Should Dakota Hudson start Game 1 for the Mississippi State Baseball Team?
With Southeast Missouri possessing a lockdown ace in Joey Lucchesi, should the Mississippi State baseball team counter with their own ace?
Joey Lucchesi is presenting problems for the Mississippi State baseball team and he hasn’t even thrown a pitch yet. One of the reasons the times were changed for the games on Friday was because of the distinct possibility the Bulldogs could lose Friday.
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If you look at the roster for the Southeast Missouri Redhawks, you’ll see the team has a potent offense. It has a good pitching staff that gets a big statistical boost from their ace Joey Lucchesi.
Many people who have followed the 2016 Mississippi State baseball season assumed the Bulldogs would pitch either Konnor Pilkington, Zac Houston, or some other pitcher in their first game. The Bulldogs would likely be facing an automatic qualifier that won a conference tournament to earn their spot, so most assumed the opponent would be overmatched.
And this might still be the case. The opposition the Redhawks have faced has not been the strongest teams in the NCAA. They only played one team, Ole Miss, that is in the field of 64, and SEMO lost both of those games.
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Ideally, John Cohen and Wes Johnson would like to save Dakota Hudson and Austin Sexton for later in the weekend. But going against an ace like Lucchesi makes that a risky proposition.
If you don’t believe me, check out Lucchesi’s numbers.
- Record: 10-4
- ERA: 1.87
- Innings Pitched: 105.2
- Strikeouts: 145
- Base on Balls: 37
- Batting Average Against: .224
- Home Runs Allowed: 3
Lucchesi shouldn’t be a pitcher Mississippi State Baseball fans can assume the Bulldog will knock all over the park. But there is reason to believe the Bulldogs will have success against him.
The four losses Lucchesi recorded on the season came against Lamar, Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, and Tennessee Tech. In each of those losses, Lucchesi struggled to get hitters out.
I don’t know what the coaches will decide, but if it were me, I would start Houston or Pilkington. The Mississippi State baseball lineup will be the most difficult challenge he has faced all season. I don’t think fans should expect the Bulldogs to completely light him up, but I do expect them to hit him well enough to win the game.
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The Bulldogs have faced some of the best pitchers in the country this year. In general, they have done pretty well. Lucchesi is a tough opponent to start with, but Cohen and Johnson should feel comfortable rolling the dice and saving Dakota Hudson for Day 2 of the regional.