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Mississippi State Baseball: Dudy Noble Field set to host Top 3 showdown

By Spencer Wright

Mississippi State played Texas Tech in a college baseball game at MGM Park in Biloxi on March 10, 2020. The Bulldogs beat the Red Raiders 6-3.mississippi state baseball
Mississippi State played Texas Tech in a college baseball game at MGM Park in Biloxi on March 10, 2020. The Bulldogs beat the Red Raiders 6-3.mississippi state baseball /
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All eyes of the college baseball world will be locked into Starkville, Mississippi, this weekend as No. 2 Arkansas (16-3, 2-1 SEC) visits No. 3 Mississippi State (17-4, 2-1 SEC) for a pivotal SEC West series. The first pitch is set for 6:30 PM CT on Friday, 2 PM CT on Saturday, and 2 PM CT again on Sunday.

Both teams are ranked near the top of the polls, with Baseball America having the Razorbacks at No. 1 and State at No. 2. D1Baseball has Vanderbilt at No. 1, with Arkansas and MSU following at 2 and 3, respectively.

The two teams last met in 2019 in Fayetteville. Arkansas swept State that weekend, outscoring the Bulldogs 27-10.

Scouting No. 2 Arkansas

Arkansas has been a top-five team all year and a consensus No. 1 until last week when the Razorbacks lost three-straight games before taking Alabama’s home series. Head coach Dave Van Horn’s club, returned a lot from a favorite team to win the SEC a year ago.

Veteran catcher Casey Opitz leads Arkansas offensively, hitting .364 with five doubles, a triple, and a home run. Junior college transfer Brady Slavens is hitting .304 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. The Razorbacks have also gotten solid production from freshman Cayden Wallace, slashing .294 with five home runs and 10 RBIs.

Shortstop Jalen Battles and second baseman Robert Moore man the middle for Dave Van Horn. Battles average is .254 with a home run and 14 RBIs, with Moore right behind at .253 and four home runs.

Veteran utility player Matt Goodheart brings a .292 batting average and three home runs into this weekend’s series. Outfielder Christian Franklin returns and is hitting .255 with three home runs on the season.

The Razorbacks are hitting .279 as a club with 31 home runs and 136 runs scored. Defensively, the Hogs are fielding at a .984 clip with 11 errors on the year.

Pitching-wise, Arkansas will go with left-hander Patrick Wicklander on Friday night. Wicklander comes in with no-decisions in five appearances and a 2.51 ERA. Hard-throwing righty Zebulon Vermillion will toe the rubber on Saturday, coming in with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 2.13.

Lefty Lael Lockhart gets the nod for Sunday’s finale. Lockhart is 1-1 on the season with a 2.38 ERA. Kevin Kopps has been dynamic out of the bullpen, earning a 1.38 ERA and 4-0 record in nine appearances this season.

Mississippi State Baseball Prediction

Dawgs take two out of three at home over Arkansas. Mississippi State becomes the No. 1 team in the land on Monday.

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