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Mississippi State Forced to Pivot on Mound Ahead of Ole Miss Series

The Ole Miss vs Mississippi State series will feature new pitching matchups as Ryan McPherson misses the weekend with a forearm strain.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Pitcher Charlie Foster (#8) during the game between the Hofstra and Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Pitcher Charlie Foster (#8) during the game between the Hofstra and Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor didn’t sound too optimistic about having his regular series opening starting pitcher available this weekend.

“I think it’s highly doubtful Ryan (McPhearson) would be available this weekend,” O’Connor said after Tuesday’s win against Southern Miss. “We did an MRI, and the good news is his UCL is completely healthy—no issues there. He’s been diagnosed with a mild forearm strain. There’s no set timetable yet. We’re still consulting with doctors and evaluating things. The brace is just precautionary.”

Two days later, No. 6 Mississippi State announced its starting rotation for this weekend’s series against No. 18 Ole Miss and McPhearson was not included.

In his place will be Charlie Foster, who has had three starts this season with varying degrees of success.

Here’s a breakdown of the starting pitchers for the Bulldogs and Rebels, as well as some of the bullpen arms we could see this weekend.

Team Comparison

Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss baseball team stat comparisons
Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss baseball team stat comparisons | Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss Starting Pitchers (Projected)

Friday: Hunter Elliott, LHP

Season Stats: 3-0, 3.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 31 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 20 BB, 44 SO, 4 2B, 6 HR, .194 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 7 HBP

Saturday: Cade Townsend, RHP

Season Stats: 2-0, 0.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 19.2 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 32 SO, 3 2B, 1 HR, .169 Opp. BA, 1 HBP

Wil Libbert, LHP

Season Stats: 2-2, 6.41 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 32 SO, 4 2B, 4 HR, .287 Opp. BA, 3 HBP, 1 BK

Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Landon Waters: 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9 app., 1 SV, 9.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 15 SO, 1 2B, .188 Opp. BA, 2 WP
  • JP Robertson: 2-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9 app. 15.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 22 SO, 3 2B, .232 Opp.BA, 1 HBP
  • Landon Koenig: 1-0, 4.35 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 8 app., 2 SV, 10.1 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 17 SO, 3 2B, 1 HR, .348 Opp. BA
  • Taylor Rabe: 3-0, 2.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 6 app., 2 SV, 18 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 24 SO, 1 2B, 1 HR, .188 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 2 HBP
  • Grayson Gibson: 1-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 6 app. 12 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 11 SO, 2 2B, .132 Opp. BA, 4 HBP

Mississippi State Starting Pitchers

Friday: Charlie Foster, LHP

Season Stats: 0-0, 5.11 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 8 app, 3 GS, 12.1 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 12 BB, 16 SO, 2 2B, 1 HR, .265 Opp. BA, 1 HBP

Saturday: Tomas Valincius, LHP

Season Stats: 5-0, 1.04 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 21 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 47 SO, 1 3B, 1 HR, .174 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 3 HBP

Sunday: Duke Stone, RHP

Season Stats: 4-0, 4.10 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 21 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 5 BB, 37 SO, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, .216 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 6 HBP

Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Dane Burns: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, .71 WHIP, 10 app., 5.2 IP, 4 BB, 7 SO, .000 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 1 HBP
  • Maddox Webb: 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 10 app., 1 SV, 9.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 13 SO, .250 Opp. BA, 1 HBP
  • Jack Gleason: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, .93 WHIP, 11 app. 14 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 25 SO, 2 2B, 2 HR, .180 Opp. BA, 4 HBP, 1 BK
  • Ben Davis: 0-1, 4.91 ERA, .82 WHIP, 7 app., 3 SV, 14.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 18 SO, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, .189 Opp. BA, 5 HBP
  • Brendan Sweeney: 0-0, 4.85 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8 app., 1 SV, 13 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 15 SO, 4 2B, 2 HR, .229 Opp. BA

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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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