State Returns Home To Face LA Tech On Tuesday

Tuesday, March 7

Starkville

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

Louisiana Tech

Tickets

Cannizaro and the DIamond Dawgs return home after a weekend in Oregon.

State Returns Home To Face LA Tech On Tuesday

March 06, 2017 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)Watch Live on SEC Network+

STARKVILLE, Miss. – One day removed from a three-game series at Oregon, Mississippi State (7-5) returns home for a midweek matchup with Louisiana Tech (11-1) at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field.

The battle of the Bulldogs will open a six-game, non-conference homestand for MSU that will take place over the course of a nine-day span. The midweek meeting will pitch a pair of head coaches against each other that were with different programs the last time the two teams last met.

Tuesday's tilt will mark the first meeting between State and LA Tech since June 5, 2016 when No. 6 national seeded MSU won 4-0 to claim the 2016 NCAA Starkville Regional. State leads the all-time series 37-14-1 and holds a 21-4-1 advantage in games held in Starkville.

For all midweek games this season, general admission tickets will be sold for $2. Hot dogs will also be available for $2 at concessions. Fans can also visit HailState.com/memories for incredible fan experiences.

Game Notes | Live Stats | Tickets

NEED TO KNOW

MSU is 4-0 this season when scoring in the first inning & 3-0 when scoring first
Four of State's seven wins this season have come in comeback fashion
MSU has outscored opponents 57-9 in the fifth through eighth innings in 2017
16 Bulldog newcomers have made their MSU debut this season, 10 of which came on the mound (Graham Ashcraft, Trysten Barlow, Jacob Barton, Brant Blaylock, Harrison Bragg, Parker Ford, Trey Jolly, Elijah MacNamee, Andrew Mahoney, Denver McQuary, Peyton Plumlee, Tanner Poole, Spencer Price, Riley Self, Dustin Skelton and Hunter Vansau).
The four Bulldogs that have started all 12 games this season for MSU (Jake Mangum, Luke Alexander, Ryan Gridley and Brent Rooker) are batting a combined .419 (83-for-198) with 19 doubles, six home runs, 47 RBIs, 20 steals and 52 runs scored.
The Diamond Dawgs lead the SEC in stolen bases (23), while ranking second in hit by pitch (18), third in home runs (11) and fourth in doubles (26).
Three Bulldogs rank in the top eight in the SEC in batting average: Jake Mangum (3rd, .472), Ryan Gridley (5th, .440) and Brent Rooker (8th, .422).
On the year, Mangum averages an SEC-best 2.08 hits per game, Gridley averages 1.83 hits per game and Rooker averages 1.58 hits per game.
2016 SEC Batting Champ Jake Mangum is riding a career-high 25-game hit streak that dates back to last season.
On Sunday, Mangum recorded his first four-hit game of the season to bring his team-leading total of multi-hit games this season to nine.
Mangum ranks first in the SEC in hits (25) and runs scored (20)
Ryan Gridley is in the midst of a career-high eight-game hit streak and 10-game reached base streak.
After hitting .190 (4-for-21) through the first five games of the season, Gridley has since hit a team-best .621 (18-for-29) with 10 runs, a .793 slugging percentage and .676 on-base percentage.
Gridley is second in the SEC in steals (6), third in hits (22) and third in sacrifice flies (2).
Preseason All-American Brent Rooker leads the league in RBI (18) and stolen bases (8), while ranking second in doubles (6) fourth in on-base percentage (.544), fifth in slugging percentage (.756).
In 29 games as a freshman in 2016, Luke Alexander recorded 14 hits, 11 runs, one double, two home runs and nine RBIs, and through just 12 games in 2017 he has already either matched or surpassed last year's totals in each of those categories (17 hits, 13 runs, six doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs).

PITCHING MATCHUP
MSU RHP Jacob Billingsley vs. LT RHP Casey Sutton

WEATHER
Tuesday's First Pitch Forecast (March 7) – 60 Degrees, Cloudy – 5% Chance of Rain

LIVE VIDEO & TELEVISION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network + via the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.

Watch Tuesday's Game

LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
Tuesday's contest will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network. The game can also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription), as well as on TuneIn Radio.

TICKETS
Tickets are still available and can be purchased at HailState.com/tickets or at the MSU ticket office behind home plate, which opens two hours prior to first pitch of every game.

GAME MANAGEMENT POLICY CHANGES
Ice Chest / Cooler check at all DNF gates
In adherence to Southeastern Conference and MSU Game Management Policy, all ice chests and ice coolers, regardless of size, will be checked at all gates prior to entry into Dudy Noble Field-Polk Dement Stadium this season. Individuals with prohibited items will be denied entry. Stadium gates will open two hours prior to first pitch, with servicing of suites and outfield rigs permitted on game day until 30 minutes prior to the gate opening time. All individuals must exit the stadium 30 minutes prior to gate opening and may reenter at gate opening after their tickets have been scanned.

Rightfield deck no standing / Safety lane
To provide for the safe management of the newly created deck space in right field, a 4' wide "No Standing / Safety Lane" has been marked on the right field deck. This visible, safe walkway will provide an unobstructed, free moving means for individuals and emergency personnel full access to travel along the right field deck length. At no time is it permissible to block, restrict or prevent individual movement or pedestrian traffic within and along the marked lane. Pedestrians are not permitted to stop or stand at any time within the marked lane.

FOLLOW THE DIAMOND DAWGS
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."