The Mississippi State Bulldogs travel to Auburn, AL to face off against the No. 11 Auburn Tigers for a three-game series starting Friday night at 6 p.m. CST.
Auburn earned a bounce-back win on Tuesday evening at Plainsman Park against No. 21 Georgia Tech, winning 1-0, after being swept by No. 1 Texas last weekend in Austin, TX. The weekend’s struggles seemed to have worn away, but will be tested in this conference matchup as the Bulldogs have six hitters in their starting rotation batting over .300 on the year.
Mississippi State has not had the season they wanted in terms of conference play, holding a 6-12 record, however an impressive series win over No. 18 Alabama and wins against No. 14 Oklahoma and No. 22 Southern Miss prove the capabilities of coach Chris Lemonis’ squad.
The Bulldogs hitters that need to make their presence known in this matchup include Gehrig Frei, Noah Sullivan, Ace Reese and Gatlin Sanders. The four man wrecking crew have wreaked havoc over pitchers this season, with a combined 34 extra-base hits, 106 RBIs, and 27 home runs. With a pitching staff as deep as Auburn’s, Mississippi State must find production from their star hitters to be competitive in this series.
After a series sweep against then No. 3 LSU, the Tigers won a tune-up game against Jacksonville State before heading to Austin to face No. 1 Texas in a highly anticipated series which saw Auburn on the losing end of all three games. Despite this, the Tigers come into this matchup looking to regroup and earn yet another SEC series win.
Ike Irish, Cooper McMurray, and Chase Fralick have been forces to be reckoned with in the batter’s box this season and hope to continue their dominance at the plate against a seasoned pitching staff in Mississippi State. With key contributing roles hitting from Chris Rembert, Bub Terrell, and Connor Belyeu, Auburn just needs to play their game to be victorious in this one.
The series starts at Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. CST, continues on Saturday, April 26 at 6 p.m. CST and then concludes on Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. CST. All three games will be broadcasted on the SECN+ and can be heard on the Auburn Sports Network around the state of Alabama.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Charlie is a sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey. He is majoring in journalism and started with The Plainsman in spring 2024.
