STARKVILLE — John Cohen wasn’t pleased with his starting pitching last weekend.

The Mississippi State coach had confidence in his pitching staff entering the season, calling it the strongest aspect of the team. But the starters struggled last weekend, and Austin Sexton was the only one to earn a decision, a loss to Florida Atlantic.

But the Bulldog starters made a vast improvement from the opening weekend and allowed no runs on 14 hits and struck out 34 in 26 2/3 innings in four wins in the second weekend. Zac Houston was the latest to shine, going career-high six innings and allowing no runs on three hits and two walks in an 8-0 victory against Nicholls State on Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field.

“I think (pitching coach) Wes (Johnson) had a great week with them,” Cohen said. “All of them were disappointed in how they threw the opening weekend, and I think they all wanted to do better. I think they just all commanded the baseball a lot better than they did in week one.”

In a victory against South Dakota State last Sunday, Houston lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed five runs (one earned) on six hits. The junior right-hander struck out three and walked three. He walked two in his second outing and struck out a career-high 10.

Picking up his first career win, Houston ran into trouble in the first, when he allowed two baserunners, but he worked out of the jam. In the second, he hit leadoff batter Gavin Wehlby, but he retired the next three to strand Wehlby at second base.

Cohen said Johnson went down to the bullpen with Houston after the second inning and worked on his delivery.

“I kind of started off a little rough and I didn’t have my arm where I wanted it to,” Houston said. “I was kind of getting long and then I made an adjustment.”

Houston allowed the leadoff batter to reach four times, but he settled down each time to get a strikeout or forced Nicholls State (4-5) to put the ball in play.

Houston said he figured out early his split-finger fastball wasn’t working and balanced his fastball and his breaking ball. He said he felt like he could have done whatever he wanted with his breaking ball.

Cohen was pleased with how Houston adjusted after the visit to the bullpen with Johnson.

“I thought he was really in the zone. I thought he commanded two or three pitches after the second inning, so we were pleased with that,” Cohen said.

In a 4-2 victory against the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday night, junior right-hander Dakota Hudson struck out a career-high nine in six innings. He allowed two hits.

Junior left-hander Daniel Brown allowed five hits and struck out four in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 victory against the River Hawks on Saturday.

The best performance came from junior right-hander Austin Sexton, who threw a complete-game three-hitter with a career-high 11 strikeouts (one walk) in a 5-0 victory against the Colonels on Saturday afternoon.

“One of the best performances I’ve seen since being here,” junior center fielder Jacob Robson said. “It’s not a surprise. He’s a super talented guy.”

Brent Rooker went 2-for-5 with three RBIs for the Bulldogs (6-2) on Sunday. MSU scored two runs in the first, four in the second, and two in the eighth.

Robson said the performances by the starting pitchers helped the offense succeed. MSU scored 21 runs and had 36 hits for the weekend.

Houston said the offense and defense have helped the pitchers believe they can go out there and throw anything with help behind them. He feels the starters showed what they are capable of this weekend.

“I think we really turned it around this weekend,” Houston said. “Everybody went out and did what they needed to do for us to have a chance to win.”

MSU will play host to Alcorn State on Tuesday before it travels to Los Angeles this weekend for a three-game set. It will play UCLA on Friday, Southern California on Saturday, and Oklahoma on Sunday.

Cohen hopes this weekend will be the start of a successful run for his starting pitchers.

“When they pitch like that, that gives them something to build upon as we move deeper into this thing,” Cohen said.

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

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