STARKVILLE — Mississippi State junior Jack Kruger feels like he plays on the best team in the country.
Kruger and the Bulldogs will get a chance to prove that this weekend.
Ranked in the top 10 of every major poll, including No. 5 by Baseball America, MSU will travel to Gainesville, Florida, this weekend to face No. 1 Florida.
MSU tuned up for that game Tuesday by blanking Tennessee-Martin 14-0 at Dudy Noble Field.
“Florida is ranked as the best team in the country,” Kruger said. “We feel we are the best team in the country. When we play to our potential and do what we can do, we feel like we are the best team in the country. It’s not as much about the opponent as it is controlling what we can do. If we play to our potential, we can win.”
MSU (21-8-1) did that Tuesday, pounding out 18 hits to beat Tennessee-Martin (7-22), which dropped its 12th-straight game.
MSU has had 15 or more hits eight times after only doing it three times last season.
Most of the offensive damage came from center fielder Jake Mangum and Kruger. Mangum had his first four-hit game at MSU and reached base safely in all six plate appearances. Kruger had three hits, including a mammoth three-run home run.
“Everybody laid off bad pitches tonight,” said Mangum, who had 10 hits in his last 16 at-bats. “We are worrying about ourselves. We are competing against our own game goals. For the most part, we are getting good preparation.”
MSU scored four times in the second inning and blew it open with seven runs in the fifth. Nathaniel Lowe, Ryan Gridley, and Hunter Stovall had multiple hits.
The Bulldogs used eight pitchers. Ryan Cyr (1-0) threw the second and third and was credited with the win. The staff allowed four hits and threw the team’s fourth shutout.
Starter Konnor Pilkington threw one inning, placing him in a position to start against No. 1 Florida on Sunday in Game 3 of the series.
Dakota Hudson and Austin Sexton have gotten the job done in each of the first two games of the series to help MSU win its first three Southeastern Conference series, but Sunday pitching has been a major question mark.
When asked if he wanted the ball on Sunday, Pilkington quickly said, “Yes, I do.”
Cohen said it would be fair to consider Tuesday night’s mound work an audition for innings Sunday.
“We have to have some guys step up and throw strikes on Sundays,” Cohen said. “It’s fair for them to look at that as an audition tonight. We are fortunate with what we have been getting (from Hudson and Sexton). Now we have to shore up Sunday.”
Kruger said the team has total confidence in any pitcher. He added that the success of Hudson and Sexton has made things easier. Each threw complete-game victories this past weekend against Ole Miss.
“We believe in every pitcher we put out there,” Kruger said. “The young guys are hungry. We know everyone is going to pitch their butt off and try to help us win. When you catch for guys like that, it makes it fun.”
Earlier this season, MSU took a series win at Vanderbilt. The Commodores were ranked as high as second nationally before those games were played.
“You take confidence from wins like that,” Cohen said. “You take confidence from games like we had in Los Angeles (a 1-1-1 road trip). When you have success, it makes it easier to have success again. Our guys will go to Florida and not be intimidated. That is for sure.”
In the latest Ratings Percentage Index, MSU checked in at No. 26. Being in sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division, it is safe to say the first half of the season can be deemed a success. The Bulldogs can lay a stronger claim to earning a chance to play host to a NCAA tournament regional by performing well the next two weekends against Florida and Texas A&M. The Aggies also have spent some time ranked No. 1 in the nation.
“We just have to be true to the process and worry about our game,” Mangum said. “You can’t let one game or one series be bigger than another. At the same time, this is a big challenge, and we are excited about it.”
Florida has won 28-straight home games dating back to last season, but Cohen said Florida lost its weekend series at Kentucky a couple of weeks ago.
“That’s life in the SEC,” Cohen said. “We are going to go down there and try to win a series. It’s not going to be easy. However, it is something we are capable of doing.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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