Mississippi State – Official Athletics Website

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs head to Pearl, Miss., and Trustmark Park for the battle of the Governor’s Cup against Ole Miss. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. 
 
Wednesday night’s Governor’s Cup game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss has been picked up by ESPN2, and first pitch has been moved from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
The game will be aired on ESPN2 and carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via Ha­ilState.com/OnDemand.
 
Gameday Info
Wednesday, May 1 (6:30 p.m.)
Probable Starters
MSU: Pico Kohn, (1-0, 4.50 ERA), LHP, So.
OM: Grayson Saunier, (4-3, 6.54 ERA), RHP, So.
 
Live Video: hailst.at/4deiXch
Live Audio: hailst.at/audio
Live Stats: hailst.at/StatBroadcast
 
Quick Hitters

• The Diamond Dawgs are in the national rankings. They were ranked No. 16 by D1 Baseball, No. 23 by Baseball America, No. 23 by Perfect Game, No. 18 by NCBWA and No. 21 by the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
• Tyson Hardin played a vital role in the Dawg’s doubleheader sweep of the Tigers of Auburn, and the series win over then No. 11 Vanderbilt. In game one of the doubleheader, Hardin came in with the bases loaded and got the final out of the game to earn his first career save. He was available in game two and pitched the final two innings. He did not allow a hit and tallied five punchouts to earn his third win of the season. Against Vanderbilt, he threw in both of the Dawg’s wins. He picked up a save in the rubber match. Since March 21, Hardin has been hard to hit when he appears out of the pen. Opponents are hitting .176 off him over his last seven appearances. In 9 2/3 innings, he has only allowed six hits and has ten strikeouts while picking up a win and a save.
• On April 4, Jordan was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List. He is one of 45 players on the list and the ninth Dawg in program history to be named to this list. His 55 RBIs are the 30th most in the NCAA. His 16 homers are the 38th most in the NCAA this season and the ninth most in the SEC. Jordan has the 12-best batting average in the SEC hitting. 362 this season.
• Junior infielder/outfielder Hunter Hines enters the 2024 season as a Third Team Preseason All-American by Perfect Game. For his career, Hines has hit 50 home runs. The 50 home runs are the fifth most by an active player in the SEC. Tommy White (68), Jac Caglianone (66), Braden Montgomery (58) and Charlie Condon (54) are the only active players ahead of Hines. The 50 home runs are the 11th most by an active player in Division 1 baseball. The 50 home runs are the sixth most in a career at Mississippi State. He is one homer away from moving into the top five at MSU. Besides hitting for power, Hines has driven in 155 runs and is 29 RBIs away from joining the career RBI mark at MSU.
• Bryce Chance has shown he is one of the toughest players to strike out in the nation this season. In his 44 games this season, Chance is the toughest player to strike out in the SEC. Besides being tricky to strike out, Chance is one of the best hitters during SEC play. Chance is hitting .306.

• The Diamond Dawgs’ pitching has been vital this season, as they have one of the best pitching staffs in the SEC. The Dawgs have an ERA of 4.20 in 385 2/3 innings, the fourth-best ERA in the SEC. They have added 450 strikeouts this season, the fourth-most in the league and the 13th-most in the nation. The Dawgs are averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, the seventh-most in the SEC and the 18th-best mark in the country. 
• The Diamond Dawgs lead the SEC in runners picked off. Mississippi State has picked off 12 runners this season. The next closest team has picked off nine.
• The Dude Effect is alive and well. Reserved seating has once again sold out for the season. Mississippi State has sold out reserved seating since 1987.
• On March 22 Mississippi State’s 5-1 victory over Texas A&M marked their 1,000^th career SEC victory. Only four schools have accomplished this feat. MSU joined Florida, LSU, and Alabama to reach 1,000 wins in SEC games.
• Mississippi State is great at turning out major league talent, with 69 Diamond Dawgs reaching the highest level of the sport, but it is also great at keeping student-athletes on campus.

 
Scouting the Opponent – Ole Miss

• Ole Miss heads to Pearl with a 23-20 record and 7-14 SEC record. Ole Miss is tied for fifth in the SEC West.
• Ole Miss is 1-0 in neutral games this season.
• Ethan Lege leads the Rebels’ offense with a .327 batting average. Lege has 13 home runs, 38 RBI and 50 hits through 153 at bats this season.
• Maddox Riley leads the Ole Miss pitching with a 6.42 ERA. Riley has 2-6 record through 11 appearances on the mound and 10 starts. Riley has 32 punchouts on the year and 17 walks.
• Grayson Saunier’s earns his second straight Governor’s Cup start for the Rebels in 2024. This season, Saunier’s has started seven games and holds a 4-3 overall record. He has a 6.54 ERA in 31 2/3 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .292 off him.

 
Series History

• Wednesday’s matchup is the 16th time these two programs have battled for the Governor’s Cup at Trustmark Park. The first matchup came during the 2007 season after the games moved from Jackson to Pearl.
• Before being the Governor’s Cup, the Rebels and Diamond Dawgs played for the Mayor’s Cup, which started in 1980.
• State holds the series lead 10-5. These two programs did not play for the Governor’s Cup in 2020 or 2021.
• Mississippi State won four straight Governor’s Cups during the 2016-2019 seasons. This is the longest winning streak for the Governor’s Cup.
• The Diamond Dawgs claimed the 2023 Governor’s Cup, 2-1. Luke Hancock doubled home the second run for the Dawgs. Aaron Nixon closed out the game for the Dawgs.

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