The South Carolina Baseball team travels to Starkville, MS to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Bulldogs (23-14/6-9 SEC) host No. 2 South Carolina (29-7/12-3 SEC) in a three-game Easter Weekend series at Dudy Noble Field. Two of the three games will be televised. Friday’s 7:06 p.m. series-opener will be shown by ESPNU while the Saturday game has a 6:06 p.m. first pitch for FOX Sports Net. The series concludes Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Here’s a look at the teams:
USC leads the all-time series 30-25 in a rivalry that got its start at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium in the 1981 NCAA College World Series.
The MSU-USC series matches two of the eight Southeastern Conference teams with top 30 RPI (ratings percentage index) rankings. Defending national champion South Carolina is No. 3 and Mississippi State is No. 28.
Mississippi State has played solidly on defense this year. Through 37 games, MSU has compiled a .974 fielding percentage, fourth-best in the SEC.
Pitching:
Friday
South Carolina – Michael Roth (Jr. LHP) 8-1, 1.24 ERA, 65.1 IP, 15 BB, 62 SO
Mississippi State – Chris Stratton (So. RHP) 4-4, 4.66 ERA, 56.0 IP, 21 BB, 55 SO
Saturday
South Carolina – Colby Holmes (So. RHP) 3-1, 4.19 ERA, 34.1 IP, 9 BB, 32 SO
Mississippi State – Nick Routt (Jr. LHP) 0-2, 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5 BB, 17 SO
Sunday
South Carolina – Forrest Koumas (Fr. RHP) 4-0, 2.35 ERA, 38.1 IP, 13 BB, 36 SO
Mississippi State – TBA
Looking at the bullpen’s – State’s relief staff has compiled an 11-2 record with nine saves and a 2.79 earned run average. Some 14 hurlers have combined for 37 appearances and 151 strikeouts in 151.2 innings of relief. The Gamecocks pen has earned 12 wins and tallied 13 saves heading into the weekend. The group has a 2.40 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 138.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .205 against the pen.
Batting: Mississippi State begins the weekend leading the Southeastern Conference in bases on balls. Bulldog batters have drawn a league-high 162 walks through 37 games. The Dogs are hitting .284 as a team. For the season, the Gamecocks are hitting .287 (343-for-1196) as a team with a .438 slugging percentage, third best in the SEC. The team leads the SEC with 32 home runs. Carolina also has a .386 on-base percentage, fifth best in conference play.
MSU Pitchers to Know: Besides those slated to start, keep an eye on their closer Caleb Reed. He has 6 saves on the season
MSU Batters to Know: Senior third baseman Jarrod Parks is one to be careful pitching to as his batting average sits at .402. Parks also leads the SEC with a .526 on-base percentage, has hit safely in 30 of his 36 games played, and paces the club with nine multi-RBI games. Also watch out for Jonathan Ogden who leads the Dogs with 6 HRs.
What South Carolina must do this weekend to win: The Gamecocks need to continue the timely hitting combined with solid pitching.
This should tell you what they must do…. South Carolina is 23-0 after six innings with a lead and 27-0 on the year after eight innings with a lead. The Gamecocks are 23-2 when out-hitting an opponent and 11-5 in games decided by two runs or less. Carolina is 27-4 when holding an opponent to five runs or less.
So get a lead early and limit MSU runs. Simple formula for success. MSU does not scare you on offense but they can be sneaky so SC should not overlook them.
Prediction: I shy away from saying USC will sweep MSU but it could happen. I see more of USC winning two of three to claim the series. Road games are always tough but as long as USC continues to get solid starts from their pitchers and run production then beating MSU should be easy. Sweep would be extra nice, can they do it?
