Old Dominion (4-9, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. No. 22 Mississippi State (11-4, 0-0 SEC)
Game Location – Keesler Federal Park (Biloxi, Miss.)
Start Time – Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. EST
Watch – SEC Network +
Live Stats – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – After playing three games at then-No. 22 Auburn this past weekend, Old Dominion Baseball takes the field against another SEC program on Tuesday when the Monarchs play No. 22 Mississippi State in the Hancock Whitney Classic.
The game will be played at Keesler Federal Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network +. Live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (4-9, 0-0 Sun Belt) rallied for an 11-9 win over the Tigers on Saturday, capped by a go-ahead three-run home run from Kainen Jorge. ODU couldn’t come up with a repeat performance on Sunday though, dropping the rubber match, 7-3.
ODU comes into the week batting .242 as a team with a .338 slugging percentage and a .347 on-base percentage. Leading the team at the plate are Tahraun Hammond (.381), Zach Leite (.310), Jorge (.295), Scotty Young (.294), and Evan Holman (.276). Jorge owns team highs in runs (12) and walks (13) while Kyle Edwards (.239) has 10 RBIs and is a perfect 7-for-7 when attempting to steal.
Sophomore right hander Nick Sulpizio (0-1, 5.06 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday in what will be a staff day for the Monarchs. The Cherry Hill, New Jersey native has made three appearances and allowed three runs on four hits and six walks. He’s also tallied five strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work with opponents hitting .222 against him. ODU pitching has a team ERA of 6.21 and is fourth in the Sun Belt with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Scouting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs (11-4, 0-0 SEC) have won four in a row and are coming off a weekend sweep of Queens University of Charlotte. MSU defeated the Royals 9-3 on Friday, 10-2 on Saturday, and 9-3 on Sunday. MSU enters the week ranked 22nd in the country by Baseball America and 24th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The team is also receiving votes in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll.
MSU is fifth in Division I with 2.07 home runs per game, seventh in slugging percentage (.593), ninth in home runs (31), 15th in batting average (.333), and 23rd in hits (170). The team has six starters hitting .300 or better. Noah Sullivan leads the way with a .426 batting average, Aaron Downs is next at .400, and Nolan Stevens is third with a .375 clip. Following them are Ace Reese (.333), Bryce Chance (.328), and Reed Stallman (.323). Downs ranked 16th nationally in both home runs (7) and home runs per game (0.5). The Bulldogs are also a threat on the basepaths with 25 stolen bases on 27 attempts.
Junior right hander Evan Siary (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the nod for the Bulldogs. In three appearances, the Columbus, Mississippi native has recorded four strikeouts and allowed one hit without issuing a walk in 3.1 innings pitched. He’s also holding opposing hitters to a 0.91 average. MSU pitching ranks second nationally with 5.54 hits allowed per nine innings, third in WHIP (1.02), fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.7), and 12th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.52).
The Series
The two programs are meeting for the first time this weekend.
Up Next
ODU opens Sun Belt Conference play this weekend with three games at Southern Miss. Friday’s series opener against the Golden Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT. The two teams then play again at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday and wrap up the series with a 2 p.m. EDT start on Sunday.