A Preview of Mississippi State Baseball versus Arkansas

The Bulldogs travel to Arkansas looking for their fourth straight series win.

Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State baseball travels to Arkansas for yet another important weekend series. These are two of the top programs in the SEC West, but the Razorbacks have dominated the series since the arrival of MSU head coach Chris Lemonis. 

Lemonis arrived in 2019 and holds a 1-11 against the Razorbacks and a 1-5 record in Fayetteville. However, these two teams are currently on a different trajectory. Arkansas started fast in SEC play but lost some momentum in the past few weeks. 

The Razorbacks are coming off a series loss to a fellow top-five opponent last week in Kentucky, but the biggest concern is how they pitched against the Wildcats. They boast a team ERA of 3.36, which leads the SEC, and it is the strength of their team as they rank 11th in the conference with a .271 team batting average. 

Last week, Kentucky put up 11 runs and seven runs in their two wins to take the series over Arkansas. Luckily for the Razorbacks, this series is at home as they have dominated at Baum-Walker Stadium this season with an impressive 31-2 record at home. 

Arkansas is one of the top three teams in the country and probably number one if they just play at home," Lemonis said. 

The Bulldogs have an impressive pitching staff of their own, headlined by the 1-2 punch of Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje. Usually, State has the pitching advantage on Friday nights with Stephen, but if anyone is better, it is Arkansas ace Hagen Smith. 

Smith is 9-0 in the year, with a 1.36 ERA and 125 strikeouts, both leading the SEC. 

"They can really pitch. They arguably have the best pitcher in the country, Hagen Smith," Lemonis said. 

Both of these teams play a similar game where they rely heavily on pitching and just scrap across runs, although the Bulldogs are batting higher as a team than the Razorbacks, as they hold a .285 batting average. Luckily for State, their star first baseman Hunter Hines is back to being his usual self after a slump, but Logan Kohler, who has struggled this season at the plate, has been tearing the cover off the ball as of late. 

The Memphis transfer hit three of his four home runs last weekend against Alabama. 

"The fact he didn't have much power was a shock to us, but he is swinging it well right now," Lemonis said. 

Despite a good performance last week, the MSU lineup still lacks production from one of their stars. Dakota Jordan has been, by his standards, scuffling at the plate. 

Similarly to Hines, Jordan is a superstar with outstanding talent, but he has not shown that in the past few weeks. All season long, it has seemed like a few guys hit well for State while the others struggled, but everyone in the lineup is playing well right now, including Jordan. However, he can do more with his immense talent. 

This weekend, the game is about which offense can get the starter out first, especially on Friday night. Stephen and Smith are the two elite arms in the SEC, and whichever team can run the starter has the advantage on Friday night. 

These two teams have the highest fielding percentage in the SEC. Connor Hujsak has been a massive part of the Bulldogs, playing an excellent center field this year.  

However, the defense faltered last week in MSU's series finale, committing two costly errors. Lemonis said postgame that he counted four errors for his squad, which was inexcusable. 

"We pride ourselves on defense," Hujsak said. 

Both teams have a lot of postseason stakes on the line this weekend. Arkansas is looking to lock up a top-eight national seed and stay in the hunt for an SEC regular-season title. The Bulldogs are looking to stay on the path to hosting a regional, but a series win could get them into the discussions of being a top-eight national seed. 

Only Dudy Noble Field packs more people into the stadium than Baum-Walker, and this weekend, the Bulldogs need to be ready for an intense environment. 

"I think everywhere you go in the SEC is tough; Arkansas is just like here. There's gonna be a lot of people, and we are excited about it," Hujsak said. 

After a two-year hiatus, Mississippi State baseball is back playing in big series late in the season. The Bulldogs have not yet returned to the top of the sport, but if they win a series this weekend, they will be undeniably back in the mix for Omaha. 

"It's gonna be a great series," Lemonis said.