Cowbell Corner

Game Preview: Mississippi State vs. Northeastern, NCAA Tallahassee Regional

The Bulldogs and Huskies meet for the first-time ever in a regional game in Tallahassee, Fla. that could be impacted by thunderstorms in the area.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Designated Hitter/Pitcher Noah Sullivan (#18) during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, AL
Mississippi State Designated Hitter/Pitcher Noah Sullivan (#18) during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, AL | Mississippi State Athletics

It’s been an eventful past couple of days giving fans more than enough to talk about. Mississippi State will try to give them something positive to talk about on the field.

The Bulldogs will face Northeastern to cap off the first day of the 2025 Tallahassee NCAA Regional in a showdown of two teams who ended the season hot.

Mississippi State went 9-2 to end the regular season and Northeastern has won 27 consecutive games.

As detailed previously, the Huskies represent a very tough opponent. Their pitching staff leads the nation in team ERA (2.86), shutouts (17), hits allowed per nine innings (6.95), WHIP (1.04) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.43). The Huskies are tied with Arkansas for highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.49).

Seven pitchers have ERAs less than 3.00 and Will Jones’s 1.82 ERA is the best of any pitcher in the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi State will counter with an offense with a .307 batting average, .537 slugging percent and .407 on-base percent.

2025 NCAA Div. I Baseball Championship Bracket
2025 NCAA Div. I Baseball Championship Bracket | NCAA.com

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. Bryce Chance, CF
  7. Joe Powell, C
  8. Ross Highfill, RF
  9. Gatlin Sanders, 2B

Northeastern Huskies Starting Lineup

  1. Ryan Gerety, RF
  2. Cam Maldonado, CF
  3. Harrison Feinberg, LF
  4. Jack Goodman, SS
  5. Carmelo Musacchia, 2B
  6. Matt Brinker, DH
  7. Alex Lane, 1B
  8. Will Fosberg, C
  9. Jack Doyle, 3B

Pitching Matchup

RHP Ben Davis (3-2, 3.96 ERA, 22 App, 3 GS, 52.1 IP, 58 SO, 22 BB, 23 ER, .236 b/avg.) vs. LHP Will Jones (11-0, 1.82 ERA, 69.1 IP, 72 SO, 17 BB, 14 ER)

Weather Forecast

Be prepared for a possible weather delay. AccuWeather’s forecast has a 66 percent chance of thunderstorms starting around 7 p.m. and since it’s Florida, there’s pretty good chance that rain will come. Temperatures are expected to be in the 80s to start and dip into the upper 70s later in the night.

How to Watch: Mississippi State vs. Northeastern

Who: Mississippi State (40-18) vs. Northeastern (48-9)

When: 6:30 p.m., Friday

Where: Dick Howser Stadium; Tallahassee, Fla.

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Live Radio

Stats: Live Stats

DAWG FEED:

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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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