Coming off its third straight Southeastern Conference series win, No. 14 Mississippi State hits the road one final time in the regular season to battle No. 5 Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium, which rivals Dudy Noble Field as one of college baseball’s best atmospheres.
The Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7 SEC) lead the West division and have turned their home field into a fortress this year, with a 30-2 record in Fayetteville. Arkansas has been somewhat up and down lately, dropping two out of three on the road last weekend against a very good Kentucky team, but the Razorbacks’ pitching keeps them in just about every game.
Led by ace left-hander Hagen Smith, Arkansas is first in the SEC and second nationally with a 3.36 team ERA. Smith has dominated nearly every time he takes the ball, with a 9-0 record, a nation-leading 1.36 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched. Brady Tygart (4-2, 3.34 ERA, 56 ⅔ IP) and Mason Molina (3-2, 3.81 ERA, 49 ⅔ IP) complete the conference’s best rotation.
The bullpen is strong as well, headlined by workhorse reliever Will McEntire, who has appeared in 23 games with 46 ⅔ innings of work and a 3.86 ERA. Gabe Gaeckle, Gage Wood, Stone Hewlett and Christian Foutch have all turned in excellent work in relief as well. The Razorbacks lead the SEC in opponents’ batting average (.207) and strikeouts (580) and have allowed just 35 home runs, the fewest in the conference.
“They can really pitch,” MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. “They arguably have the best pitcher in the country with Hagen Smith. All three of their starters are really good, and they pitch well at the back end. I’m sure they’re very comfortable pitching at home.”
Arkansas is in the bottom half of the SEC in most offensive categories, but Peyton Stovall is the Razorbacks’ best all-around hitter with a .362/.426/.586 triple slash, 10 doubles and eight home runs. Peyton Holt, Jared Sprague-Lott and Ben McLaughlin are all hitting better than .300 as well, and while Wehiwa Aloy may not have the same on-base skills as the above names, he leads the team with 11 homers and 49 runs batted in.
“It’s a veteran offensive group that has won a lot of games,” Lemonis said. “They know how to play winning baseball. I don’t think they’re putting up two touchdowns every game, but they can move the ball. They have some guys who can hit it out of the park (and) they play really good defense.”
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs (32-16, 14-10) as they look to increase their chances to host an NCAA regional.
Stay patient
Particularly in Friday night’s game with Smith on the mound for the Razorbacks, MSU will have to see a lot of pitches and work deep counts. As dominant as he has been, Smith only averages 5.5 innings pitched per start, so a selective approach will be crucial in driving up his pitch count and forcing Arkansas to go to the bullpen early.
Don’t pitch against the other pitcher
Baseball is such a mental game, and the Bulldogs’ pitchers will need to remain focused on the task at hand, even if MSU’s bats are being shut down. Both the starters and relievers must not worry about what’s happening on the other side of the ball — doing so will only add more stress and pressure in an already hostile environment.
Take the crowd out of the game
Easier said than done, for sure, but if the Bulldogs can get out to an early lead and limit traffic on the basepaths, they may be able to limit the crowd’s effect. That would help MSU’s pitchers in particular stay within themselves and not let the moment get too big.
“They’re probably No. 1 in the country if they could just play at home,” Lemonis said. “They’ve been really good at their home field, so we have to get up there and get us some.”
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