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STARKVILLE, Miss. – A tough challenge awaits the Eastern Kentucky baseball team when the Colonels play at No. 13 Mississippi State Tuesday night. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1989.
The game will air live on SEC Network + and on ESPN3.
The first time these two teams played was in the 1984 NCAA Regional in Starkville. The Bulldogs won that game 13-8. Mississippi State is 12-3-1 after sweeping eighth ranked Oregon at home over the weekend.
EKU (7-8, 0-3 OVC) lost three games over the weekend to preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri. All three games were close. Eastern fell 2-1 in the opener against preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year Joey Lucchesi. The Colonels brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning of game two. Eastern had the winning run at third base in the ninth inning of the series finale before eventually falling in 12 innings.
Eastern Kentucky was off to its best start since 2010 before the weekend set-back.
Preseason All-American
Kyle Nowlin finished second in the country with 19 home runs last season. He's picked up where he left off this year. Nowlin is third in the nation with seven dingers. He now has 35 career home runs and is 17 away from tying the school record of 52.
In its three-game series against Southeast Missouri, EKU had a 3.30 ERA. Eastern is third in the conference with a 4.03 ERA this season.
As a team, EKU is 24th in the country in home runs (24), 35th in scoring (7.6), 36th in slugging (.461) and 42nd in runs (114).
Individually,
Mandy Alvarez is 18th in the nation with 27 hits, 32nd with 20 RBIs and 34th with 43 total bases.
Doug Teegarden ranks 19th with 16 walks.
Senior right-hander
Chris Cervantes will start on the mound for the Colonels against Mississippi State. It will be his first start of the season. Cervantes has allowed four hits and four walks in three and one-third innings. He did not allow a run in his last appearance.
Freshman lefty Konnor Pilkington will start for the Bulldogs. He is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances. This will be his first start of the season. He has allowed one hit and two walks in two innings.
Jack Kruger leads Mississippi State with a .410 batting average and three home runs. He is slugging .705 and has a .514 on-base percentage. Brent Rooker is batting .377 had has a team-best 20 RBIs.
