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Mississippi State Keeps Pitching Plan Intact Entering South Carolina Series

The Bulldogs are keeping their rotation intact for South Carolina, with Tomas Valincius leading a staff that ranks among the SEC’s best.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Tomas Valincius threw for 14 strikeouts in a series-clinching win against Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field.
Mississippi State pitcher Tomas Valincius threw for 14 strikeouts in a series-clinching win against Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field. | Mississippi State Athletics

No. 17 Mississippi State will roll with the same starting pitcher rotation it debuted last weekend against Tennessee for this weekend's SEC series against South Carolina.

That series didn’t go well for the Bulldogs, who lost all three games against the Volunteers, but it wasn’t the starting pitchers’ fault. For the most part Bulldog pitching kept things competitive and the starters accounted for enough innings.

Even after a second-straight SEC series sweep, Mississippi State’s pitching still ranks third in the SEC with a 3.60 team ERA.

South Carolina, meanwhile, has only announced its Friday and Saturday starters. That likely sets up Sunday to be a bullpen game for the Gamecocks.

Starting Pitcher Matchups

Friday

LHP Tomas Valincius vs. RHP Brandon Stone

Valincius: 6-1, 1.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 53 IP, 36 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 12 BB, 72 SO, .190 Opp. BA

Stone: 4-1, 2.89 ERA, 43.2 IP, 43 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 14 BB, 43 SO, .256 Opp. BA

Saturday

RHP Duke Stone vs. RHP Amp Phillips

Stone: 5-1, 4.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 41.2 IP, 41 H, 23 R, 20 ER, 15 BB, 58 SO, .253 Opp. BA

Phillips: 3-4, 2.17 ERA, 49.2 IP, 33 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 22 BB, 56 SO, .188 Opp. BA

Sunday

LHP Charlie Foster vs. TBA

Foster: 0-2, 5.55 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 24.1 IP, 23 H, 10 R, 15 ER, 15 BB, 26 SO, .247 Opp. BA

Mississippi State Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Ben Davis: 0-1, 4 SV, 4.91 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 23 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 5 BB, 31 SO, .240 Opp. BA
  • Maddox Webb: 0-1, 1 SV, 3.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 15 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 BB, 21 SO, .228 Opp. BA
  • Maddox Miller: 2-2, 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 26 SO, .246 Opp. BA
  • Jack Gleason: 3-0, 4.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 18 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 31 SO, .190 Opp. BA

South Carolina Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Alex Valentin: 4 SV, 1-2, 3.73 ERA, 31.1 IP, 22 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 16 BB, 41 SO, .191 Opp. BA
  • Alex Philpott: 3 SV, 0-3, 5.06 ERA, 10.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO, .275 Opp. BA
  • Zach Russell: 1 SV, 3-0, 2.37 ERA, 19 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 11 BB, 17 SO, .169 Opp. BA
  • Cooper Parks: 1 SV, 3-1, 3.60 ERA, 20 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 12 BB, 13 SO, .200 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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