Diamond Dawgs Head to Houston for Astros College Classic

HOUSTON, Texas – The No. 18 Mississippi State baseball team heads out to Houston, Texas for the Astros Foundation College Classic to face off against Rice, Arizona and Oklahoma State. This will be the Dawgs first time in this tournament since 2018.

All nine of the tournament games will be televised by Space City Home Network and available on the channel in the entirety of the Astros five-state viewing area. Additionally, all nine games will also be streamed live without a blackout or paywall on Astros.com and on the Astros X, Facebook and YouTube channels.

All three games 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, Feb. 28 (11 a.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Pico Kohn (1-0, 0.79 ERA), LHP, Jr.
Rice: Davion Hickson (0-0, 1.00 ERA), RHP, Jr.

Live Video: astros.com
Live Audio: hailstate.com/OnDemand
Live Stats: hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Saturday, March 1 (3 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Karson Ligon (1-0, 1.29 ERA), RHP, Sr.
Arizona: Owen Kramkowski (0-1, 12.71 ERA), RHP, So.

Live Video: astros.com
Live Audio: hailstate.com/OnDemand
Live Stats: hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Sunday, March 2 (2 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Stone Simmons (2-0, 1.29 ERA), RHP, Sr.
Oklahoma State: TBD

Live Video: astros.com
Live Audio: hailstate.com/OnDemand
Live Stats: hailst.at/StatBroadcast

Quick Hitters

On Monday, the Diamond Dawgs were ranked in the Baseball America (No. 15), D1 Baseball (No. 18), USA Today Coaches Top 25 (No. 16) and the NCBWA (No. 16).
Pico Kohn has been outstanding over the first two weekends of play. Kohn has struck out 11 batters in both of his Friday starts while not surrendering a walk through 11 1/3 innings of work. Kohn's 22 punchouts so far this season rank second in the SEC, just three behind the leader. Kohn currently holds an 0.79 ERA to rank first among the pitching staff.
The Diamond Dawgs pitching staff is averaging 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings this season. This is the fourth best total in the nation.
State's pitching staff has tallied 102 strikeouts this season, this is the tenth most in the nation and the sixth most by a single team in the SEC.
For the first time since March 13, 2021, the Diamond Dawgs pitching staff pitched a two hitter. To close out the Missouri State series, the Dawgs limited the Bears to only two hits. The pitching of Stone Simmons, Charlie Foster, Robert Fortenberry, Luke Dotson and Chase Hungate combined for the two-hitter.
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.
Noah Sullivan earned preseason All-American honors by the NCBWA as a two-way player. Last season, Sullivan finished 8-1 on the mound through 75 and 2/3 innings of work and hit .324 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs while at USC Upstate as a utility player.
Hunter Hines bat is a thing to watch for the 2025 season as he was named Pre-season First Team All-SEC First Baseman. Hines is ranked fourth in program history with 56 career home runs, 11 home runs shy of tying for first in program history, which is held by Rafael Palmeiro. Hines' 56 career home runs are the most among any active player in the SEC.
Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 70 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

Scouting the Opponent – Rice

Rice holds a 2-5 record and are 0-3 in neutral games.
Rice lost its midweek game to Arizona 11-8.
The Owls' offense has three batters batting .300, Trey Duffield (.333), Barrett Eldridge (.313) and Blaine Brown (.304).
Robert Fernandez leads the pitching staff with a 0.90 ERA and ranks second with 10 strikeouts through two starts.
Davion Hickson follows Fernandez closely behind with a 1.00 ERA and ranks first on the team with 15 punchouts in two starts.

Scouting the Opponent – Arizona

Arizona occupies a 5-3 record and a 0-3 neutral record heading into the weekend.
The Wildcats are on a five-game win streak after a series sweep over San Diego this past weekend and a midweek win over Rice on Wednesday.
Aaron Walton leads the Wildcats' offense with a .417 batting average. Walton has totaled 10 hits, six RBIs, two doubles and a home run in his eight starts.
Leading the pitching staff is Smith Bailey. Bailey has made two starts on the season and has eight strikeouts through nine innings pitched to earn a 0.00 ERA.

Scouting the Opponent – Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is 4-3 overall with a 2-3 neutral site record.
The Cowboys are on three-game win streak after two wins over UT Arlington and a midweek win over Abilene Christian on Wednesday.
Garrett Shull leads the offense with a .500 batting average. Shull has eight hits, four RBIs, a double and a triple through 16 plate appearances and three starts.
Leading the pitching staff is Sean Youngerman. Youngerman has made three appearances and one start to total nine punchouts and a 1.29 ERA in seven innings of work.
Harrison Bodendorf leads the pitching staff with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched with a 5.40 ERA.

Series Notes

Mississippi State heads to the Astros Foundation Collegiate Classic for the second time in program history. The first time the Diamond Dawgs played in this tournament was during the 2018 season.
MSU won all its previous three matchups in this tournament. The last matchup was a 4-1 victory over Sam Houston State.

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 Houston for Astros College Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Dotson

Robert Fortenberry

Charlie Foster

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Pico Kohn

Karson Ligon

Stone Simmons

Noah Sullivan

Mississippi State University Athletics

Diamond Dawgs Head to Houston for Astros College Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Dotson

Robert Fortenberry

Charlie Foster

Hunter Hines

Chase Hungate

Pico Kohn

Karson Ligon

Stone Simmons

Noah Sullivan

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