The Pitching Matchups: Ole Miss Baseball vs. Mississippi State in Rivalry Series

OXFORD, Miss. – No. 18 Ole Miss (19-7, 3-3 SEC) and No. 6 Mississippi State (21-4, 4-2 SEC) are set to clash this weekend in Oxford as ranked opponents for the first time since 2021. First pitch at Swayze Field on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. while Saturday is set for 1:30 p.m. and Sunday is set for 3 p.m.

LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss dropped their midweek game against Memphis on Tuesday on the road, collecting just four hits in a 6-2 loss.
- The Rebels opened their home slate 16-0 before losing to Kentucky last Saturday. The 16-0 home start was the best in program history.
- Tristan Bissetta had two multi-home run games last week, hitting five home runs over four games.
- He hit his 12th and 13th home runs on Friday against Kentucky, becoming the fastest Rebel in program history to reach the 13-home run mark, doing it in just 23 games.
- Bissetta comes into the weekend ranked second in the SEC in home runs (14), second in total bases (85), third in hits (38), fourth in RBI (38), fourth in RBI per game (1.46), fourth in slugging percentage (.859)
- Judd Utermark is ranked fourth in the SEC in runs scored (32), sixth in runs per game (1.23), and ninth in home runs (10).
- Utermark and Bissetta have combined to hit 24 of Ole Miss' 46 (52.2%) home runs this season.
- Dom Decker is ranked third in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA in walks with 28. He is averaging 1.08 walks per game.
- Hunter Elliott is ranked 13th in the SEC in strikeouts with 44 punchouts on the season. His K/9 sits at 12.77 which is 10th in the SEC.
- The Ole Miss pitching staff has struck out 298 batters, second-most in the SEC and fourth in the NCAA.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (3-0, 3.48 ERA) vs. LHP Charlie Foster (0-0, 5.11 ERA)
Game 2: TBA vs. LHP Tomas Valincius (5-0, 1.04 ERA)
Game 3: TBA vs. RHP Duke Stone (4-0, 4.10 ERA)

Ole Miss Rebels Baseball takes down the Arkansas Razorbacks thanks to Hunter Elliot's big day. — Courtesy of Hunter Ellio

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) on the call. Sunday's matchup will be broadcast on SEC Network with Richard Cross (PxP) and Todd Walker (analyst) on the call.

Fans can listen to all Ole Miss Baseball games, home and away, on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum (PxP) and Brad Henderson (analyst) on the call.

SCOUTING REPORT
Former Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor has made an effortless transition into SEC play by leading Mississippi State to a 21-4 record to start the season. O'Connor began his first season in Starkville after 22 seasons with the Cavaliers, where he is the all-time winningest coach in program history.

He's brought that winning mentality to Mississippi State who finds itself ranked as a consensus top 10 team and sitting as high as No. 4 in national polls. The Bulldogs are no stranger to success, accumulating a winning record in 10 of the past 11 seasons, which includes a pair of 50-win campaigns in 2019 and 2021, the latter season saw them winning the College World Series.

This season has been no different, as the Bulldogs are riding a five-game winning streak which includes a sweep of Vanderbilt and a 12-0 romping of No. 11 Southern Miss last time out. The Bulldogs have compiled a well-rounded squad that ranks top 10 nationally in 12 statistical categories, including batting average (third), strikeouts per nine innings (fifth), runs (sixth) and hits (seventh).

No individual Bulldog stands out nationally at the plate, rather the collective position players each are capable batters. Bryce Chance leads the way as the most effective hitter with a staggering .452 batting average.

Ace Reese and Noah Sullivan provide the power with 13 home runs between them, with the former leading the team with 12 doubles. Reese and Reed Stallman are the team's main drivers of scoring with 34 and 29 RBI, respectively. On the bases, eight primary starters have recorded at least one stolen base as Chance leads the way with seven.

Mississippi State's weekend starters up until this weekend have been right-handers Ryan McPherson and Duke Stone, with lefty Tomas Valincius sandwiched between on Saturday. The starters have a combined 12-0 record on 94.0 pitches, giving up only 25 earned runs. Valincius leads the way on Saturdays with a 1.04 ERA and a team-high 47 Ks, the former ranking third in the SEC.

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