Diamond Dawg Gameday: Frisco Baseball Classic

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State continues their road trip as they stop in Frisco, Texas for the Frisco Baseball Classic. The Diamond Dawgs are slated to play Ohio State on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by Oklahoma on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concluding Sunday with California at 11 a.m.

Fans can stream all three games this weekend through D1Baseball. Use promo code "MSUFC" to save 15% on your weekend pass. The games will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/Listen. Click HERE for a full list of the 2023 MSU Baseball Radio Affiliates.

Gameday Info - Ohio State
Friday, Mar. 3 (6 p.m)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje (2-0), BHP, Fr.
OSU: Isaiah Coupet (1-1), LHP, Jr.

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LIVE AUDIO: hailst.at/audio
LIVE STATS: hailst.at/3ZvHnWU

Gameday Info - Oklahoma
Saturday, Mar. 4 (1 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Graham Yntema (1-0), LHP, So.
OU: Will Carsten (1-0), RHP, Jr.

LIVE VIDEO: https://d1baseball.com/product/frisco-classic/
LIVE AUDIO: hailst.at/audio
LIVE STATS: hailst.at/3kMvsoL

Gameday Info - California
Sunday, Mar. 5 (11 a.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Landon Gartman (1-0), RHP, Sr.
CAL: Tucker Bougie (1-0), RHP, So.

LIVE VIDEO: https://d1baseball.com/product/frisco-classic/
LIVE AUDIO: hailst.at/audio
LIVE STATS: hailst.at/41JCFGP

Quick Hitters

GOOD EYE: The Diamond Dawgs rank eighth nationally with 61 Base on Balls. Colton Ledbetter and Luke Hancock lead the team with nine a piece.
The Diamond Dawgs head into action on Tuesday sporting a .315 batting average. Colton Ledbetter leads Mississippi State with a .400 batting average, including seven extra base hits.
Four Bulldogs have reached base in all nine games this season – Slate Alford, Amani Larry, Luke Hancock, and Dakota Jordan.
THE LONG BALL: Home Runs have been an essential factor to the Mississippi State offense throughout the year. Colton Ledbetter leads the squad with three. As a team, the Bulldogs rank 25^th nationally with 15 total home runs.
The Diamond Dawgs have flaunted their speed on the basepaths, accounting for 15 stolen bases, which is the second most of any team in the Southeastern Conference.
Junior shortstop Lane Forsythe is heating up at the plate. Over the last five games of the season, Forsythe is hitting .500 (7-for-14). During this stretch, he has raised his season average up to .296. He hit his second career-home run during this stretch. The homer came against Arizona State in the final game of the series.
The Diamond Dawgs turn their attention to the 2023 Frisco Classic this weekend. This will be the second time under head coach Chris Lemonis that they have participated in this event. The last time they took part of the Frisco Classic was during the 2019 season, a year the Dawgs made it to Omaha. During the 2019 event, the Dawgs won its only two games played. The third game was canceled as bad weather rolled through the area.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 66 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.The Dawgs returned one player, KC Hunt, who was drafted in the 12th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022.
The Diamond Dawgs saw two players, Colton Ledbetter, and Amani Larry, earn Preseason All-American honors. Ledbetter and Larry are currently first and second on the team in batting average, extra-base hits, RBIs, and stolen bases.
Following this weekend, the Bulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field for a four-game home stand. The stand begins with a midweek matchup against Valparaiso on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled at 6 p.m.
Did you know that the Diamond Dawgs are one of three programs in NCAA History and the only Southeastern Conference program to play in the NCAA Men's College World Series in six-straight decades.
Mississippi State's Luke Hancock and Colton Ledbetter are two of 25 players selected to the Preseason All-SEC baseball teams by the league's coaches. Hancock was named second-team catcher, while Ledbetter was named a second-team outfielder.

Scouting the Opponent – Ohio State

Ohio State is led by first year head coach Bill Mosiello. He spent nine years on the TCU coaching staff as associate head coach, prior to his arrival at OSU.
On the 2022 campaign, the Buckeyes finished with a 20-30 record with an 8-14 record in the Big Ten.
Ohio State begin the season with a 3-5 record, splitting a four game series with UConn and taking a game over Gonzaga.
Cole Andrews leads the OSU squad who's batting .265 overall with an average of .375.
In two appearances on the year, Isaiah Coupet boasts an ERA of 0.69, striking out 18 batters in 13 innings of work.
As a staff, the Buckeye pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.56, striking out 75 batters on the campaign.

Scouting the Opponent – Oklahoma

Oklahoma is led by head coach Skip Johnson. Berry is in his sixth year as head coach of the Sooners.
The Sooners are fresh off a 2022 campaign which led them to Omaha, making it to the College World Series Finals. They finished with a 45-24 record, with a 15-9 conference record.
Oklahoma enters the weekend with a 4-4 record on the 2023 season.
Stolen bases have been a key part to the Sooner offense, ranking eighth in the nation with 24 stolen bases.
Anthony Mackenzie flaunts a batting average of .548, which is good for ninth best nationally. As at team, Oklahoma bats .275.
Will Carsten is 1-0 on the year, starting in both of his appearances. He has struck out eight batters in 10 innings of work and has an ERA of 2.70.

Scouting the Opponent – California

California is led by head coach Mike Neu. Neu is in his sixth year as head coach of the Golden Bears.
Cal enters the weekend with a 6-1 record, including a win over #2 Stanford.
The Golden Bears finished the 2022 campaign with a 29-27 record, going 14-16 within the Pac-12.
Rodney Green Jr. leads the Golden Bears with a .367 batting average. As a whole, Cal bats .231.
A utility man for the Golden Bears, Tucker Bougie has made two starts on the mound. In 10.2 innings of work, he's allowed seven hits on seven strikeouts, with a record of 1-0.
The pitching staff for Cal boasts a team ERA of 2.76, which is 15^th best across the nation.

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: Frisco Baseball Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Slate Alford

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Lane Forsythe

Landon Gartman

Luke Hancock

KC Hunt

Dakota Jordan

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Graham Yntema

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawg Gameday: Frisco Baseball Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Slate Alford

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Lane Forsythe

Landon Gartman

Luke Hancock

KC Hunt

Dakota Jordan

Amani Larry

Colton Ledbetter

Graham Yntema

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