HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Throughout the season, Zac Houston had been just one of many Mississippi State pitchers who tried and failed to become a reliable third starter in the rotation.

On Wednesday, he pitched like an ace.

The junior right-hander allowed four hits, didn’t walk a batter, and came within an out of his first career shutout as he led the Bulldogs to a 4-1 win over Alabama in their Southeastern Conference opener.

“I thought Zac was just magnificent,” Mississippi State coach John Cohen said. “The ball just came out of his hands very well tonight. It seemed like he was on point with three different pitches. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Mississippi State (41-14-1), the No. 1 seed in the tournament, advanced to the winners’ bracket. It’ll play either LSU or Florida in the late game Thursday night.

Alabama (33-25) will play the loser of Wednesday’s late LSU-Florida game in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Thursday.

“That is a real credit to our kids because we weren’t in the SEC Tournament last year, and some of these kids haven’t played on this field before. They just stepped up and acted like they have played on that field every single day. That is pretty special for our kids,” Cohen said.

Houston was alternately a Sunday starter, reliever and midweek starter for the Bulldogs this season. He started five games, appeared in 17, and hadn’t pitched more than 3 1/3 innings since going six against Nicholls State on Feb. 28.

Houston rose to the occasion on the big stage in Hoover, however. He took a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning and retired 13 consecutive batters before Georgie Salem and Chandler Taylor hit back-to-back two-out doubles to bring in the Crimson Tide’s only run.

Houston (5-0) threw 120 pitches and finished with five strikeouts. He left after Taylor’s double off the top of the wall in right center field, and Smith entered for a game-ending strikeout and his fourth save of the year.

The 8 2/3 innings marked the longest outing of Houston’s career.

“I have had times when I struggled with my command, but it is something I have been working hard on. I think tonight shows my effort,” Houston said. “Probably about the fifth inning, I felt like I had command over my pitches. Toward the middle of the game I felt like I was pitching, and that I wasn’t just throwing again.”

Gavin Collins hit a leadoff homer in the fourth inning to help provide the offense for Mississippi State. Collins also singled home a run in the first, and he singled and scored in the sixth.

Jake Mangum also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and John Holland singled twice and scored a run.

Alabama starter Geoffrey Bramblett (5-4) allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

“We had seen Bramblett before. He is a great pitcher, but we had a great game plan,” Collins said. “The first three guys before me had great at bats, and they make it easy for the rest of the line-up.”