No. 3 Mississippi State to Face Tulane in Biloxi on Tuesday
Mississippi State, ranked No. 3 nationally, will face Tulane on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Miss. The game marks the Bulldogs’ last test before Southeastern Conference play, according to school officials.
Freshman left-hander Charlie Foster will make his third start of the season. In four appearances, Foster has a 4.05 ERA with 12 strikeouts and five walks in 6 2/3 innings, but has not been involved in a decision, MSU athletics said. Tulane will counter with junior right-hander Jack Brafa, who has a 4.00 ERA over nine innings with 13 strikeouts and seven walks in five appearances, including one start.
Mississippi State has participated in the Hancock Whitney Classic for five consecutive years, posting an 8-2 record in Biloxi. Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Old Dominion 9-4 and edged Nicholls 2-1 at the home of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate.
MSU is off to a 14-2 start and is considered a top-four team in all five major polls. The Bulldogs swept Lipscomb last week, including a 26-0 victory in seven innings where they allowed only one hit. The team ranks in the top 10 nationally in nine key offensive and pitching categories, including fourth in batting average (.356) and doubles (47), and sixth in runs (172) and hits (191).
The team features seven players batting over .400 and four hitting over .300. Graduate first baseman Reed Stallman leads with a .452 average, while Noah Sullivan has five home runs. Junior third baseman Ace Reese has 21 RBIs. The pitching staff has a 3.55 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 137 innings, and opposing teams are hitting just .219 against them.
Tulane enters the game with a 9-7 record after being swept in a series at No. 17 TCU. The Green Wave lost the opener 10-2, won the second game 8-4, but fell 4-3 in the final game. Tulane is batting .250 with nine home runs and averages 6.9 runs per game. They are aggressive on bases with 29 steals in 32 attempts and have a .974 fielding percentage.
Leading hitters include Jason Wachs (.339 average, seven doubles, 22 RBIs) and Kaikea Harris, who has two home runs and nine steals. The team’s collective ERA is 5.11, with opponents batting .246. Pitchers Trey Cehajic and Jacob Moore have 25 and 0.00 ERAs, respectively, with the team’s saves shared between Tom Vincent and others.
The all-time series favors Mississippi State 79-34-2, dating back to 1904. The last meeting in 2022 in New Orleans saw Tulane win two close games, despite MSU winning the series opener 19-2. Fans can follow updates on HailState.com or via social media at ‘HailStateBB’.
Source: Original Article
