It took longer than anyone expected or hoped, but Mississippi State secured their first Southeastern Conference series win this weekend. The Diamond Dawgs put together a solid week knocking off Memphis on the road on Tuesday and then taking two of three from South Carolina at Dudy Noble Field.
State will be on the road for all four games next week as they open the week at UAB on Tuesday before hitting the road to Tuscaloosa for a three-game series against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
See ya next time: Mississippi State is now 40-43 all-time against South Carolina. Dating back to 2013, State has taken the weekend series from South Carolina six of the last seven times. The last Gamecock winning weekend against the Diamond Dawgs took place in 2023. That three-game series ended with a Sunday rubber match that went the way of South Carolina. During that stretch of success against the Gamecocks, State has posted a 15-8 record in the series. Two of those fifteen wins came in Hoover in the Southeastern Conference tournaments of 2013 and 2014.
Plucking feathers: South Carolina offensive stars Nathan Hall and Ethan Petry hit a combined 3-for-20 over the weekend in Starkville. It was clear that the Bulldogs were going to make someone else beat them. The hard-hitting tandem had little impact on the series striking out six times and earning walks in five plate appearances. All five of those walks were issued to Petry, who is one of the league’s most potent power hitters. South Carolina managed seventeen hits against Bulldog pitchers. Ten of those came on Friday.
A rarity: Speaking of hits allowed, Karson Ligon and Stone Simmons were part of an extremely rare baseball feat. The Gamecocks had just two hits on Sunday. They came on the game’s first pitch and last pitch. The first half of that scenario is fairly common. The second, not so much. To add a little more uniqueness to the accomplishment, how often does a team win a game, while surrendering a hit on the game’s final play? What played out today may not be something seen again for sometime.
Still streaking: Hunter Hines extended his hitting streak to a dozen games. Over the course of those twelve contests, Hines has seen his average jump from .254 to .306, an increase of more than fifty points. Hines has hit safely in twenty-four of thirty games in 2025. The current hot streak ties a career best twelve games that Hines set back in his freshman season of 2022.
Not just a second sacker: Gatlin Sanders has had plate appearances in twenty-two games this year. He has managed to reach base in a eighteen of those contests. Sanders has made seventeen starts and found his way on base in fifteen of them. His on-base percentage of .469 is now third among Bulldog regulars. Sanders trails only Noah Sullivan (.489) and Dylan Cupp (.481).
Cupp joins the club: On Saturday Cupp hit his first collegiate home run. That big fly makes him the eleventh Diamond Dawg to homer this year. That matches the same number as the 2024 club. State hit just 79 dingers last year and already have 50 so far this season.
We’re used to it: On Tuesday, the Bulldogs (19-13) will visit UAB (18-14). There is limited seating capacity at Young Memorial Field, so fans are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs to sit along the first baseline. Over the weekend, the Blazers dropped two-of-three to the Roadrunners of UTSA. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 6 PM CT. The game will be streamed through ESPN +.
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