Super Bulldog Weekend Baseball Preview

Super Bulldog Weekend will feature two of the best hitting teams in the SEC in a pivotal showdown for control of the SEC West.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs face another stiff challenge this weekend as the Texas A&M Aggies roll into Dudy Noble Field as part of Super Bulldog Weekend festivities. If the Bulldogs and Aggies can continue their offensive ways, there could be a lot of offensive fireworks on the field this weekend.

More bulldogs: Super Bulldog Weekend Forecast

The Bulldogs and Aggies are among the top three in the SEC in six different categories. The Aggies lead the SEC in batting average at .328 and the Bulldogs are second at .318. The scary part for Bulldog fans will be the Aggies SEC leading 35 home runs.

Both teams pitch really well, but Aggies have seen a noticeable dip since the calendar turned to Conference play. The Bulldogs rely on the strength of their Friday and Saturday starters, while the Aggies have had far less consistency from their starting staff.

While the Aggies have a lower ERA than the Bulldogs at 3.00 compared to Mississippi State’s 3.39, the Aggies have struggled in conference play. Texas A&M has a 4.41 ERA against SEC opponents. Brigham Hill got the call for his first Friday night start against Georgia last week and looked solid. He pitched over 6 innings without giving up a run. His ERA was lowered to 1.42 overall and 2.20 against SEC opponents. Expect him to get the nod again on Friday and see if he can match what he did a week ago against a Bulldog team with more bite than bark.

Saturday and Sunday have been an adventure for the Aggies. Jace Vines and Kyle Simonds have been the other two weekend starters, but neither has looked good in conference play. Both have overall ERAs under 4.00 and hitters are hitting under .245 against both of them. But against SEC opponents, Vines has a 5.31 ERA and hitters are batting .301 against him. Simonds has struggled as well, posting a 5.56 ERA and hitters batting .293 against him. This is after the two combined for 16.2 innings while only giving up three runs against Georgia a week ago,

The player to watch for the Aggies at the plate will be Third Baseman Boomer White. He’s hitting .411 overall, but he has taken it to an unworldly level of .510 against SEC opponents. As much as White has gotten on base, it has given First Baseman Hunter Melton plenty of opportunities to drive him in. Melton is among the SEC leaders in RBIs with 41.

The Aggies will likely score runs, but the real key will be whether or not their pitching staff which has struggled against SEC opponents will be able to keep the potent Bulldog offense in check. If they can’t, it could be a long weekend for the Aggies.

Mississippi State Baseball Players to Watch
If the Bulldogs want to pull off the upset, keep your eye on these players during Super Bulldog Weekend.

Jake Mangum – OF
Elih Marrero – C
Dakota Hudson – SP
Konnor Pilkington – P
Zac Houston- SP

Jake Mangum has been the straw stirring the drink since he was inserted into the lineup. There are still questions about the return of Jacob Robson, so he will need to continue his production at the top of the lineup if Robson can’t go.

Elih Marrero was awarded with a bump up to second in the lineup on Saturday and Sunday. If Robson can’t play in front of what might be record crowds for Super Bulldog Weekend, Marrero will probably be back toward the top of the lineup. If the one and two hitters can get on base consistently, it will give the middle of the order plenty of opportunities to drive in a lot of runs.

Dakota Hudson had his worst start of the season against the Florida Gators last weekend. Hudson hadn’t given up a hit through four innings and only allowed one unearned run. Then the fifth inning came and he came undone, allowing five runs and was pulled the next inning. Hudson needs to get back to his dominant ways this Friday night.

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Konnor Pilknington was given his first weekend start, and he wasn’t great. But he was effective. Pilkington went four innings, walked five, allowed three hits, but didn’t give up any runs. He was in trouble for much of the game, but it never came back to bite him. If he can clean up the walks and give Mississippi State four to six innings of no more than three runs, then call it a success.

Zac Houston took the mound after Plikington on Sunday, and dominated. He pitched 3.1 innings and never allowed Florida to sniff home plate. Expect the coaching staff to hold him again until Sunday if they should need the same 1-2 punch they used against the Gators.

My series prediction
The Bulldogs will be the favorite this weekend during Super Bulldog Weekend. Lots of people have been saying great things about this group of players. But the Aggies are no pushover.

Texas A&M was reeling after being swept by Florida, but they got a much needed sweep of Georgia. With Mississippi State winning the series against Florida, anything less than a sweep would have put the Aggies two games behind the Bulldogs and a difficult hole to climb out of.

I made a bold prediction against Florida and it came true, and I am going to do the same for Super Bulldog Weekend. The winner of this series will have the inside track on the SEC West crown, and I think the Bulldogs send a huge statement by sweeping the Aggies. Hudson will give up some runs, but Brigham Hill will learn there is a big difference between the Georgia Bulldog lineup and the Mississippi State Bulldog lineup. Sexton, Pilkington, Houston and the rest of the bullpen will keep the Aggies in check enough the rest of the weekend, while the bats pound a pitching staff that has struggled against SEC opponents into submission.

If the Bulldogs can do that during Super Bulldog Weekend, it would setup another likely showdown with LSU the next week for the SEC West title.