State, Ole Miss face crucial SEC matchups|[4/07/06]
Published 12:00 am Friday, April 7, 2006
Mississippi State and Ole Miss gave baseball fans in the Magnolia State something to remember last May when they met for the Southeastern Conference tournament championship.
Since then, their paths have diverged.
While State was busy rocketing to an 18-0 start and a No. 1 national ranking, Ole Miss was plummeting from the polls. The Rebels started the season 13-11.
and have struggled to find their groove. As they head into this weekend’s SEC series, however, both teams find themselves in a remarkably similar situation. Both need at least two victories to find their footing in a tough conference race.
Ole Miss climbed out of the conference cellar by sweeping Georgia last week and can claw back to the .500 mark by winning this weekend’s three-game set with Auburn.
State, meanwhile, has slumped after its hot start. The Bulldogs lost two of three to Alabama and find themselves needing to win this weekend’s series with Georgia to keep pace in the West division. State (5-3 in the SEC) also can separate from the pack with a series win or sweep.
“Every SEC weekend is a big weekend. We have to go out and score runs like we have been lately, and we’ll be all right,” said Mississippi State center fielder Joseph Hunter.
Ole Miss’ situation may be a little more dire than Mississippi State’s.
The Rebels host Auburn this weekend, then travel to Jackson to face State in the annual Mayor’s Trophy game at Smith-Wills Stadium on Tuesday. After that, Ole Miss faces South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee in its next three SEC series.
Perennial powers LSU and Tennessee have struggled this season, but South Carolina is ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation in the three major college baseball polls. The stretch is likely to determine whether Ole Miss returns to the SEC tournament or heads to Birmingham as spectators.
“It’s definitely big, especially playing at home,” Ole Miss second baseman Justin Henry, a former Vicksburg High star, said of the Auburn series. “Being at home, we need to get victories and get in good position for the SEC.”
Mississippi State meanwhile lost three of four after their hot start, including a heartbreaking 13-12 defeat to Louisiana Tech in which they led 12-5 with two outs and none on in the bottom of the ninth.
State got back on track with a doubleheader sweep of Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday in Pearl, and the Bulldogs didn’t seem too concerned about the recent slump.
“We have left some guys on base, but we have also hit the baseball and the hits will come,” said Mississippi State shortstop Thomas Berkery, who carries a 25-game hitting streak into the Georgia series. “If we get two (wins), it’ll put us at the top. We’ve been consistent, and if we play consistent all year we should be at the top at the end.”
Mississippi State’s upcoming schedule is also more forgiving than some. After Georgia, MSU travels to Auburn and hosts Arkansas before facing South Carolina April 28-29 in Columbia in what could be a matchup of top-five programs.