Diamond Dawg Gameday: at No. 2 Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mississippi State (16-10, 3-3 SEC) will travel to Baum-Walker Stadium this weekend to open a three-game league series against No. 2 Arkansas (19-4, 5-1 SEC) beginning on Friday, April 1, in Fayetteville.

The series begins at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, April 1, at Baum-Walker Stadium. Game two of the series is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday, while the weekend will close with the series finale at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Friday's series opener will air nationally on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (PxP) and Mike Rooney (analysis) on the call, while all three games will be available on SEC Network+. The series will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/plus. Click HERE for a full list of the 2022 MSU Baseball Radio Affiliates.

GAME COVERAGE

Friday, April 1 – 6 p.m. CT | SEC Network | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Saturday, April 2 – 6:30 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Sunday, April 3 – 2 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

THE ROTATION

Friday, April 1
- MSU: Preston Johnson, RHP, So. (2-1, 3.41 ERA, 6-5 APP-GS, 34.1 IP, 50 SO, 13 BB)
- ARK: Connor Noland, RHP, Sr. (3-1, 3.41 ERA, 6-6 APP-GS, 34.1 IP, 47 SO, 9 BB)
Saturday, April 2
- MSU: Parker Stinnett, RHP, Jr. (3-0, 4.67 ERA, 8-4 APP-GS, 27.0 IP, 46 SO, 20 BB)
- ARK: Hagen Smith, LHP, Fr. (4-1, 3.45 ERA, 6-6 APP-GS, 31.1 IP, 37 SO, 15 BB)
Sunday, April 3
- MSU: Cade Smith, RHP, So. (4-1, 2.91 ERA, 6-6 APP-GS, 34.0 IP, 35 SO, 11 BB)
- ARK: Jaxon Wiggins, RHP, So. (4-0, 3.71 ERA, 6-6 APP-GS, 34.0 IP, 37 SO, 19 BB)

DAWG BITES

Mississippi State enters the weekend with a 16-10 overall record, including a 3-3 record in SEC play following a series win over Alabama at home last weekend. The Diamond Dawgs are 3-4 in road games this season.

Mississippi State leads the all-time series, 56-54, over Arkansas in a series that dates back to the 1960 season.

The Diamond Dawgs are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have scored 10 or more runs in five of their last 10 games. Overall, State is 10-2 on the season when scoring 10-plus runs. MSU is also 10-2 this season when collecting 10 or more hits and 12-2 when out-hitting opponents.

MSU right-fielder Kellum Clark is enjoying a 12-game reached-base streak, the longest of his career. Clark is ranked second on the team behind Hunter Hines with seven multi-RBI games, while he has five multi-hit games this season. Hines has eight multi-RBI games on the season, while he and Clark are tied for the team-lead with eight home runs each on the year.

MSU second baseman RJ Yeager is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, just one shy of tying his career-long streak of 11 games, which he set during his time at Mercer. In the last 10 games, Yeager is hitting .400 (16-for-40) with six home runs, two doubles, 19 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He has drawn four walks and is slugging .900 over that stretch with a .455 on base percentage.

Friday night starter Preston Johnson currently leads the pitching staff with 50 strikeouts in six appearances (5 starts) and 34.1 innings. He ranks third among SEC pitchers and 24th nationally in strikeouts. Johnson is holding opposing hitters to a .198 average at the plate.

THE COMPETITION

Opponent: No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks
2022 Record: 19-4, 5-1 SEC

Arkansas is led by head coach Dave Van Horn, who is in his 20th season with the Razorbacks. Arkansas enters the series with a 19-4 overall record on the season, including a 5-1 record in SEC games.

Arkansas enters the weekend ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls. The Razorbacks are ranked in the top 10 nationally in each poll.

The Razorbacks opened SEC play with a sweep over Kentucky in Fayetteville, while the following week saw Arkansas travel to Missouri, where the Hogs took two of three from the Tigers in Columbia.

Arkansas has won 14 of their last 15 games entering the weekend series against the Diamond Dawgs with its lone loss coming in a 7-5 defeat at Missouri on March 26.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Diamond Dawg Gameday: at No. 2 Arkansas

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Hunter Hines

Preston Johnson

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: at No. 2 Arkansas

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kellum Clark

Hunter Hines

Preston Johnson

Cade Smith

Parker Stinnett

RJ Yeager

Related Videos