What to know as Mississippi State hosts Samford

It's a battle of the Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field

It's a battle of the Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday night as No. 3 Mississippi State plays host to Samford. Let's have a quick look at what you need to know headed into the midweek affair:

Game time

• Tuesday, March 16 - 6 p.m. central

Where to watch/listen

If you're not inside Dudy Noble Field Tuesday, you can still watch the action via streaming it on SEC Network+.

On the radio, you can listen to the games courtesy of the MSU Baseball Radio Network. You can find your affiliate by CLICKING HERE. 

No matter where you are, you can access audio of the game via TuneIn.com or the TuneIn app. Fans can simply search "Mississippi State" on the TuneIn app. TuneIn is available for download on iOS and Android, plus more than 200 connected devices. Game audio can also be heard via Mississippi State's website HERE.

Who's scheduled to start on the mound?

MSU LHP Houston Harding (2-1, 1.17 ERA) vs. SU LHP Blake Bortak (0-0, 5.23 ERA)

Up to this point

No. 3 Mississippi State enters Tuesday at 13-3 overall and riding a six-game winning streak. MSU has also won 10 of its last 11.

Samford comes to Starkville sitting at 7-9 overall. The Southeastern Conference is primarily responsible for Samford's losing record. The Birmingham-area Bulldogs have played six of their games this season against SEC competition with three-game series at both Florida and Texas A&M. Samford lost all six of those games and were outscored a total of 72-22 in those contests.

On the mound

Blake Bortak will be making his seventh appearance and third start on the mound for Samford tonight. The left-hander has a 5.23 ERA over 10.1 innings of work in 2021. While opponents have hit .250 against him, Bortak does have the capability to miss bats, with 14 strikeouts over his 10.1 innings. And he hasn't issued a ton of walks – in fact, he's surrendered just three free passes. 

As a team this year, Samford's ERA is a whopping 7.78 as its bullpen has been rocked. However the team does have at least a couple of strong relievers. Right-handers Chase Isbell and Carson Cupo have been solid. Isbell has struck out 18 batters over 10.1 innings of relief. He sports a 1.74 ERA and leads the team with three saves. Cupo has an ERA of 3.86. He has punched out 15 hitters over 9.1 innings.

Houston Harding will make his fourth start of the season for Mississippi State. He has given up just two earned runs in 15.1 innings of work this season. He owns 23 strikeouts to just five walks and has limited opposing hitters to just a .148 batting average against.

Harding is backed up by a bullpen that has been lights out. MSU's team ERA sits at an incredibly impressive 2.25. State pitching as a whole has given up only two total runs over the last six games.

At the plate

Samford has struggled mightily offensively this year with a team batting average of only .232. Of the team's 12 hitters with more than 20 at-bats, only three of them have batting averages north of .250. Towns King leads Samford, hitting .323. Ryan Crockett isn't far behind at .304. Max Pinto has hit at a .271 clip.

Samford's biggest power threat is Sonny DiChiara. He leads the team with five home runs and is second on the club in doubles with three.

MSU is hitting .277 as a team and the maroon-and-white Bulldogs have gotten contributions from pretty much everyone. Of MSU's seven lineup regulars (Scotty Dubrule, Rowdey Jordan, Tanner Allen, Kamren James, Luke Hancock, Josh Hatcher and Logan Tanner), all but Jordan are hitting at least .250 and even Jordan at .234 has seen his average on the rise the last few games.

Keep up courtesy of Cowbell Corner

Cowbell Corner is providing live play-by-play updates of select games this season, including Tuesday's MSU-Samford matchup. So if you're unable to watch or listen, or are just looking for a place to keep up with the game in a simple format, check back right here on the site around game time. Then click on the LIVE BASEBALL UPDATES story at the top of the home page. Once on the updates page, you can come back frequently or refresh your browser for the latest on what's happening at Dudy Noble Field.

Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports. Be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here.