Diamond Dawgs Set For Top 25 Showdown With Alabama

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs welcome the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for a key SEC series this weekend. The three-game set showcases the No. 16 Diamond Dawgs against the No. 23 Crimson Tide.

First pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The series will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.

Gameday Info
Friday, May 3 (6 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Khal Stephen, (6-3, 2.77 ERA), RHP, Jr.
UA: Greg Farone, (4-1, 3.10 ERA), LHP, Sr.

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Saturday, May 4 (2 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje, (6-1, 3.79 ERA), BHP, So.
UA: Zane Adams, (4-2, 4.43 ERA), LHP, Fr.

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Sunday, May 5 (1 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Brooks Auger, (1-1, 3.08 ERA), RHP, Jr.
UA: Ben Hess, (3-4, 7.31 ERA), RHP, Jr.

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Promotions/Giveaways
Friday, May 3 - The first 1,000 fans can receive a Jim Ellis Bobblehead
Saturday, May 5 - The first 250 can receive a State-To-The-Show Poster of Jordan Westburg
Sunday, May 6 - Sunday is Kids Day at the Dude! Kids get to run the bases following the game.

Quick Hitters

The Diamond Dawgs are in the national rankings. They were ranked No. 16 by D1 Baseball, No. 23 by Baseball America, No. 23 by Perfect Game, No. 18 by NCBWA and No. 21 by the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
Tyson Hardin played a vital role in the Dawgs out of the bullpen in 2023. In game one of the doubleheader against Auburn, Hardin came in with the bases loaded and got the final out of the game to earn his first career save. He was available in game two and pitched the final two innings. He did not allow a hit and tallied five punchouts to earn his third win of the season. Against Vanderbilt, pitched in both of the Dawgs wins. He picked up a save in the rubber match. Hardin came in and pitched the final inning of the Governor's Cup victory on Wednesday night. In the outing he tallied two punchouts.
Dakota Jordan has shined this season for the Diamond Dawgs. He leads the team in batting average (.369), home runs (16), and RBIs (55). On April 4, Jordan was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List. He is one of 45 players on the list and the ninth Dawg in program history to be named to this list. His 55 RBIs are the 34th most in the NCAA. His 16 homers are the 45th most in the NCAA this season and the 10th most in the SEC. Jordan has the ninth-best batting average in the SEC hitting. 369 this season.
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 50 home runs. The 50 home runs are the fifth most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (69), Jac Caglianone (66), Braden Montgomery (58) and Charlie Condon (55) are the only active players ahead of Hines. The 50 home runs are the 12th most by an active player in Division 1 baseball. The 50 home runs are the sixth most in a career at Mississippi State. He is one homer away from moving into the top five at MSU. Besides hitting for power, Hines has driven in 156 runs and is 28 RBIs away from joining the career RBI mark at MSU.
Against Alcorn State on April 16, the Mississippi State Bulldogs recorded a shutout for the third time this season. The Dawgs shut out Alcorn State on Tuesday night. They also shut out Ole Miss (4/12) and Mount St. Mary's (3/2). The Diamond Dawgs' last shutout prior to this season was June 30, 2021, when they defeated Vanderbilt to win the 2021 National Championship. During the 2021 season, the Diamond Dawgs tallied eight shutouts, four of which came in a row from March 7 to 12. During that span, the Diamond Dawgs defeated Kent State, Grambling, Louisiana, and Eastern Michigan. Khal Stephen pitched a gem at Ole Miss. The Dawgs came away with an 8-0 shutout victory over the Rebels. This was the Dawgs' first SEC shutout and first road SEC shutout since May 21 at Alabama.
Bryce Chance has shown he is one of the toughest players to strike out in the nation this season. In his 45 games this season, Chance is the toughest player to strike out in the SEC. Besides being tricky to strike out, Chance is one of the best hitters during SEC play. Chance is hitting .306.
The Diamond Dawgs' pitching has been vital this season, as they have one of the best pitching staffs in the SEC. The Dawgs have an ERA of 4.13 in 394 2/3 innings, the fourth-best ERA in the SEC. They have added 464 strikeouts this season, the fourth-most in the league and the 11th-most in the nation. The Dawgs are averaging 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings, the seventh-most in the SEC and the 17th-best mark in the nation. Jurrangelo Cijntje leads the Dawgs in punchouts with 80, the fourth-most in the SEC. Khal Stephen is right behind Cijntje with 73, the eighth-most in the SEC. Stephen's ERA of 2.77 is the sixth-best mark in the SEC.

The Diamond Dawgs lead the SEC in runners picked off. Mississippi State has picked off 12 runners this season. The next closest team has picked off nine.
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.
On March 22 Mississippi State's 5-1 victory over Texas A&M marked their 1,000^th career SEC victory. Only four schools have accomplished this feat. MSU joined Florida, LSU, and Alabama to reach 1,000 wins in SEC games.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 69 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

Scouting the Opponent – Alabama

Alabama heads to Starkville 28-16 overall and 9-12 in the SEC. The Tide is fourth in the SEC West with their 9-12 SEC record.
Alabama is 5-8 in away games this season.
Leading Alabama's offense is led by Gage Miller. In 171 plate appearances Miller has recorded 66 hits, 47 RBI, 18 home runs, 10 doubles and two triples this season to earn a .386 batting average.
Greg Farone leads the Tide's pitching staff with a 3.10 ERA. Farone has appeared in 12 games with 11 being starts. He has put in 52.1 innings of work and has a 4-1 record on the season.

Series History

Alabama leads the all-time series 216-206-4.
Mississippi State is 116-82 all-time when playing Alabama at Dudy Noble Field.
The Tide and Diamond Dawgs faced off in a three-game series last year in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Where the Dawgs took two out of three.

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 Set For Top 25 Showdown With Alabama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brooks Auger

Bryce Chance

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Tyson Hardin

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Khal Stephen

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Set For Top 25 Showdown With Alabama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brooks Auger

Bryce Chance

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Tyson Hardin

Hunter Hines

Dakota Jordan

Khal Stephen

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