Diamond Dawgs Head To Samford For A Midweek Tilt

STARKVILLE - The Mississippi State baseball team heads to Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday for a midweek tilt with Samford. This is the fourth road game of a seven-game road trip for the Diamond Dawgs. Tuesday first pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Tuesday's midweek contest will be aired on ESPN+ and will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Tuesday, March 26 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Pico Kohn, (0-0), LHP, So.
SAM: Jacob Newman, (2-0), RHP, Jr.

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Quick Hitters

For the second straight week, the Diamond Dawgs find themselves in the national rankings. The Diamond Dawgs came in at No. 21 by D1 Baseball, No. 17 by Baseball America, No. 23 by the USA Today Coaches Top 25 and No. 23 in the NCBWA poll.
Junior infielder/outfielder Hunter Hines enters the 2024 season as a Third Team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game. For his career, Hines has hit 44 home runs. The 44 home runs are the fourth most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (57), Jac Caglianone (51) and Braden Montgomery (47) are the only active players ahead of Hines. Hines and Montgomery will square off this weekend in SEC play. The 44 home runs are the seventh most by an active player in Division 1 baseball. The 44 home runs are tied for the ninth most in a career at Mississippi State. He is seven homers away from moving into the top five at MSU. Besides hitting for power, Hines has driven in 139 runs and is 45 RBIs away from joining the career RBI mark at MSU.
On Friday night with a 5-1 victory over Texas A&M, the Diamond Dawgs earned their 1,000th career SEC victory. Only four schools have accomplished this feat. MSU joined Florida, LSU, and Alabama to reach 1,000 wins in SEC games. The Dawgs have three SEC wins this weekend and head to Florida this weekend for a three-game series.
Just last year, Joe Powell was in EMT school training to be a firefighter, but a call from Mississippi State's staff turned things around and got him back on the diamond. After 18 months away from the diamond, Powell has put together a .276 batting average, eight hits and five RBIs.
Following a freshman season that saw Dakota Jordan show off his power by hitting tape-measure homers, the sophomore is ready for his second season in the Maroon and White. On Feb. 9, Jordan was one of 55 players in the nation named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. The Golden Spikes Award is given to the best amateur baseball player in the country. Jordan leads the team with 11 home runs and is hitting a team-best .380.
Hunter Hines has hit 44 home runs. The 44 home runs are the fourth most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (57), Jac Caglianone (51), and Braden Montgomery (47) are the only active players ahead of Hines. Hines and Montgomery will square off this weekend in SEC play. The 44 home runs are the seventh most by an active player in Division 1 baseball and are tied for ninth most in a career at Mississippi State. He is seven homers away from moving into the top five at MSU. Besides hitting for power, Hines has driven in 139 runs and is 45 RBIs away from joining the career RBI mark at MSU.
The Dude Effect is alive and well. Reserved seating has once again sold out for the season. Mississippi State has sold out reserved seating since 1987.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 68 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

Scouting the Opponent – Samford

Samford enters the midweek game with a 16-7 overall record and 3-0 in the Southern Conference. Samford comes off a series sweep against VMI. The Bulldogs have won their last five games.
The Bulldogs are tied for first in the Southern Conference with a 3-0 conference record.
Samford is 13-1 when playing at home this season. The only loss at home coming from a 12-7 loss versus Charleston Southern.
Samford's offense has three players batting over .400. Garrett Howe is leading the team with a .464 batting average and .714 slugging percentage.
The Bulldog pitching staff has an ERA of 6.07 and has tallied 194 strikeouts this season. Opponents are hitting .277 off the Bulldogs.

Series History

Mississippi State leads the series 39-11.
The Diamond Dawgs defeated Samford, 9-4, last season at The Dude.
MSU has won nine of the last ten meetings between these two programs.
The first meeting between these two programs came during the 1909 season.

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 X, Facebook and Instagram.

Diamond Dawgs Head To Samford For A Midweek Tilt

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Pico Kohn

Joe Powell

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Head To Samford For A Midweek Tilt

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Pico Kohn

Joe Powell

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