STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team will have a positive experience to rely on as it faces another tough Southeastern Conference road test.
After dropping two midweek games, the Bulldogs took the series at Vanderbilt in mid-March and had a chance for the sweep. MSU went 1-1-1 in Los Angeles against UCLA, Southern California and Oklahoma in early March and had a chance to go 3-0 that weekend as well.
But this weekend’s test may be the toughest of all. No. 5 MSU travels to Gainesville, Florida, to take on No. 1 Florida 4:30 p.m. today (SEC Network+), 6 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network+) and 3 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network) at McKethan Stadium.
“I think every time you go into a tough environment and you come out with some wins, it allows you to do it again and again and again,” Cohen said. “All those experiences that our kids had in Los Angeles and at Vanderbilt, hopefully we’ll be able to use those experiences to play a high level of baseball which is what it will take to compete with a very good Florida baseball team.”
The Bulldogs (21-8-1, 6-3 SEC) are 3-2 on the road, but haven’t won a series in Gainesville since winning two out of three in 2007. The Gators (28-3, 7-2) have won the last five against the Bulldogs and have won 28-straight home games, including last weekend’s sweep of then-No. 1 Texas A&M.
MSU has won its first three conference series. Along with winning in Nashville, Tennessee, MSU took two out of three from Georgia and Ole Miss at home the last two weekends.
Junior Jack Kruger agrees with his coach that the series win at Vanderbilt gives the Bulldogs confidence, but admits each weekend is different.
“It’ll be a little bit different,” Kruger said. “But for the most part we feel like every SEC team that we’ve played, we’ve played the baseball that we know we can play. As long as we continue that, we feel confident going into this weekend.”
A big reason MSU has gotten off to a fast start in conference play is because of the performances by junior right-handed pitchers Dakota Hudson (4-1, 0.92 ERA), who was named Perfect Game’s Midseason Pitcher of the Year Thursday, and Austin Sexton (3-1, 2.98). Hudson has hit another gear in SEC play with a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, 24 strikeouts, three walks and two SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. He has not allowed an earned run in 30 2/3 innings. Sexton is 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three SEC starts. Hudson and Sexton will start today and Saturday, respectively.
But MSU pitching has been lacking in the finales. The Bulldogs have lost all three final games and each opponent has scored no less than eight runs. Junior left-hander Daniel Brown has started twice, while freshman right-hander Keegan James has drawn one start. Cohen mentioned midweek starter freshman left-hander Konnor Pilkington (1-0, 1.10) could start this Sunday and the Hurley native was quick to say that he wants the job.
Pilkington pitched one inning in Tuesday’s 14-0 win over the University of Tennessee-Martin. Cohen has several options but Pilkington has set himself apart.
“Those kids know if they go out there and they can’t throw it in the strike zone, it’s going to be difficult for us to put them back out there,” Cohen said. “I know that sounds horrible, but it’s just kind of the nature of the beast. We have a lot competition on our pitching staff and we have been searching for that Sunday guy. I think a lot of those kids want that opportunity.”
Kruger, who is third on the team with a .357 batting average, second with four home runs and a team-leading 27 RBIs, said pitchers have bad outings some times. But he said there is no lack of confidence regardless of who the pitcher is.
“Every guy we throw out there is going to compete his butt off and that’s what we love about our team,” Kruger said. “It doesn’t matter who we throw out on Sunday, we have absolute confidence in whoever they choose that we’re going to get a W (win) that day.”
The Gators will throw junior right-hander Logan Shore (5-0, 2.59) today, sophomore right-hander Alex Faedo (6-0, 2.53) Saturday and junior left-hander A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.38) Sunday.
MSU junior centerfielder Jacob Robson left Sunday’s game against Ole Miss with a hand injury. Cohen said he banged up his hand on a slide Friday but the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, native tried to play through the pain. He didn’t play Tuesday and freshman Jake Mangum, who leads the team with a .439 batting average and is 10-for-16 in the last four games, took his place.
Cohen said he doesn’t know if Robson will be able to play and will be a gameday decision.
Kruger likes the way the team is playing right now, mainly because of the play from guys like Mangum coming off the bench.
“I think we’re getting better every week, so we’re definitely climbing, but I don’t think we’ve reached our peak potential at all,” Kruger said. “I think that peak is so high for us because of the depth and the talent that we have. I don’t think anyone on our team knows where that peak is.”
There’s no doubt confidence is high for the Bulldogs because of what they have done already. Mangum said those wins were big, but they have to “turn the page and look for the next one.” That’s what MSU hopes to do, but with a even tougher Florida team.
“We’re just going to stick with the same process,” Mangum said. “It’s just another game. We’ve got game goals we have to worry about and we’re going to worry about our own selves.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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