STARKVILLE — Jacob Robson isn’t panicking after two midweek losses.

Last season, it would have been a different story, though, as the Mississippi State baseball team struggled to stop losing streaks and the momentum of midweek losses carried into the weekends.

After midweek losses to Eastern Kentucky and Oral Roberts, Robson and No. 15 MSU will try to show they can reverse that trend when they take on Vanderbilt at 7 tonight in Game 1 of a three-game Southeastern Conference series in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I stay strong with my belief in this team and this group of guys,” Robson said. “We’re a bunch of hard-nosed individuals, and our confidence doesn’t waver.”

MSU blew two six-run leads and lost 16-12 in 10 innings to Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday and lost to Oral Roberts 3-1 on Wednesday. Both losses come after then-No. 24 MSU swept then-No. 11 Oregon last weekend. Robson, a junior outfielder, is confident MSU (12-5-1) can stop the losing streak against Vanderbilt (16-1).

Game 2 of the series will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network). Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network+).

The Bulldogs started last season 13-0, but they won 11 of their last 41 games to finish 24-30 and missed the postseason. A 3-2 midweek loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff last season marked the beginning of MSU’s slide. That has stuck with Robson and many of the returning players. He believes the Bulldogs will reverse their fortunes because the veterans are tired of losing and the younger players are hungry to win.

“The guys that are returning, we have a chip on our shoulder,” Robson said. “The new guys, we’ve got our a really talented group and they’re really following suit with that. I think the older leaders on the team are showing the younger guys how to carry themselves and compete at the highest level of college baseball.”

MSU will start junior right-hander Dakota Hudson (2-1, 1.90 ERA) today and junior right-hander Austin Sexton (2-1, 3.70) Saturday. Sunday’s starter hasn’t been announced, but junior left-hander Daniel Brown (2-0, 2.61) has started the last two series finales.

Vanderbilt will start sophomore right-hander Jordan Sheffield (3-1, 1.09) today, junior left-hander Ben Bowden (2-0, 4.50) Saturday, and sophomore Kyle Wright (3-0, 1.76) Sunday.

In the two midweek losses, it was a tale of two teams. Against Eastern Kentucky, the pitching staff, especially the bullpen, struggled. The pitching staff was much better against Oral Roberts, but the offense struck out 12 times.

“We just need to make the adjustments and try and beat the game itself,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “We’ve got to keep defending the way we’ve defended. We’ve got to have our starting guys, Dakota Hudson’s got to out there and do a great job for us on (today) and Sexton’s got to do a great job for us Saturday. The weekend’s are different, so hopefully we can get this thing going right back to where it was last weekend.”

There aren’t many tougher places MSU could go to try and get back on the winning side. Vanderbilt is 14-0 at home. Its only loss came at Stanford. The last time the Bulldogs played in Nashville, the Commodores swept them. MSU won two of three games in 2014 at Dudy Noble Field, but the last series win at Vanderbilt was 2002, when MSU took two out of three.

Robson is excited to play one of the top teams in the country, and feels like MSU can win the series.

“I think the biggest thing is to stay positive and continue to do what we’ve been doing in our preparation,” Robson said. “I think it’s been successful. Our coaches aren’t having us doing anything that is hindering us in any way. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, stay confident, and compete our hearts out this weekend.”

Robson is on a 13-game hitting streak and he has reached base safely in a career-long 18-straight games dating back to last season.

Cohen said he hasn’t thought about what happened to last year’s team and is focusing on the 2016 team and recruiting. He feels like his team is capable of putting the midweek losses behind them.

“This is a game you play frequently, so you have to have short memory. I think our older kids will do a great job of that,” Cohen said.

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.