Mississippi State baseball looks to be getting hot at the right time. Back-to-back thrilling wins have the Bulldogs in the winner's bracket of the SEC Baseball Tournament. They've given themselves a fantastic argument to host by beating Texas A&M, and now, they're looking to advance to the SEC semifinals for the first time since 2013.
Up next for MSU, the Vanderbilt Commodores. State took 2/3 from Vandy in Nashville earlier this year, but the 'Dores are looking dangerous in Hoover.
Carter Holton likely to take the mound for Vandy
Vanderbilt is expected to throw their usual Saturday starter Carter Holton against Mississippi State. Holton is 6-4 on the season with a 5.29 ERA and a .238 average allowed. He leads Vandy with 96 strikeouts and has issued just 25 walks.
State's lineup found success against Holton when they faced him in the regular season series. The Bulldogs recorded six hits and two walks to score five runs on Holton in five innings of action in a game they'd go on to win 7-4.
Vandy's top reliever Miller Green likely won't be available after four innings thrown yesterday, but they may be able to get some work from Brennan Seiber who pitched Tuesday (4.62 ERA) and Ryan Ginther (5.67 ERA).
Vandy coming off massive offensive day
For the year, Vanderbilt's offensive production has been middle of the pack within the SEC. But they just had a huge game on Wednesday. The Commodore lineup explored for 13 runs off of 15 hits, four of which were home runs.
As expected, Vandy's top bats came through against the Vols. Jonathan Vastine hit a 3-run home run. RJ Austin with 3-5, and Alan Espinal went deep twice. That trio has led the way most of the year for Vandy.
Jurrangelo Cijntje takes the mound tonight for State. He was dominant through five innings when he pitched against VU in the regular season before losing it in the 6th. He'll look for a more complete outing tonight.
If any doubt remains about State hosting, they can eliminate that tonight
After defeating Texas A&M, most expect Mississippi State to host a regional in Starkville, including myself. Still, college baseball's prognosticators aren't yet ready to lock the Diamond Dawgs into a host spot.
I think they're safe, but if they want to end any discussions, they can do it by beating the 'Dores and advancing to the SEC semis. They'll take on Vanderbilt at approximately 8:00 pm CT on the SEC Network.