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Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Pitching Matchups Set for Top-10 Showdown with Texas

No. 10 Mississippi State and No. 4 Texas enter the weekend with stable rotations and two of the SEC’s best pitching staffs.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Catcher Kevin Milewski (#21), Mississippi State Pitcher Tomas Valincius (#4) and Mississippi State Assistant Coach Justin Parker during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Catcher Kevin Milewski (#21), Mississippi State Pitcher Tomas Valincius (#4) and Mississippi State Assistant Coach Justin Parker during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Most teams at this point in the season know their weekend rotations. There’s been some trial and error along the way, plus the usual adjustments for injuries and performance, but with three weekends left there isn’t much time to keep tinkering.

Two teams that seem to have things figured out are No. 4 Texas and No. 10 Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs will roll with the same rotation they’ve used the last three weekends. Lefty Tomas Valincius gets the ball Friday, right‑hander Duke Stone goes Saturday and left‑hander Charlie Foster closes the series on Sunday.

It’s the same trio Mississippi State has leaned on since Ryan McPherson went down with a forearm strain five weeks ago. In the games Valincius, Stone and Foster have started, the Bulldogs are 9-6.

McPherson is working his way back and has been throwing bullpen sessions during or before games, but for now the rotation stays the same.

Texas, meanwhile, has used the same three starters all season. There hasn’t been an official announcement, but it would be surprising if the Longhorns didn’t go with Dylan Volantis, Ruger Riojas and Luke Harrison in some order.

Statistically, the two staffs are close. Texas has a 3.69 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Mississippi State sits at 3.61 and 1.22. The difference is in the contact and free passes. Texas gives up fewer hits, fewer home runs and fewer walks. The Longhorns are tough to square up, which could be a challenge for a Mississippi State offense that recently went through a six‑game SEC losing streak when the bats went quiet.

The one area where Mississippi State holds a clear edge is strikeouts. The Bulldogs have 515, while Texas has 474. Even if the Longhorns had played the same number of games, Mississippi State would still be ahead.

Mississippi State Starting Pitchers

Tomas Valincius, LHP

Season Stats: 7-1, 2.13 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 63.1 IP, 50 H, 21 R, 15 ER, 14 BB, 87 SO, .212 Opp. BA

Duke Stone, RHP

Season Stats: 6-1, 4.64 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 53 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 21 BB, 73 SO, .260 Opp. BA

Charlie Foster, LHP

Season Stats: 0-2, 5.67 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 33.1 IP, 33 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 17 BB, 36 SO, .254 Opp. BA

Texas Starting Pitchers

Dylan Volantis, LHP

Season Stats: 6-0, 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 56.2 IP, 41 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 17 BB, 80 SO, .193 Opp. BA

Ruger Riojas, RHP

Season Stats: 5-2, 3.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 55.2 IP, 52 H, 24 R, 24 ER, 12 BB, 89 SO, .242 Opp. BA

Luke Harrison, LHP

Season Stats: 4-2, 3.93 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 55 IP, 50 H, 29 R, 24 ER, 23 BB, 61 SO, .242 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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