STARKVILLE – Mississippi State first baseman Wes Rea admits that his team has been struggling lately.
He also believes MSU’s baseball team can turn those struggles into a positive.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team, newcomers who haven’t been through this before,” said Rea. “We’ve been kicked in the teeth a few times lately, but if we use it to get better, it can be a good thing.”
The Bulldogs, who started the season at 13-0, have lost four of their last six games, and have averaged just three runs per game during that stretch.
Now, on the heels of a 3-1 loss to Western Kentucky, MSU turns the page to the most important part of the season when Southeastern Conference play begins tonight.
The opponent for MSU (15-4) will be an experienced Alabama (9-6) team that’s also looking to start SEC play on the right foot.
For MSU coach John Cohen, the transition from non-conference action to league play can be stark. It can also be an opportunity for the Bulldogs to shake off their recent doldrums.
“They’ll be ready to play against a really good Alabama club,” said Cohen. “Alabama is really experienced, they are an older team with a ton of upperclassmen. It will be another Friday night in the SEC when it’s a close game and you have to find ways to manufacture runs to win a ball game.”
That has been an issue for the Bulldogs lately, as MSU has scored just 10 runs in its four losses. Those struggles were especially prevalent in the loss to WKU, when the Bulldogs were a combined 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base.
“Every little mistake is magnified when you can’t score,” said Cohen. “We just need to come out and compete a little harder than we have been at the plate.”
Pitching hasn’t been a problem for MSU, as the Bulldogs have limited opponents to three runs or less in 14 of their 19 games this season.
One player who has factored into that has been starting pitcher Preston Brown (3-1, 1.93 earned run average). He will get the Friday night start against Alabama, and he will face senior lefthander Taylor Guilbeau (2-1, 2.67).
“Our pitching has been great,” said Rea. “We have total confidence in our guys on the bump. We have guys going up and putting up good numbers, giving us a chance every single ball game.”
First picth for the MSU-Alabama series opener is tonight at 6:30 p.m. Game 2 will follow on Saturday at 2 p.m. and the series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.