Cannizaro and the Diamond Dawgs face their first road test of the season this weekend.
Diamond Dawgs Head West For Three-Game Series At Oregon
March 01, 2017 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After a 6-3 start to the 2017 season during a nine-game homestand, Mississippi State will hit the road for a three-game weekend series vs. Oregon (4-3) at PK Park.
The Diamond Dawgs and Ducks will open their series Friday at 8 p.m. CT, while the series will conclude on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT from Eugene. Game 2 is set for 4 p.m. CT on Saturday.
The series is a rematch from a 2016 series that served as a springboard for MSU in a historical season for the Bulldogs in which they were crowned Southeastern Conference Regular Season Champions. In 2016, State swept its three-game series with Oregon in Starkville.
The two programs have met just four times with three of those meetings having come just one year ago. MSU leads the all-time series with the Ducks having won the first meeting 6-5 on a neutral field in 1968. This weekend's series marks the first time MSU and Oregon have met in Eugene.
VIDEO: Andy Cannizaro previews the road trip
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
Friday – MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington vs. ORE LHP David Peterson
Saturday – MSU RHP Peyton Plumlee vs. ORE RHP Matt Mercer
Sunday – MSU TBA vs. ORE TBA
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 54, Low 40 – Rain – 90% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 44, Low 32 – Rain – 90% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 43, Low 34 – Light Rain – 80% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO & TELEVISION
All three of MSU's games this weekend will be streamed live on Oregon's Live Stream via Pac-12.com/live.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
Friday and Sunday's games will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. Saturday's game will air only on WLZA 96.1 in the Starkville area. All three games will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription), while Friday and Sunday's games will also air on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
General admission ($8) and reserved ($12-$15) are still available and can be purchased on Oregon's website or at the PK Park ticket office.
FOLLOW THE DIAMOND DAWGS
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
The Diamond Dawgs and Ducks will open their series Friday at 8 p.m. CT, while the series will conclude on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT from Eugene. Game 2 is set for 4 p.m. CT on Saturday.
The series is a rematch from a 2016 series that served as a springboard for MSU in a historical season for the Bulldogs in which they were crowned Southeastern Conference Regular Season Champions. In 2016, State swept its three-game series with Oregon in Starkville.
The two programs have met just four times with three of those meetings having come just one year ago. MSU leads the all-time series with the Ducks having won the first meeting 6-5 on a neutral field in 1968. This weekend's series marks the first time MSU and Oregon have met in Eugene.
VIDEO: Andy Cannizaro previews the road trip
Game Notes | Live Stats
NEED TO KNOW
- MSU has scored 8+ runs in eight-straight games for the first time since 1999.
- Entering the week, State led the SEC in runs scored (76), RBIs (68), home runs (11), total bases (159), stolen bases (23), hit by pitch (16), batters struck out (86), fielding double plays (6), while ranking second in hits (100) and doubles (20).
- After hitting four home runs through their first nine games in 2016, the Diamond Dawgs have already hit 11 home runs through their first nine games of 2017.
- MSU is 23-of-26 at stealing bases on the year and started the year 19-of-19. In 2016, the Bulldogs were 17-of-19 in the category through their first nine games.
- Jake Mangum extended his career-long hitting streak to 22 games, dating back to the 2016 season.
- MSU pitching posted a pair of quality starts on the weekend, with Konnor Pilkington (8.0 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 H, 8 K) and Peyton Plumlee (8.0 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 H, 5 K) doing so on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Plumlee's ERA now stands at 0.64 after two starts.
- Ryan Gridley entered the weekend hitting .190 at the plate and then went 13-for-17 at the plate with one double, one home run and four steals for 7 RBIs and 9 runs to up his average to .447.
- Brent Rooker went 9-for-15 at the plate on the weekend with three homers, four doubles and 14 RBI. He also stole five bases and is now 8-of-8 on the year in stolen bases after stealing only two bases through the first 92 games of his collegiate career.
- Rooker leads the SEC in RBIs (17), total bases (27) and stolen bases (8), while ranking second in doubles (5).
- Mangum leads the SEC in runs scored (18), hits (18) and hit by pitch (4).
- Sophomore Luke Alexander has exploded onto the scene in a starting infielder role as he posted a two-HR, three-RBI game on Tuesday and is currently hitting .378 on 14 hits and 12 RBIs after only notching 14 hits and 9 RBIs over 29 games as a freshman in 2016.
Friday – MSU LHP Konnor Pilkington vs. ORE LHP David Peterson
Saturday – MSU RHP Peyton Plumlee vs. ORE RHP Matt Mercer
Sunday – MSU TBA vs. ORE TBA
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday Forecast: High 54, Low 40 – Rain – 90% Chance of Rain
Saturday Forecast: High 44, Low 32 – Rain – 90% Chance of Rain
Sunday Forecast: High 43, Low 34 – Light Rain – 80% Chance of Rain
LIVE VIDEO & TELEVISION
All three of MSU's games this weekend will be streamed live on Oregon's Live Stream via Pac-12.com/live.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
LIVE AUDIO & RADIO
Friday and Sunday's games will air live on the Mississippi State Baseball Radio Network and WKBB 100.9 in Starkville. Saturday's game will air only on WLZA 96.1 in the Starkville area. All three games will also be audio streamed live online at HailState.com/Plus (requires subscription), while Friday and Sunday's games will also air on TuneIn Radio.
TICKETS
General admission ($8) and reserved ($12-$15) are still available and can be purchased on Oregon's website or at the PK Park ticket office.
FOLLOW THE DIAMOND DAWGS
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Players Mentioned
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