No. 17 Mississippi State at Samford: Preview, Pitching Matchup, Weather

Mississippi State heads into Tuesday looking to bounce back, and Samford offers a solid midweek test.

The Bulldogs from Birmingham come in at .500 overall but are riding some momentum after a weekend sweep. They’ve shown they can score, led by one of the hotter bats you’ll see at this point in the season.

Mississippi State, meanwhile, is trying to reset after a tough SEC series and get back on track before the weekend.

With both teams capable at the plate and still sorting out midweek pitching, this one feels like it could open up if things get rolling early.

The Opponent: Samford

Samford comes into the weekend with a record of 17-17 overall and 5-4 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs swept three games from VMI over the weekend. Samford won the games by scores of 10-4, 8-3 and 5-3.

 Samford has been led at the plate so far this season by Jake Souders, hitting .405 (53-of-131) with nine home runs and 30 RBI. Luke Boykin leads the team in home run with 10 and in RBI with 34. Gus Gandy is hitting .322 (38-of-118) with six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. Cade Carr is hitting .311 (38-of-122), while Trey Higgins is hitting .308 (32-of-104).

Weather Forecast

Mississippi State and Samford won’t have to worry about inclement weather impacting Tuesday night’s game. The National Weather Service forecast calls for skies to be “sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind around 10 mph,” during the day and “mostly clear, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.”

Pitching Matchup

RHP Chris Billingsley Jr. vs. RHP Ryan Vermillion

• Billingsley: 1-0, 4.30 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 11 SO, .218 Opp. BA
• Vermillion: 1-0, 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 7 SO, .182 Opp. BA