STARKVILLE — Looking to build on the program’s 11th Southeastern Conference championship in 2016, Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen announced Thursday that his team will play 20 fall intrasquad scrimmages at Dudy Noble Field starting Thursday, Oct. 13. All scrimmages are free and open to the public.
Thursday’s lid-lifter is scheduled to begin around noon and will coincide with the start of MSU’s Fall Break. Official first pitch times will be announced the day before on social media.
The fall slate will wrap up the weekend of Nov. 11-13 with the annual Bulldog World Series, where the seniors split up and draft a pair of teams for an exciting best-of-three series.
Over the summer, seven Diamond Dawgs were named All-Stars in their respective leagues, with four capturing league titles — Blake Smith and Hunter Stovall in the California Collegiate League for the Santa Barbara Foresters, along with Keegan James and Peyton Plumlee, who helped lead the Strasburg Express to a Valley League title.
Sophomore Jake Mangum will look to keep his bat hot after taking the SEC batting title on his way to being named the conference’s Freshman of the Year and an All-American. He had a stellar summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, owning a .300 clip in 35 games for the Bourne Braves.
Not only did 2016 Major League Baseball draft pick Brent Rooker take All-Star accolades in the Cape Cod League after deciding to remain in school, he also competed in the College Home Run Derby held at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, belting 29 home runs.
Fans will also be able to get their first look at some of the new faces in the program, including new pitching coach Gary Henderson, who was hired following the 2016 season, in addition to another nationally ranked recruiting class that features a pair of 2016 MLB draft picks.
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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.