STARKVILLE — National audiences will get to see the reigning Southeastern Conference regular-season champion and back-to-back national finalist Mississippi State women’s basketball on television 13 times this season.
Vic Schaefer’s squad will have 12 of its 16 SEC games televised, including seven of eight home conference tilts. The Dec. 18 game at Oregon will air at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be playing on ESPN and the SEC Network 13 times this season,” Schaefer said. “The exposure they give our great game is second to none, and we appreciate the opportunity to be part of the continued growth of women’s basketball across the country.”
In league play, MSU will appear on the SEC Network nine times, beginning with the Jan. 3 opener at Arkansas.
The game in Fayetteville starts a run of four-straight appearances on the SEC Network for MSU. Games against Kentucky (4 p.m., Jan. 6) and Georgia (8 p.m., Jan. 10), as well as a Monday, Jan. 14, game at Auburn, will be shown on the network.
MSU’s Jan. 17 home game against South Carolina will air at 6 p.m. on ESPN or the SEC Network. MSU also will have its Feb. 10 home game against Tennessee broadcast at 1 p.m. on ESPN, while the regular-season finale at South Carolina will be at 1 p.m. March 3 on ESPN2.
Home games against Ole Miss (2 p.m., Jan. 27), Missouri (8 p.m., Feb. 14), and Vanderbilt (Noon, Feb. 24) also will be shown on the SEC Network.
SEC Network also will air MSU’s games at Alabama (Noon, Feb. 3) and Texas A&M (1 p.m., Feb. 17).
MSU’s home finale against LSU (7 p.m., Feb. 28), as well as all televised home non-conference games, will be streamed online on SEC Network +.
SEC games at Florida (6 p.m., Jan. 24,), LSU (6:0 p.m., Jan. 31), and Ole Miss (Feb. 21) also will be available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
MSU will open the season at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 with an exhibition game against reigning Division II national champion Central Missouri. MSU will play host to Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in its season opener.
n Men’s basketball will hold walk-on tryouts: At Starkville, Current and eligible MSU students who want to try out for a walk-on position with the men’s basketball program will be given the opportunity at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at Mize Pavilion.
All interested students must submit their name, MSU ID number, and date of birth to Derrick Zimmerman via email at [email protected] by 5 p.m. Friday.
After eligibility has been determined by the MSU Athletic Compliance Office, those eligible to tryout will be required to go to the compliance office on the second floor of Humphrey Coliseum from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, to pick up a tryout checklist.
Eligible candidates will be contacted about the detailed process moving forward after eligibility has been determined, which includes proof of insurance information and a required physical.
n Baseball America rates baseball team’s recruiting class No. 12 in nation: At Starkville, For the ninth time since 2000, the baseball program has earned a spot in the Baseball America recruiting rankings. The Bulldogs’ 18-player recruiting class was ranked the No. 12 class in the nation by the publication.
The group features seven transfers and 11 who joined straight from the high school ranks. There are eight pitchers, eight position players and two utility (pitcher & position) student-athletes.
The class includes four players who were drafted in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft — JT Ginn (first round; Los Angeles Dodgers), Gunner Halter (26th round; Cleveland Indians), Eric Cerantola (30th round; Tampa Bay Rays), and Sam Knowlton (39th round; Cincinnati Reds).
Cerantola, Ginn, and Knowlton are joined by Benjamin Bell, Hunter Blalock, Bryce Brock, Hayden Jones, Landon Jordan, Christian MacLeod, Brandon Smith, and Basiel Williams as student-athletes arriving on campus straight from high school.
Of the prep group, Brock, Cerantola, Ginn, Jones, Jordan, Knowlton, MacLeod, Smith, and Williams earned All-America honors following their senior seasons. Bell and Blalock earned All-State laurels in their final high school season.
Halter is among the group of transfers that includes Tucker Childers, Jack Eagan, JP Elkins, Anthony Hickman, Tyler Spring, and Colby White. That group includes one All-American (Halter), two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Team selections (Childers and Spring), and three all-region picks (Childers, Eagan, and Halter).
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