Unpacking Mississippi State baseball vs. Evansville: Dakota Jordan’s hitting to David Mershon’s singing

STARKVILLE — Replicating the 2021 season won’t be easy for Mississippi State baseball considering it’s when the Bulldogs secured their first national title. However, MSU reached a feat Sunday that hasn’t been accomplished since that memorable campaign.

After defeating Evansville 13-3 in eight innings, Mississippi State (12-4) has won nine straight games for the first time in three years.

The winning streak for coach Chris Lemonis’ squad started Feb. 25 when MSU won the rubber match against Georgia Southern. Since then, Mississippi State has beaten Jackson State, Mount St. Mary’s, Southern Miss and Evansville (7-8).

The Bulldogs won Friday’s series opener against the Purple Aces 5-2 before an 8-3 win Saturday.

Here’s what we learned about MSU after the series sweep.

Mississippi State pitching continues to be stellar

The most noteworthy improvement for MSU between the past two seasons and this year has been the production on the mound. Against Evansville, Mississippi State’s pitchers combined to allow only eight runs while striking out 29 batters and walking 10.

Nate Dohm set the tone Friday, allowing two runs in 6⅓ innings. Khal Stephen followed it up with six scoreless innings on Saturday before Jurrangelo Cijntje earned a quality start with three runs allowed in six innings Sunday.

“We all feed off each other,” Stephen said.

Mississippi State now has a team ERA of 3.57. Last season, it was 7.01.

Dakota Jordan stays hot at plate

There likely won’t be much debate in the SEC office about the upcoming SEC player of the week honors. Dakota Jordan went 9-for-13 with four home runs and 13 runs driven in across four games this week. He hit a home run in each four contests, including the game-winning blast Tuesday against Southern Miss.

After his two-run home run in the first inning of Sunday’s win, the Purple Aces decided they had enough. Jordan was intentionally walked three times in the series finale, including in the fourth inning when MSU had two runners on base with only one out.

Lemonis credited Jordan’s hot stretch to a mechanical change that was made with the sophomore outfielder’s hands.

“He doesn’t do a lot if you ever notice,” Lemonis said. “He’s not a strider. He just kind of sits in there. It’s the most amazing juice from a guy who doesn’t − a lot of kids leg kick or whatever. He doesn’t. He just sits in there, and it’s quiet.”

David Mershon displays talent on and off field

David Mershon’s return to the lineup, which was delayed until the second week of the season due to injury, has been a welcomed one for Mississippi State. After going 2-for-4 on Sunday, he’s hitting .442 with 14 RBIs.

Defensively, he provided a pair of stellar plays against the Purple Aces – making an impressive catch going into the bullpen on Saturday while making a sliding snag on a grounder Sunday to keep a pair of runs from scoring.

“He’s a good ball player,” Lemonis said. “He’s all over the ballpark.”

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Mershon’s most pressure-packed moment of the weekend came away from play, though. Prior to the series opener, Mershon performed the national anthem. It was a moment even his coach didn’t know was coming.

“David is a lot more than just a baseball player,” Lemonis said. “He’s got a lot of cool things about him. He comes from a neat family. He’s a great player. He’s a fun player. But it’s a neat personality. It’s a neat kid to have on your team.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.