The Kentucky Wildcats are set to host the Mississippi State Bulldogs this weekend in a key showdown between SEC rivals. The Wildcats enter with a 23-4 record and 5-4 in the SEC after knocking off Western Kentucky on Wednesday by a score of 7-3. They lost the final two games last weekend in Columbia SC to the University of South Carolina to drop their conference record to 5-4. The Wildcats are undefeated at home accumulating an 18-0 record in the friendly confines of Cliff Hagan Stadium. They are led by senior outfielder/first baseman Sawyer Carroll who is experiencing one of the best seasons in the conference. He leads the team in hitting with a .458 average and is second on the team with eight homers. Collin Cowgill needs to be mentioned to as one of the top performers in the SEC as he hit two homers against Western Kentucky on Wednesday to up his season total to ten with a .385 average. He has also chipped in 13 stolen bases in 15 bases.
Mississippi State Bulldogs enter with a 13-15 record while going 2-7 in the SEC in the first nine games of the season. The Bulldogs pitching staff has been riddled with injuries to Chad Crosswhite (2-2, 11.78 ERA) and Aaron Weatherford (0-0, 0.00 ERA) coming back to the squad this weekend. Cody Freeman is the top hitter as he is hitting .397 on the year. Grant Hogue is the top base stealer as he is 18-19 while batting .345 on the year.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday:Chad Crosswhite (2-2, 11.78) vs Chris Rusin (4-1, 2.52)
Saturday: Lee Swindle (Jr., 2-2, 4.91 ERA) vs Scott Green (Jr., 2-1, 4.85 ERA)
Sunday: Ricky Bowen (So., 2-3, 6.62 ERA) vs Greg Dombrowski (Sr., 4-0, 2.01 ERA)
Prediction: Kentucky sweeps Mississippi State.
Kentucky Series Notes
Mississippi State Series Notes
