Mississippi
Unpacking Mississippi State baseball’s shaky opening weekend series win against VMI
![Unpacking Mississippi State baseball’s shaky opening weekend series win against VMI Unpacking Mississippi State baseball’s shaky opening weekend series win against VMI](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/02/19/PJAM/0fa40048-7904-4384-b3af-d36a55ea3e0a-Amani_Larry.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2399,1350,x0,y122&format=pjpg&width=1200)
STARKVILLE — If the opening weekend at Dudy Noble Subject was indicative of the yr forward for Mississippi State baseball, preseason expectations may very well be spot-on. The MSU offense is constructed for explosive outings, however pitching might create some agonizing afternoons.
Mississippi State took two of three in opposition to Virginia Navy Institute, capped by a 9-3 win Sunday − although a tightly contested sequence in opposition to a group with an all-time successful share under .400 isn’t the signal of a program lower than two years faraway from a nationwide title.
The season opener on Friday noticed Mississippi State (2-1) safe an 11-2 win behind large nights from second baseman Amani Larry and designated hitter Bryce Likelihood of their debuts. It appeared MSU was on its approach towards one other straightforward victory Saturday with a 10-1 lead, however VMI (1-2) pulled off a shocking 14-13 comeback win behind 12 walks and 7 hits.
The Bulldogs took the finale behind a pair of house runs from outfielder Kellum Clark and a productive outing from starter Landon Gartman.
“Everyone on the group understands what we’re about and what we undergo on daily basis,” Clark mentioned of MSU responding after the loss. “Everyone on the group has put in loads of work for this season. Everyone on the group is aware of what we need to do right this moment, tomorrow and thru the remainder of the entire yr. We need to win.”
OH CAPTAIN:How Chris Lemonis acquired Mississippi State baseball’s newlywed captain Luke Hancock to return
‘NOT A CIRCUS ACT’:How Mississippi State baseball plans to make use of Jurrangelo Cijntje
‘FINALLY’:NCAA to permit volunteer school baseball, softball coaches into full-time roles
Amani Larry: Welcome to Starkville
For the second consecutive season, Mississippi State entered the yr with a switch beginning at second base. Nonetheless, if Larry has a season near what RJ Yeager supplied final yr, it’ll be a promising pattern.
Larry, a New Orleans switch, acquired off to begin with 4 hits in his debut Friday and a pair of hits Saturday. He capped his weekend with two-run house run and two-run single on Sunday − the latter coming within the eighth inning to open the sport up.
KC Hunt’s begin spirals
KC Hunt earned a gap weekend begin for the second straight weekend, and it went poorly. He threw two innings on Saturday, permitting 5 runs on one hit and 6 walks.
The arms behind him supplied little assist in slowing down VMI’s comeback hopes. Parker Stinnett allowed a run in 1⅔ innings, Tyler Davis allowed two runs in 2⅓ innings and Colby Holcombe allowed three runs whereas solely retiring one hitter.
Mississippi State pitchers allowed as many walks as they recorded strikeouts.
Jurrangelo Cijntje highlights Sunday debuts
For the considerations Saturday’s pitching introduced, Sunday’s rotation supplied some hope.
Gartman, a Memphis switch, allowed three runs in 5 innings of labor. Nonetheless, the 2 runs he allowed within the third inning had been aided by two infield hits and a failed fielder’s alternative.
“He is simply calm and funky,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis mentioned. “He is the outdated man. He is one in every of our older veterans − shoot, he is married. He is simply pitched and gained loads of video games.”
Gartman was adopted by the pitcher MSU followers have been ready to see all weekend. Change-pitching freshman Jurrangelo Cijntje made his debut within the sixth inning, although he solely threw from the precise aspect after sleeping on his left wrist. He pitched a scoreless body − putting out the primary batter he confronted and dealing round two hits.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Bradley Loftin labored a scoreless seventh inning by which he picked-off a runner to assist overcome a leadoff stroll.
What’s subsequent?
Mississippi State’s pitching shall be put to the check with 5 video games this week. It begins with a pair of midweek video games in opposition to Louisiana-Monroe earlier than a weekend sequence in opposition to Arizona State.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat author for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or observe him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
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Mississippi
Arizona State eyes first win against an SEC opponent vs. Mississippi State
Mississippi State at Arizona State, Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Arizona State by 6 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Arizona State and Mississippi State both had dominant wins in the season-opening weekend and now have a tougher challenge when they face each other on Saturday night. The Sun Devils are trying to build off an impressive 48-7 win over Wyoming and prove they might be a factor in the Big 12 race. Arizona State has never beaten an SEC opponent. Mississippi State plays its second game under new coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs beat Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in their season opener..
KEY MATCHUP
Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen vs. the Arizona State defense. The Sun Devils scored a touchdown on the second play of their opener when Zyrus Fiaseu picked off a pass and returned it to the end zone. It was one of two interceptions on the day for Arizona State. Shapen had a great debut against Eastern Kentucky but will face a much tougher defense on Saturday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mississippi State: Shapen had a terrific first game with the Bulldogs, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 44 yards and a TD against Eastern Kentucky. The 6-foot-1 senior played the previous three college seasons at Baylor with mixed success. Shapen has thrown a TD pass in 12 consecutive games dating to this time at Baylor in 2022.
Arizona State: RB Cam Skattebo led a balanced rushing attack against Wyoming, gaining 49 yards and scoring a touchdown. Skattebo was a do-it-all player for Arizona State last year, spending time at quarterback, running back and receiver. The Sun Devils might not need him to be as versatile this season, but he’s still a threat from just about anywhere on the field.
FACTS & FIGURES
Mississippi State had six different players score touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky. … The Bulldogs’ 93.7 passing grade in the opener was the second-best mark in all of the FBS, trailing only Purdue, according to Pro Football Focus. … Mississippi State’s Kevin Coleman Jr. returned five punts for 117 yards last week. … Arizona State was credited with just two missed tackles on defense in the opener, tied for the third-lowest tally among FBS schools. … Skattebo is 270 rushing yards away from reaching 3,000 in his career. He is 342 all-purpose yards away from reaching 4,000 and 202 receiving yards away from reaching 1,000.
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Mississippi
How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff
![How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/03/PNAS/75060541007-usatsi-24129028.jpg?auto=webp&crop=5472,3078,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is preparing to play a team that, at least through one game, looks vastly improved from last season.
Coach Jeff Lebby admitted on Monday, and Bulldog players have noticed it too after Arizona State (1-0) thumped Wyoming 48-7 in its opener.
MSU (1-0) must also factor in the late kickoff that is scheduled Saturday (9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Mississippi is hot, but so is Arizona — a different kind of hot, too.
Modifications and remedies are being made, such as the team leaving Starkville on Thursday instead of how it normally would on a Friday for a Saturday game.
“For our guys, just knowing exactly what we are getting into,” Lebby said. “We continue to talk about that through yesterday and this morning and (are) having those conversations to understand what it’s going to look like late in the week. We got to do a great job from a preparation standpoint of how we are hydrating, how we are eating and how we are resting to give us the ability to go on the road on this flight and be able to be at our best Saturday night.”
Just this week, Phoenix broke a record with its 100th straight day of 100-degree temperatures. According to AccuWeather, the high on Saturday in Tempe will be 107 degrees with a low of 86. The temperature should dip to around 91 near kickoff with a humidity of 24%.
“Coach Lebby has already been harping on that,” tight end Justin Ball said. “We’ve already been hydrating and making sure we are getting rest every single day. We leave on Thursday, so we already talked about the plan to make sure we are hydrating the entire plane ride there, making sure when we get there we get acclimated as quickly as you can and just staying together. Making sure we’re focused, make sure we keep the goal first and then execute the game plan.”
MORE: Jeff Lebby says Mississippi State football didn’t put on a good enough show. Here’s how he’s wrong
Mississippi State played well the last time it played in Arizona
The Bulldogs played Arizona in Tucson two seasons ago. They squandered a pedestrian Wildcats team 39-17. Kickoff for that game was at 8 p.m. PST though the temperature was 84 degrees at game time.
Not many players remain on Mississippi State’s roster from that 2022 season. But the ones who are, like linebacker Nic Mitchell, can benefit from the experience and also share it with teammates.
“We know it’s going to be a long flight, so we know we got to be hydrated,” Mitchell said. “It gives people experience that have done it before and they can tell the young guys how it’s going to be in the flight, how you got to hydrate and stuff like that.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Playing for Mississippi State not an option for Arizona State back Kyson ‘Sipp’ Brown
Arizona State forces 3 turnovers in win over Wyoming to start 2024
All offseason, coach Kenny Dillingham preached getting turnovers. Forty seconds into the season’s first game, the defense produced its first one.
Sophomore running back Kyson Brown is one of the faster players on the Arizona State football team. But Brown seems to have a little more pep in his step this week. Why? Well, the Sun Devils (1-0) are set to take on Mississippi State (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.
Sure an SEC opponent is enough to get any athlete fired up. But the 6-foot, 200-pounder hails from Tupelo, Mississippi, which is where he got his nickname, Sipp. Tupelo is 67 miles north of the Mississippi State campus in Starkville that Sipp has visited a handful of times.
“I have family, growing up they were all Mississipp State fans and some Ole Miss fans,” he said. “Some of my family are debating whether they want to cheer for me or not. It’s going to be good. A lot of hometown friends. Got a couple guys I went to high school with there. It’s going to be good seeing those guys and hopefully, we compete at a good level and get the W.”
Brown, a mechanical engineering major, is enrolled in ASU’s Barret honors program, He emerged as one of the team’s most improved players. He saw some time on special teams as a true freshman in 2023 and has set himself up for a bigger role, although the ASU backfield has a lot of depth.
In the last week’s 48-7 win over Wyoming, Brown pitched in with six rushing attempts for 25 yards and two receptions for 73 yards. His 68-yard touchdown reception was the longest play from scrimmage that ASU had on the night.
“It felt amazing just to get back in the end zone again,” Brown said. “You come out of high school, you know I’m used to being in the end zone every game, all the time. That play, I knew — once I made the first guy miss — I knew I wasn’t going to let anybody catch me.”
Brown lived in Mississippi until moving to Lancaster, Texas, outside of Dallas, after his sophomore year of high school. He sat out junior year after the transfer. As a senior he averaged 9.5 yards per carry, finishing with 707 yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 carries while adding 14 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Sitting out his junior year hurt his recruiting, but he still had notable offers from Purdue, Missouri and Houston. The balance of his options were lower-profile schools. Mississippi State didn’t offer.
He is happy with the end result. A place on the ASU football roster. In the offseason, he worked on his agility, flexibility and catching the ball, which was evident in his recent scoring play.
“We all have the big-play potential,” he said of his fellow running backs. “I feel my role is to make plays, wherever they put me be able to perform.”
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