NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another top-five matchup is on deck for the Vanderbilt baseball team, as the second-ranked Commodores are set to host fourth-ranked Mississippi State this weekend at Hawkins Field.
The two teams are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first pitch on both Friday and Saturday, which will both be nationally televised with the duo of Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson on the call. Friday’s contest will air on SEC Network, while Saturday’s matchup will be televised on ESPNU. The series finale between the Commodores and Bulldogs is set for Sunday at 1 p.m., with action airing live on SEC Network+.
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Kumar Rocker (8-1, 1.64 ERA) vs. LHP Christian MacLeod (3-2, 2.83 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Jack Leiter (7-0, 0.98 ERA) vs. RHP Will Bednar (2-1, 3.65 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. RHP Jackson Fristoe (3-2, 4.08 ERA)
Commodore Notables
Vanderbilt looks to keep things rolling into the weekend in its series with Mississippi State, which will conclude a four-game homestand. Vandy earned a 7-0 midweek victory over in-state foe Austin Peay on Tuesday evening at Hawkins Field, extending their midweek winning streak to 25 games – a streak that dates to March 2019.
The Commodores are in the midst of a rugged stretch against ranked competition. This weekend marks the second of back-to-back top-five matchups for Vanderbilt. The Dores are playing back-to-back top-five weekend opponents for the first time since 2016, when the program faced then-No. 2 Texas A&M on May 5-7, before matching up with then-o. 1 Florida the following weekend on May 13-15.
Each of the Commodores’ next seven contests will come against teams that are currently ranked in the Top 15, including No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 15 Florida and No. 7 Louisville.
Vanderbilt owns a 6-3 record against ranked competition this season, with series wins in each of its ranked matchups.
Friday’s series opener the 125th time that Vanderbilt and Mississippi State have met in the all-time history between the two programs. The Commodores trail in the all-time series, with a 57-71-2 record against the Bulldogs.
Vanderbilt took the game from Mississippi State in their most recent matchup, coming in the 2019 College World Series.
