch run for Rea, and it happened. An RBI single that brought in Britton from second gave Mississippi State the improbable 6-5 extra innings victory.

Gavin Collins Got a Pie in the Face After Getting the Walk Off Hit in MSU's 6-5 Win vs Ole Miss

This game was memorable for the comeback, but what will make this game stand out is that it was in front of the largest on campus crowd in NCAA baseball history. 15,586 fans attended this game, breaking an attendance of 14,991 in a game against the Florida Gators almost 25 years ago on April 22, 1989. This game broke a record that stood for over 24 years, and that is something truly special.

The rubber game of the series is Sunday at 1:30 on HailState TV.

Recap - #19 Ole Miss 6, #17 Mississippi State 1, 4/11/14

Ross Mitchell got his first Friday night start of the year in front of the 7th largest on campus NCAA baseball crowd ever, but struggled in Mississippi State's 6-1 loss to 19th ranked Ole Miss.

Ross Mitchell was named the Friday night starter for Mississippi State's crucial mid-season series versus Ole Miss. He struck out 5 in 8 2/3 innings pitched, but gave up 13 hits, 2 walks and 6 runs in those 8 2/3 innings. Myles Gentry finished the job and got the last out of the game for the Bulldogs.

Ross Mitchell threw 5 strikeouts, but gave up 6 runs in Mississippi State's 6-1 loss to Ole Miss

For the Bulldog bats, it was another one of those strange nights where we hit well, but couldn't get a run across. Mississippi State accumulated 10 hits in the ballgame, but only put one run on the board. A surprise performer in the game was Matthew Britton who went 2-3 in the game. Britton has struggled throughout the season, and hopefully he can get things back together.

Mississippi State drops to 21-14, 6-7 and will battle the Rebels in game two of the series Saturday at 3:00 on FSN.

Recap - #23 LSU 2, #9 Mississippi State 1, 4/5/14

Terrible calls from the umpire and poor hitting led to a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to LSU Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

Ross Mitchell was the starter for the Bulldogs and had a spectacular night. He struck out one in 6 innings pitched. He had the game in control entering the 6th inning, with Mississippi State leading LSU 1-0. With a man on 1st with 1 out, a ball was grounded to Mitchell, and he picked it up in what is going to be an inning ending double play, but the ball slipped out of his glove and Ross was credited with an error. Later, an RBI single and a sac fly RBI gave LSU the lead and the momentum. Jacob Lindgren was called up in relief, and struck out 2 in 2 innings pitched.

The one run for MSU came from Demarcus Henderson, who hit an RBI single in the 4th, bringing in Brett Pirtle.

The one thing I will vividly remember in this game was John Cohen's first ever ejection as the head coach of Mississippi State. The home plate umpire didn't call a catcher's interference while Matthew Britton was at bat, leading to him running out of the dugout, and yelling his head off with veins popping out of his neck.

Yeah, he was pretty mad. Mississippi State drops to 20-12, 6-5 and will hope to grab one game in the series Sunday at 1:30.

Recap - #23 LSU 3, #9 Mississippi State 0, 4/4/14

LSU starter Aaron Nola strolled through the Mississippi State lineup Friday night en route to a 3-0 victory in Alex Box Stadium.

Aaron Nola had a terrific day. He pitched a no hitter through 5 innings, and gave up only two hits and two walks, striking out ten in 8 innings pitched. Absolutely insane. Joe Broussard came in to finish the job in the 9th, pitching a 1-2-3 inning.

After a Preston Brown shoulder injury and an announcement of Ross Mitchell starting, John Cohen and Butch Thompson surprised all of us with a Trevor Fitts start Friday night. Fitts gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, and struck out 1 in 2 innings pitched. Ben Bracewell then replaced Fitts and gave up 1 run and struck out 1 in 1 2/3 innings pitched. When Mississippi State fans thought things couldn't get any worse, Brandon Woodruff, who has been struggling all year, replaced Bracewell. And, boy, did he have a great night. He struck out 4 in 4 1/3 innings pitched. I sure hope he's back in his old form.

Trevor Fitts got the start in Mississippi State's 3-0 game one road loss vs LSU

Mississippi State drops to 20-11, 6-4 and will play game two of the LSU series at 6:30 on ESPNU.