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STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Alcorn State University baseball program will get another crack at an SEC powerhouse program on Wednesday as it heads to Starkville for a matchup with the fourth-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs at 2 p.m. inside Polk-DeMent Stadium.
Alcorn (2-2) played one of its best games in program history last week, rushing out to a four-run first inning lead before falling in extra innings to No. 15 Ole Miss.
The Braves offense has been firing on all cylinders to begin the campaign, ranking 16th in the country with an average of 8.8 runs per game while averaging a homer per game which places them in the NCAA's top-30.
The first four games of the season have seen senior
Travaris Cole put on a hitting clinic, hitting for a .500 average (top-30 in NCAA) with nine hits (seventh in SWAC), 11 RBI (top-25 in NCAA), a double and three of the club's four home runs, including a grand slam in the victory over UAPB.
Cole ranks fourth in the country in RBI per game (2.75), sixth in both hits (2.25) and home runs (0.75) per game, 11th in slugging percentage (1.056) and top-20 in total homers.
Senior
Brandon Rembert has picked up where he left off last season with a .438 batting average (fifth in SWAC), 1.75 hits per game (top-50 in NCAA) and 1.50 runs scored per game (top-30 in NCAA) while being one of the toughest players to strike out in the conference.
Redshirt sophomore
George Osborne III has already picked up two saves in as many appearances, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and a .167 batting average against.
Sophomore
Tristin Garcia had one of the best games of his career at Ole Miss, smoking a career-high four hits (all line drives), accumulating a career-best seven total bases, drove in two, scored twice and launched his first home run of the campaign over the wall in right-center.
Sophomore
Tyler Daniels has manned the leadoff spot in each game and has proved to be one of the most patient hitters in the NCAA, ranking 10th nationally with 1.50 walks per game.
Scouting No. 4 Mississippi State
Mississippi State (5-1) has taken care of business to begin the season, sweeping a weekend series with Wright State before taking two-of-three from Oregon State. MSU will face fellow SWAC opponent, Texas Southern, on Tuesday.
The back-to-back College World Series participants are stacked at every position with preseason accolades littered throughout the roster. The Diamond Dawgs had five Preseason All-SEC selections, three NCBWA Preseason All-Americans and two athletes named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
The Diamond Dawgs have had one of the filthiest pitching staffs in the country so far, averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, the 17th best mark in the NCAA.
Justin Foscue is the focal point of the Bulldogs offense, having yet to strikeout in 19 at-bats to go along with drawing 1.17 walks per game (top-40 in NCAA), driving in ten RBI, smacking three doubles and hitting for a .316 average.
Redshirt freshman Christian MacLeod burst onto the scene for the MSU pitching staff, claiming SEC Co-Freshman of the Week and the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Player of the Week with an 11-strikeout collegiate debut over just 5.0 innings while allowing one hit and a walk in a victory over Wright State.
The Baseball Braves have never defeated Mississippi State in 16 attempts, last squaring off in 2018.
Fans can watch the game on SEC Network+.
#FearTheBrave
