The Bulldogs secured another series win last weekend in Starkville. The Mississippi State Bulldogs swept the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, heading into the third week of games with an 8-0 record.
The Dawgs dominated all three games, scoring 26 runs over the weekend compared to Delaware’s 5. This series win opened fans’ eyes to what to expect on the road ahead this season. Although there were a few basic errors, head coach Brian O’Connor sees the potential in his team.
“We’re going to make mistakes,” O’Connor said. “We’re going to make base running mistakes. We’re going to make errors. We’re going to walk guys. Everybody does, but ultimately, we’ll be judged by when we’re challenged, when those things happen.”
The Bulldogs started out the series on a high note with a 9-2 win over the Hens. Ryan McPherson, a sophomore who pitched for 39.1 innings last season, opened up on the mound for Mississippi State. McPherson pitched for six innings during Friday’s game, striking out 11 batters, which is a personal career-high.
“I’m turning up the intensity,” McPherson said. “Last year I didn’t have to make my own energy because I’m coming into relief, but this year, because I’m a starter, it’s not as much energy, so you have to make it yourself.”
On the offense, the Bulldogs had 16 team hits, five of which were doubles. Mississippi State ranks top 10 in Division I baseball for most doubles so far this season.
“You have to hit doubles, and you have to hit home runs to win at this level, and we’ve got guys that are certainly capable of doing it,” O’Connor said.
The second game was a Bulldog shutout, where they sent Delaware out of Dudy Noble Field with a 10-0 loss. Offensively, MSU had 13 hits, while the Hens had six, none of which allowed their players to make it to home plate.
Four of the 13 Bulldog hits resulted in home runs, adding a sweeter success to the game two win. Jacob Parker, Reed Stallman, Noah Sullivan and pinch-hitter Blake Bevis all had an out-of-the-park kind of day.
“It was a surreal feeling,” Parker said about his first home run in college baseball.
Tomas Valincius, a Virginia transfer, was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs on Saturday, where he threw 89 pitches, 53 of which were strikes. In the early innings, drama seemed to have erupted on the field with multiple challenged calls, but Valincius did not let that affect him.
“There’s challenges, it’s in the game,” Valincius said. “You kind of go out there with the same attitude, no matter what happens. I’m there to get outs, not to argue whether you’re safe or out.”
Aside from the players putting up numbers, the total attendance for game two was 13,194, which was the twenty-seventh largest crowd in Dudy Noble history, the twenty-eighth largest crowd in NCAA history, and the highest crowd around the SEC that day.
Game three was colder and windier than the previous two days, but this did not stop the Bulldogs from securing their eighth season win, with a 7-3 ending score.
Charlie Foster started on the mound for Mississippi State for two innings, followed by Duke Stone, who came in shortly after and pitched for four innings, only allowing one hit.
“You go out there and just try to strain your runner,” Stone said. “Just go out there and compete and just make pitches.”
The Bulldogs may have secured another series win, but they are not letting this get to their head as they will face Austin Peay on Feb. 24.
“But I can promise you this, we are not looking past the ball club we play on Tuesday,” O’Connor said. “They are always a very scrappy, well-coached ball club.”
After the mid-week game, the Bulldogs will head to Texas and play in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series against Arizona State, Virginia Tech and UCLA, which will ultimately show fans where the team is at.
