Video: No. 1 Florida Talks Upcoming Mississippi State Series

April 7, 2016

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – It will be a Top 10 SEC battle in Gainesville this weekend, as No. 10 Mississippi State (21-8-1, 6-3 SEC) hits the road to take on the No. 1 Florida Gators (28-3, 7-2 SEC). The series opens Friday at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at 4:30 p.m. CT. Game two is set for Saturday at 6 p.m., with the series finale on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 18 contests, including their last five overall series and last four SEC series. Most recently, MSU took down in-state rival Ole Miss with a 3-1 victory on Friday and 6-2 win on Saturday, before dropping the series finale, 8-5. State capped off its homestand with a dominating 14-0 shutout of UT Martin on Tuesday.

MSU is looking to win its fourth-straight SEC series for the first time since March 30-April 22, 2001 (at Arkansas, at Tennessee, vs. South Carolina, vs. Kentucky). A series win would also give the Bulldogs their fifth-straight overall series win, a mark that has not been completed since Feb. 28-March 30, 2003 (vs. ETSU, vs. Lipscomb, vs. Vanderbilt, at Arkansas, at Ole Miss).

(Photo Courtesy: Kelly Price, MSU Athletics)

Florida enters the weekend as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation and riding a 28-straight game home winning streak. The Gators took down No. 8 Florida State in Jacksonville on Tuesday, 3-2, after sweeping then-No. 1 Texas A&M at home, 7-4, 7-2 and 10-7.

This weekend marks the first time since 2012 that the two ballclubs have met in Gainesville. Last time at McKethan was in the 2012, when Florida claimed two out of three. UF holds a 62-44 advantage in the series overall and 30-18 in Gainesville.

Starting Rotation

Friday: MSU’s Jr. RHP Dakota Hudson (4-1, 0.92 ERA) vs. UF’s Jr. RHP Logan Shore (5-0, 2.59 ERA)

Saturday: MSU’s Jr. RHP Austin Sexton (3-1, 2.98 ERA) vs. UF’s Alex Faedo (6-0, 2.53 ERA)

Sunday: MSU’s TBA vs. UF’s A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.38 ERA)

Need To Know

In the latest rankings released Monday, MSU was voted 10th in the Coaches Poll, 5th by Baseball America, 8th by Collegiate Baseball, 8th by Perfect Game, 8th by the NCBWA and 5th by D1 Baseball.
Junior RHP Dakota Hudson enters the weekend after being named the Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger® National Player of the Week and SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, both for the second time this season. Hudson became the first Bulldog since Ross Mitchell in 2014 to win the conference honor at least twice in the same season.
Hudson is 10th in the NCAA with a 0.92 ERA (1st in SEC) and 19thwith 56 strikeouts (4^th in SEC). The preseason All-American as also the only player to rank in the top five in the SEC in earned run average (0.92, 1^st; 10th NCAA), innings pitched (48.2, 5th), opposing batting average (.187, 5th) and strikeouts.
As of April 7, Mississippi State’s offense ranks third in the country in doubles (75, 1^st in SEC), eighth in hits (336, 2nd in SEC), 8th in on-base percentage (.418, 1st in SEC), 14th in batting average (.320, 3rd in SEC) and 25th in walks (146, 3rd in SEC).
The Bulldog’s pitching staff is seventh in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7, 4th in SEC)
Reid Humphreys is 22nd in the NCAA with 12 doubles (2nd in SEC), while junior designated hitter Jack Kruger is 48th in the NCAA with 11 doubles (4th in SEC)
After hitting .243 with two outs in 2015, the Bulldogs are terrorizing opposing pitching with a .333 batting average (1^st in SEC) with two down this season.
The Bulldogs have tallied 102 two-out RBIs this season through 30 games, compared to their 98 total last season. MSU is the only squad in the SEC with 100-plus two-out RBIs this year so far.
After having 65 extra-base hits (45 doubles, 6 triples, 14 home runs) through the first 30 games last season, the Maroon and White have 103 extra-base hits (75 doubles, 7 triples, 21 home runs) so far this year.