What Stood Out this Weekend for Mississippi State Baseball against Evansville
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs secured the sweep over Evansville and extended their winning streak to nine. It was perhaps the most complete weekend of baseball for Mississippi State this season.
Evansville is not a formidable opponent, but the Purple Aces led all of Division One in hits coming into the weekend. This did not derail the Bulldogs on the pitching side, but Mississippi State's hitting was also impressive.
What stood out this weekend at Dudy Noble Field?
Pitching
The pitching staff is no longer surprising people; it is now expected. MSU starters were again fabulous, and Nate Dohm set the tone on Friday night.
The right-hander threw 6.1 innings and struck out 11. The Indiana native also allowed two runs, but it was a good sign that Dohm could work around trouble.
There was a scare on Friday night when Dohm exited the game in the sixth inning due to some discomfort. Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said postgame he did not think it was anything “major.”
Stephen and Cijnte also picked up where Dohm left off. Stephen threw six scoreless innings on Saturday and only stuck out three batters.
Last year, the pitching staff seemed too strikeout-reliant, but under new pitching coach Justin Parker, the Bulldogs seem fine with pitching to contact. Cijntje racked up strikeouts on Sunday, striking out ten in six innings.
Like Dohm, Cijntje pitched well despite adversity, which is a good sign with SEC play on the horizon. Evan Siary and Brooks Auger also threw a pair of scoreless innings, and the duo looked impressive.
Dakota Jordan
The Bulldog slugger had been trending up after a relatively slow start for his standards, but this weekend, Dakota Jordan showed why he is a star. Jordan finished the weekend with seven hits, three home runs, and nine RBIs.
The Canton native is one of the best talents this program has seen, and the fear he instills in opposing pitchers was noticed. The bottom of the MSU lineup was a concern early, but the group is finding its stride.
On Saturday, each of the Bulldogs' 7-9 hitters collected an RBI. On Sunday, Jordan was intentionally walked three times, opening the door for Connor Hujsak and Dylan Cupp.
This duo combined for seven hits and six RBIs in the series finale. With the bottom of the lineup producing, if the Bulldogs can get Hunter Hines going and avoid teams walking Jordan, this lineup could start to flourish.
Defense
Last year's defense was a major struggle for this team. Especially on the left side of the infield, but now the Bulldogs' two best defenders are over there with Cupp and Logan Kohler.
The pitching is much improved, and having a reliable defense has only helped.
SEC play begins next weekend, and the Bulldogs have taken significant strides this weekend to show they are ready for the challenge. First, the Bulldogs have a pair of mid-week games in Biloxi, the first of which will be Tuesday against South Alabama at 6 p.m. CT.
