Cowbell Corner

Game Preview: Mississippi State hopes to avoid sweep in series finale

Florida has already won the first two games of the series in Starkville after engineering late-game comebacks in both games.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Evan Siary pitched four innings against Florida on Saturday and allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and six strikeouts.
Mississippi State pitcher Evan Siary pitched four innings against Florida on Saturday and allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and six strikeouts. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State has now lost back-to-back games to Florida after leading in the sixth inning or later and now the Gators have a chance to get a series sweep.

The Bulldogs will face Florida at 2 p.m. Sunday with a chance to salvage something from this weekend, other than Pico Kohn being named to the watch list for the 2025 National Pitcher of the Year.

Here's everything to know ahead of the Gators' and Bulldogs' second game Saturday night, including starting lineups, an injury report, weather report and tv listings.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Starting Lineup

  1. Gehrig Frei, LF
  2. Sawyer Reeves, SS
  3. Ace Reese, 3B
  4. Noah Sullivan, DH
  5. Hunter Hines, 1B
  6. Reed Stallman, RF
  7. Bryce Chance, CF
  8. Gatlin Sanders, 2B
  9. Joe Powell, C

Florida Gators Starting Lineup

  1. Bobby Boser, 3B
  2. Colby Shelton, SS
  3. Brendan Lawson, 1B
  4. Luke Heyman, C
  5. Blake Cyr, LF
  6. Brady Donay, DH
  7. Hayden Yost, CF
  8. Ashton Wilson, RF
  9. Justin Nadeau, 2B

Pitching Matchup

RHP Luke McNeillie (3-1, 4.24 ERA) vs. RHP Karson Ligon (3-4, 5.13 ERA)

Injury Report

No changes for either Florida or Mississippi State in Sunday’s gamedayStudent-Athlete Availability Report. Infielder Cade Kurland and LHPs Pierce Coppola and Frank Menendez are out for the second game of the series and Mississippi State will be without catcher Jackson Owen, LHP Charlie Foster and RHPs Gavin Black and JT Schnoor.

Weather Report

There’ll be a few clouds in the sky, but no rain clouds when the Bulldogs and Gators wrap up their series Sunday. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-to-low 802 for much of the game and winds will be traveling at 15 mph and wind gusts up to 30 mph. And it’ll only be slightly humid with a humidity level of 47 percent.

How to Watch: Florida at Mississippi State

Who: Florida Gators (27-14, 6-11 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-16, 5-12 SEC)

When: 2 p.m., Sunday

Where: Dudy Noble Field, Starkville, Miss.

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Live Radio

Stats: Live Stats

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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