At The Ballpark
Shotgun Spratling – June 1, 2024

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Dakota Jordan texted his Mississippi State teammates last week in Hoover. 

Mired in the midst of an unprecedented offensive slump for the superstar sophomore that saw him go 20 consecutive at-bats without a hit, Jordan was carrying his at-bats with him into the dugout and onto the field defensively. Each strikeout and lazy fly became another link in the chain weighing down him down, slumping his shoulders. 

His text promised an improvement in his non-verbal communication. No more sulking. Jordan guaranteed better body language. Even if he wasn’t finding hits, he was going to show confidence. 

Over[…]

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Gipson was in Hattiesburg Friday, to help launch a new business.

Gipson cut a ribbon at the grand opening of Mississippi Farmers Meats at Old Eleven Plaza.

The new enterprise will give farmers a new way to get their products from the farm to the dinner table.

“This is part of the farm-to-table movement, really, and we want to grow more of this in Mississippi,” Gipson said.

The store sells locally-raised and processed meats, along with fresh local produce and dairy products.

The Hattiesburg store is the second Mississippi Famers Meats to open.

The first is in Summit, at the site of a meat-processing facility that opened in 2000.

“The only way Mississippi is going to grow, is if we support every farmer,” said Nadeem M. Kased, Mississippi Farmers Meats president/founder. “If we don’t support the farmers, they will be going out of business.”

Kased said he wants to eventually open 10 Mississippi Farmers Meats locations in Mississippi and Louisiana.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A skid of more than two years without postseason play has come to an end for Mississippi State baseball.

The Bulldogs (38-21) are in the Charlottesville Regional of the NCAA Tournament where they open play Friday. As the No. 2 seed, Mississippi State is slated to face No. 3 seed St. John’s (37-16-1).

Action in Charlottesville includes No. 1 seed and host Virginia (41-15) along with No. 4 seed Penn (24-23).

MORE: Buy tickets for Mississippi State baseball in the Charlottesville Regional

Mississippi State has failed to advance beyond the regular season since its 2021 national championship run. However, after winning 17 conference games in this year’s regular season and winning two contests in the SEC tournament, the Bulldogs delivered a résumé worthy of postseason baseball.

St. John’s comes to Charlottesville off a Big East tournament title. This year marks the first NCAA Tournament bid for the Red Storm since 2018.

Friday’s meeting marks the first in history between Mississippi State and St. John’s.

MORE: Watch Mississippi State baseball vs. St. John’s with ESPN+ (subscribe now)

What channel is Mississippi State vs St. John’s on today?

Mississippi State vs St. John’s start time

Mississippi State vs St. John’s prediction

Mississippi State beats St. John’s, 4-2: MSU’s offense comes into the Charlottesville Regional off a sluggish offensive showing at the SEC tournament. Against a quality St. John’s pitching staff, scoring could be difficult. However, with Khal Stephen on the mound, Mississippi State is hard to pick against.

Mississippi State vs St. John’s location

Mississippi State and St. John’s are playing at Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mississippi State lineup

• LF Bryce Chance
• SS David Mershon
• RF Dakota Jordan
• 1B Hunter Hines
• CF Connor Hujsak
• 2B Amani Larry
• 3B Logan Kohler
• DH Aaron Downs
• C Joe Powell
• SP Khal Stephen

St. John’s lineup

• CF Jackson Tucker
• LF Garrett Scavelli
• 3B Blake Mayberry
• C Jimmy Keenan
• 1B Marty Higgins
• DH Paul Orbon
• RF Ben Beauchamp
• SS Luke Orbon
• 2B Anthony Brienza

Mississippi State vs St. John’s tickets

A limited number of general admission and reserved tickets are available to purchase through UVA.

Tickets can also be purchased through a third-party at StubHub.com.

Mississippi State baseball vs. St. John’s score update

Mississippi State baseball schedule 2024

View the 2024 schedule for Mississippi State here.

St. John’s baseball schedule 2024

View the 2024 schedule for St. John’s here.

Mississippi State baseball roster

View Mississippi State’s 2024 roster here.

St. John’s baseball roster

View the St. John’s 2024 roster here.

Charlottesville Regional schedule

All times CDT

Friday’s games

Game 1: No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 Penn, 11 a.m., ESPN+

Game 2: No. 2 Mississippi State vs. No. 3 St. John’s, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Saturday games

Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11 a.m., TBD

Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m., TBD

Sunday games

Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 11 a.m., TBD

Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5 p.m., TBD

Monday game

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser (if necessary), TBD

Charlottesville Regional bracket

Charlottesville Regional odds

Mississippi State baseball is favored (-450) to beat St. John’s on Friday, according to BetMGM.

Virginia (-110) is a slight favorite to win the Charlottesville Regional. MSU is close behind (+110). St. John’s (+1400) and Penn (+3000) are longshots.

Charlottesville Regional tickets

A limited number of general admission and reserved tickets are available to purchase through UVA.

Tickets can also be purchased through a third-party at StubHub.com.

2024 College World Series bracket

2024 NCAA baseball tournament odds

Mississippi State is a longshot to win the College World Series (+4000), according to BetMGM.

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