STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State University baseball team ran into a familiar problem Tuesday night.

MSU, which has had issues generating momentum on offense, reached a new low in a 2-0 loss to the University of Central Arkansas at Dudy Noble Field.

MSU (31-21), the worst hitting team in the Southeastern Conference in terms of batting average (.248) and slugging percentage (.335), had only seven hits against the Bears (24-26), who are sixth in the Southland Conference. The loss was the first time a non-conference opponent shut out a John Cohen-coached MSU team. The shutout also was the first against a team outside the Southeastern Conference since a 6-0 loss to Samford University in 2004.

The Bulldogs didn’t have a single runner advance to second base and had five spots in the starting lineup not record a hit or a walk.

Since 1976, MSU has only had one season when it hit below .250 (1976, .247), and only two seasons when it hit fewer than 30 home runs (1976, 1980). This year’s Bulldogs are on a pace to accomplish both of those feats. Central Arkansas (24-26) turned two double plays and threw out another Bulldog on a steal attempt.

“We have some deficiencies offensively,” Cohen said. “It’s like you missing a 10-foot putt, so I could scream at you and say, (yelling in a much louder voice) ‘Hit the 10-foot putt!’ ”

Cohen said he won’t yell and scream at his team with less than 48 hours until it plays host to the No. 8 University of Kentucky in a SEC in a three-game series. The set, which begins Thursday in Starkville, will determine the Bulldogs’ seed for the SEC tournament next week in Hoover, Ala.

“You can’t go nuts on your kids because the most important three games of the season are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday against Kentucky,” Cohen said. “I love our kids and how they work, but they have to put this in the rear view mirror.”

With starters like freshman Wes Rea in a 1-for-41 slump and having four starters hitting below .225, Cohen doesn’t see the benefit in making a lot of noise about the zeroes his team is putting up inning after inning.

“The problem with screaming at you is that’s not going to help you hit the 10-foot putt, is it?” Cohen said. “No. It’s not an effort thing.”

MSU wasn’t the only team that had a night to forget. Five SEC teams lost non-conference games, as Kentucky, the University of Florida, the University of Mississippi, Auburn University, and the University of Tennessee lost on the road to opponents ranked out of the top 50 in the RPI.

Kentucky (41-12) suffered just its third loss of the year in non-conference play (23-3), as Murray State used seven pitchers, including six in the first six innings and all three of its weekend starters, at Paducah’s Brooks Stadium.

Samford sophomore C.K. Irby limited No. 3 Florida to one run and one hit in five innings, while the nation’s home-run leader, senior Brandon Miller (2-for-4), belted two two-run home runs in a 12-7 victory at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

“You guys need to tell me some scores around the league because it looks like this is one of those things that’s happening around the league,” Cohen said. “I don’t care about the rest of the league, but it’s a normal progression. The heart rate for the (SEC) opponent’s dugout are pretty excited about being here and our kids just aren’t.”