Ole Miss Rebels Weekend Scouting Report: Mississippi State Bulldogs

It's rivalry week in the Magnolia State as the Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs write the next chapter of this historic series in this weekend's matchup.

This Ole Miss Rebels baseball team has a chance do something that even some of the best teams under Mike Bianco have been unable to do in recent seasons: break the streak against rival Mississippi State.

State has had its way with Ole Miss in recent history, winning the last seven SEC series against the Rebs. The Rebels have two goals this weekend: turn the season around and finally put the demons of the last seven years behind them.

Here are three things to look for in the series against Mississippi State.

Scrappy Dogs

Like most Mississippi State teams, this group is a scrappy bunch. They play very hard and have a knack of finding ways to win close ballgames.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend third in the SEC West and ranked 22nd in the D1Baseball Top 25. After being picked to finish dead last in the division, State beat the defending national champion LSU Tigers earlier this year to put some life into its roster.

The Diamond Dogs dropped the next two series to Texas A&M and Florida, but both were on the road against top-10 competition, and they seemed to hold their own. State has gone from a team that might've needed to make a run to reach Hoover to projecting as a legit two-seed.

The Rebels will need to come out on Friday ready to play because this Mississippi State team can and will hit you in the mouth if you come out flat.

Dakota Jordan

It is no secret that Dakota Jordan is a dude, as he has proven that over his two seasons in Starkville, but he has exploded this season for the Bulldogs. Jordan was named Co-SEC Player of the Week in March and has been swinging an extremely hot bat with his average sitting at .371.

Jordan also has flexed his elite power, hitting 14 round-trippers on the year. He also has 31 walks on the season which has him in the Golden Spikes conversation.

As a Jackson Academy kid, you know this rivalry means a lot to him. You cannot let this guy beat you, if you're Ole Miss.

Solid 1-2 Punch

After mostly getting the ball on Sundays, Mississippi State head Coach Chris Lemonis gives Jurrangelo Cijntje the rock on Saturday.

Cijntje is an ambidextrous pitcher who has elite stuff from both the right and the left side. While he does pitch with both arms, the right side is what scouts are drooling over. Cijntje has hit 97 mph with a nasty mid-80s slider, but he still throws heat from the left side as well, sitting in the low 90s. Cijntje is 5-1 on the year with a 3.45 ERA.

I don't know if he will switch every time depending on the right left matchup, but that is something to watch for on Saturday.

Purdue transfer Khal Stephens has been very productive in his outings as well, and he gets the Friday night start. Stephens stands 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, a very long righty who will throw his fastball in the mid-90s. While the Rebs have seen this velocity all season, Stephen's tall frame will make his fastball look even harder.

First pitch in the series is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network.