Off The Bat: Bulldog Mentality
Facing top-ranked Florida in Gainesville, where the Gators had won a program-record 28-straight games going into the weekend, Mississippi State knew it would be in for a tough series.
The task got tougher after Friday, when Florida beat ace Dakota Hudson to take the first game of the series, 8-2. But the Bulldogs fought back, evening the series Saturday with a 10-4 victory and becoming the first team to beat the Gators in McKethan Stadium this season. Mississippi State then claimed the series with a nail-biting 2-1 victory Sunday.
Coach John Cohen said the key Sunday was the way Mississippi State (23-9-1) pitched in big moments. Florida (29-5) stranded 13 runners, including leaving the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
“I just thought we pitched situationally so well during the course of the day,” he said. “I thought we would have a great chance to win against really good Florida team.”
Mississippi State has now won its first four Southeastern Conference series, its first four-series winning streak in SEC play since 2001. The Bulldogs have climbed into first place in the SEC West Division and, at No. 2 in this week’s Top 25, earned their highest ranking since they were national runners-up in 2013.
The Bulldogs had to outpitch the Gators on Sunday. With the wind blowing in, Cohen said he knew runs would be at a premium. Freshman lefthander Konnor Pilkington made his first ever SEC start and threw four scoreless innings before giving way to junior righthander Zac Houston, who threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings of his own.
Mississippi State had lost its last three series finales, making the performance of Pilkington and Houston even more important going forward. Cohen said he was impressed with how Pilkington handled the tough assignment, while Houston’s outing was an important development for the Bulldogs bullpen.
“For us to be as good as we need to be, Zac Houston’s got to be in middle of it,” Cohen said. “He kept beating hitters with his fastball.”
Cohen turned to junior outfielder/righthander Reid Humphreys for the final five outs, which included getting out of the eighth without allowing the two runners he inherited from Houston to score. In the ninth, he had to face Buddy Reed, J.J. Schwarz and Peter Alonso, all Preseason All-Americans, with Mississippi State clinging to a two-run lead. After retiring Reed and Schwarz, Alonso homered to cut the deficit in half, but Humphreys kept his composure and struck out freshman Deacon Liput to end the game and set off the Bulldogs celebration.
VIDEO | The final out. The reaction. The series win at No. 1. Retweet if you think WE should be No. 1 #HailState pic.twitter.com/n4KvLkLhN3
— MSU Baseball (@HailStateBB) April 10, 2016
Florida had not lost a series at home since losing twice to Kentucky from April 24-26, 2015. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan credited Mississippi State’s pitching Sunday.
“We had our opportunities,” he said. “We just couldn’t come up with a big hit. It’s just that simple. It’s a long season. It’s disappointing, of course. We’ll move on.”
Mississippi State will have to quickly move on as well. After playing Memphis on Tuesday, it will host No. 4 Texas A&M next weekend.
Because Texas A&M played Florida last week, Cohen and his staff got a chance to see a lot of the Aggies as they were preparing to face the Gators. He’s expecting another fun weekend against another tough opponent.
“They’re really good,” he said. “Everyone we play is really good. A&M is phenomenal.”
Florida State Shakes Off Rust
Bad weather cost Florida State four Atlantic Coast Conference games over the past two weekends, leaving a hole in its schedule and more time off the diamond than coach Mike Martin wanted.
With a big series against Louisville looming, Florida State was able to get back on the field this week, playing two midweek games against Texas Tech. The Seminoles split the series against the Big 12 Conference leaders, but, more than the results, Martin said it was important just to get the chance to compete before facing the Cardinals.
“Playing Texas Tech last Tuesday and Wednesday was just literally crucial for us,” Martin said. “Had we not played them, we would really have been at a disadvantage.”
Florida State was ready to play this weekend, and split the first two games of its series with No. 4 Louisville. The Seminoles then won the series with an emphatic 16-5 victory Sunday in the rubber match.
The Seminoles (22-8) won the two games in the series started by lefthander Brendan McKay and righthander Kyle Funkhouser, Louisville’s pair of aces that was expected to form one of the most formidable 1-2 punches this spring. Neither lasted even five innings against Florida State, however.
The Seminoles chased McKay in the fifth on Friday and knocked Funkhouser out in the fourth on Sunday. They scored 28 runs in their two wins, 11 of which were charged to McKay (three) and Funkhouser (eight).
Martin said he thought Louisville (24-7) pitched well during the weekend, but Florida State was able to take advantage when it got some breaks, especially Sunday against Funkhouser.
“I think the guys were very patient today,” he said. “We just got some two out hits. I thought that Funkhouser pitched very well. We got a couple of things to go our way.”
As has been the case all season, the top of Florida State’s lineup set the tone Sunday. Shortstop Taylor Walls (3-for-6, R) and third baseman John Sansone (2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R) set the table, and catcher Cal Raleigh (1-for-3, 2 RBIs) and first baseman Dylan Busby (1-for-4, HR, 5 RBIs) provided some of the key hits in the rout.
Martin said he was proud of how the Seminoles’ offense bounced back Sunday after a 7-1 loss Saturday against lefthander Drew Harrington and closer Zack Burdi. Their lone run came on a homer from Raleigh, one of their two hits in the game.
While Martin said he wanted to get excited by the series win, he remained restrained. The four games the Seminoles lost to the weather continued to weigh on his mind, even as they ascended to first place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Florida State has played half its conference weekends, but has five more tough series to go, including a visit from top-ranked Miami to close out the season.
So even after beating the defending conference champions, Martin said Florida State can’t afford to treat any series differently from the others.
“I think every series from here on out is extra important because of the four games that cannot be made up,” Martin said. “When you’re on a (winning) percentage basis, there are going to be very good teams with more wins than we will have and it’s going to be something that we can’t do anything about. So we just approach it as just have to get after it. That’s all we can do.”
Lamar Streaking In Gilligan’s Final Campaign
The nation’s longest active winning streak belongs to Lamar, which on Sunday won its 15th straight game, defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 15-12. The winning streak dates back to March 18, spanning four weekend series and midweek games against Texas and Nicholls State.
The Cardinals (25-7) twice had to overcome six-run deficits Sunday to keep the streak alive. But Lamar has gotten used to producing big comebacks, having earlier this season erased an eight-run deficit against Louisiana State and a nine-run deficit against Nicholls State.
Coach Jim Gilligan said the Cardinals won’t give in.
“Once you’ve done it a couple times, it’s like anything else, you develop a belief that you’re never out of it,” he said.
Gilligan is in his 39th and final season coaching his alma mater. He announced last fall that he would retire following the conclusion of this season. He is one of 16 Division I coaches in history to have won at least 1,300 games, a milestone he reached last year.
While Gilligan is enjoying this run, he is not rethinking his plans to retire. Lamar named Will Davis, an LSU assistant, head coach in waiting before the start of the season, and he has made a quick impression on Gilligan since joining the staff.
Gilligan said Davis deserved some of the credit for Lamar’s winning streak.
“He has such a great dugout presence and he says things the kids need to hear right now,” Gilligan said. “I’ve been very impressed. He is just spectacular in the dugout. He’s got great baseball ideas.”
When the season ends, Davis will take over as head coach and Gilligan will go to the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League for the summer to be its director of pitching. Gilligan is excited by the opportunity to continue to teach pitching, but before he can head to Long Island, he has a couple more months with the Cardinals and is cherishing every game.
Lamar has already exceeded its 2015 win total (21) and has its sights set on its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. With an RPI of 37 according to WarrenNolan.com, the Cardinals are even angling for a potential at-large spot should they not win the Southland Conference’s automatic bid.
With Stijn van der Meer (.362/.474/.425) leading the way, Gilligan said Lamar is a better hitting team this year. But Gilligan is a pitching coach at heart, and improved pitching is also at the root of the Cardinals success.
Gilligan said he feels Lamar can compete with any team in the country when it has ace Will Hibbs (6-1, 2.09) on the mound. Relievers Jimmy Johnson (6-0, 3.48, 5 SV), Travis Moore (2-1, 1.06) and Enrique Oquendo (1-0, 1.40) have also played a crucial role.
Gilligan said this year’s team reminds him of the Rookie-level Salt Lake City Trappers team he managed in 1987 during a brief foray into pro ball. That team won a record 29 games in a row. Then, as now, Gilligan said he did his best to stay out of his team’s way once the game started.
“The smartest thing I did all summer was keep my hands in my back pockets,” Gilligan said. “I knew we would have a big inning if I just left them alone.
“All my job is done prior to the game. Hopefully we continue to swing the bat like we’re capable of, but even that has room to improve.”
Eight for Omaha
Florida, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Vanderbilt
This week, South Carolina moves into the field, replacing California. The Golden Bears lost twice this weekend at Oregon, losing their third series of the year—all on the road, all against unranked teams. Aside from a four-game sweep at Texas, Cal is just 3-6 on the road. While it’s possible the Golden Bears won’t have to go on the road in the postseason, they’ll likely have to find a way to start consistently winning road games to be afforded that luxury. South Carolina, meanwhile, rebounded after a tough week, going 4-0 this week and moving to the top of the SEC East.
Eye-Catchers
Five players or programs who stood out this weekend.
John Havird, lhp, Ohio State: In the second game of a doubleheader Friday at Maryland, the senior Havird threw eight hitless innings before he was relieved after hitting the leadoff batter in the ninth. While the Terrapins ultimately came back for a 2-1 win in 10 innings, it was the best start of the senior’s career.
Connor Jones, rhp, Virginia: Jones also flirted with a no-hitter Friday, throwing a one-hitter in a 3-0 win against Boston College. The junior, a likely first-round pick, improved to 6-0, 1.59 this spring.
New Mexico: Entering the weekend, New Mexico and Fresno State were tied for first in the Mountain West Conference. But after a series sweep, the Lobos (23-9) have established themselves as the team to beat in the conference. New Mexico’s big weekend came on the heels of a 3-2 win Tuesday against rival New Mexico State, giving it a perfect 4-0 week.
Cal Raleigh, c, Florida State: The freshman led Florida State’s offense against Louisville, going 5-for-12 with two home runs. He is hitting .343/.462/.600 with six home runs this season.
Texas Tech: After splitting a pair of midweek games at Florida State, Texas Tech (24-9) continued on the road to Oklahoma State, where the Red Raiders swept the then-No. 16 Cowboys. It was Texas Tech’s first ever sweep of a road series against a ranked Big 12 Conference opponent.
Looking Ahead
Three weekend series we’re most excited for:
(4) Texas A&M at (2) Mississippi State: After knocking off Florida in Gainesville, Mississippi State returns home next weekend to take on Texas A&M in a crucial SEC West showdown. Two weeks after getting swept at Florida, Texas A&M (25-7) will get another chance on the road against a top-two opponent.
Cincinnati at (24) Tulane: Through the first two weekends of American Athletic Conference play, Cincinnati, which went 6-18 in the league last year, is the only team to have won its first two series and is in first place at 4-2. Now the Bearcats (16-16) will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane (21-10), which entered the rankings this week for the first time this spring.
Nebraska at (22) Michigan: Nebraska (22-10) has won its first three Big Ten Conference series and now travels to Michigan, the preseason favorite. After getting swept by Minnesota in a series that was reduced to a Friday doubleheader, Michigan (21-8) will be looking to bounce back this weekend.
Two weekend series you shouldn’t overlook:
Louisiana-Lafayette at Southeastern Louisiana: The state of Louisiana has been a college baseball hotbed this season, and two of the best teams in the state will meet for a nonconference series this weekend. ULL (21-11) has found its footing since losing a series to Arkansas-Little Rock last month and has won nine of its last 11 games. Southeastern Louisiana (25-8) leads the Southland and has won five straight weekend series.
Nebraska-Omaha at Oral Roberts: The top two teams in the Summit League standings will face off for the first time this season. Oral Roberts (19-12), the defending champion, is again in first place at 9-3, but Nebraska-Omaha (17-15) is lurking just a game behind. The two teams meet again May 19-21 in Omaha.
One midweek game to keep an eye on:
(15) North Carolina vs. (5) South Carolina at Charlotte (Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.): In a game at BB&T Ballpark, home of Triple-A Charlotte, the two border rivals will meet for the first time since the 2013 Chapel Hill Super Regional, won by North Carolina. With both teams ranked in the top-15, both schools will have the opportunity to pick up a quality midweek win.
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