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Mississippi State vs. Georgia Baseball Preview

By Cooper Ashcraft

Oct 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A Baseball glove and ball rest on the field prior to a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A Baseball glove and ball rest on the field prior to a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the regular season winding down, Mississippi State will be heading to Athens to take on the Bulldogs of Georgia this weekend in a critical 3 game series.

Coming into the weekend the Diamond Dawgs are in a tie for first place in the SEC standings with Florida, meanwhile Georgia is fighting for an opportunity to extend their season and make the SEC tournament in two weeks. Although Georgia (20-29, 7-17 SEC) is having a disappointing season, the Bulldogs are playing good baseball down the stretch after taking two of three from Kentucky on the road last weekend, and beating their in state rival Georgia Tech on the road in their midweek game on Tuesday night. Mississippi State is coming off a good weekend after taking two of three on the road at Texas A&M and will look to stay in first place after this weekend.

When: Friday 12:00 Saturday 3:00 Sunday 12:00

Where: Foley Field in Athens, Georgia

How to watch:  Friday (SECN+) Saturday (SECN) Sunday (SECN+)

Mississippi State projected starters

Friday: Konnor Pilkington (5-4, 3.82 ERA)

Saturday: Denver McQuary (2-1, 3.57 ERA)

Sunday: Jacob Billingsley (1-1, 4.63 ERA)

The Mississippi State bats have propelled the Bulldogs all season long, ranking third in the league in terms of batting average and home runs. If you haven’t heard, Brent Rooker is good at hitting a baseball.

Rooker leads the SEC in nine offensive categories, including all three triple crown categories. Making it even tougher on teams, guys like Ryan Gridley and Cody Brown make it nearly impossible to pitch around him due to both guys hitting well over .300 on the year. The Bulldogs pitching staff has been decimated by injuries all season long, forcing pitching coach Gary Henderson to piece together starting rotations and the bullpen all year.

For much of the season head coach Andy Cannizaro has been forced to wait until the day of to announce a starting pitcher on Saturdays and Sundays, but the emergence of freshman pitcher Denver McQuary may have put those questions to bed for now. In his last two starts against Ole Miss and Texas A&M McQuary has gone 10.1 innings, allowed 3 ER, and struck out 9.

Georgia projected starters

Friday: Andrew Gist (2-3, 3.75 ERA)

Saturday: TBA

Sunday: TBA

Gist has pitched well over his last two starts against Florida and Kentucky posting a 2.86 ERA and 14 strike outs in 12.2 innings, but was unable to factor into the decision. Georgia has struggled on the mound this year placing last in the SEC in team ERA at 5.12 and have given up the third most home runs in the league. Unfortunately Georgia’s bats haven’t been been too kind to them either posting a .259 batting average on the year which ranks thirteenth in the league.

One bright spot for the red and black Bulldogs has been the emergence of freshman RF Tucker Bradley late in the season. Bradley is riding a nine game hit streak entering the weekend while leading the team in batting average at .328. Catcher Michael Curry also leads the team in home runs (9) and RBIs (44) while hitting .314 on the year, good for second best on the team.

This is an important series for Mississippi State as they try to stay atop the SEC standings and solidify themselves as a regional host, and possibly a national seed.

Coming into the weekend the bulldogs sit at fourteen in the RPI rankings, they will need to climb six spots in the coming weeks to be in the mix for a national seed. A strong finish against Georgia and next weekend at home against LSU could go a long way in determining where the Bulldogs will play in the postseason.

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