HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Fourth-ranked Mississippi State is set to face No. 10 Southern Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. The Bulldogs aim to rebound after their first loss of the season, a 8-7 extra-inning defeat to UCLA at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Classic in Arlington, Texas.
Senior Brendan Sweeney will make his first start for Mississippi State. The 6-foot-7 right-hander has appeared in relief three times this spring, including earning a save against Hofstra in the season opener. Sweeney has a 1.23 ERA with nine strikeouts and one walk in 7 1/3 innings, and this will be his second career start. He previously pitched a scoreless inning for South Carolina against North Carolina last year.
Southern Miss counters with freshman Dylan Causey, making his second career start. Causey has appeared four times, working three scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks. The Golden Eagles bring an 10-1 record into the game, riding a 10-game winning streak after opening the season with a loss to UC Santa Barbara. They have defeated Power Five opponents Purdue, Oregon State, Baylor and Alabama this year.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series 87-44, including splitting last season’s matchups. The Bulldogs lost 3-0 in Hattiesburg before winning 18-3 in Starkville. Key players Bryce Chance, Ace Reese and Noah Sullivan all homered in the last meeting with USM.
The Bulldogs enter the game batting .350 as a team with 18 home runs and an average of 10.3 runs per game. They rank third nationally with 38 doubles and are 20-for-27 in stolen bases. Pitching staff holds a 3.63 ERA with 136 strikeouts in 104 innings. Sophomores Tomas Valincius and Ryan McPherson lead with 20 strikeouts each. Several relievers, including Maddox Webb and Tyler Pitzer, have yet to allow an earned run this season.
Southern Miss boasts a team batting average of .290 with 16 homers and averages 6.9 runs per game. Seth Smith leads with a .478 average, while Joey Urban is hitting .463 with four homers and 16 RBIs. The Golden Eagles’ pitching staff has a 2.53 ERA, the ninth-best nationally, with 117 strikeouts and a .230 opponent batting average. They also have 10 relievers who have yet to surrender an earned run this season.
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