Opponent Dugout Q and A – Mississippi State
By Dave Bevan
Jun 17, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs batter Adam Frazier (12) reacts to his pop-up caught for an out against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mississippi State won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
This Friday, the No. 13 Diamond Rebels will head to Starkville to take on intra-state rival No. 21 Mississippi State in a three game weekend series. What better way to prepare for this series then to do some Q and A with an opponent blogger.
No. 13 Ole Miss (25-8) will take on No. 21 Mississippi State (20-13) in Starkville this weekend. It is a much anticipated series and both teams are eager to prove their worthiness of playing in the future postseason. So, we mutually reached out to a Mississippi State blogger to give and get insight on the upcoming series.
Josh Barnhill is the man behind FanSided’s Mississippi State site, MaroonAndWhiteNation.com. Barnhill created the MSU fan site a few years back, and has recently brought the site into the FanSided Network. You may have seen his rants on Twitter with the username @CrxxmDiaries.
Barnhill’s has been writing about Mississippi State sports for years now, and his work can be seen on Maroon And White Nation to SB Nation’s ForWhomTheCowbellTolls.com. He has a very deep hatred for rival Ole Miss and is not ashamed to express that hatred on social media and in articles.
So, we felt it would be a perfect time for both sites to share their insight in the upcoming series between the two teams. We sat down with Barnhill and asked his some questions about both teams and the upcoming series. Hope you enjoy.
Q and A with M&W Nation
What are MSU fans thoughts of Ole Miss baseball right now? Do they see the Rebels as a team to be concerned about, or just another Ole Miss team that is not going to Omaha again?
I think the general consensus is that Ole Miss is beginning to come back down the mountain and will continue to regress. The general feeling is that Ron Polk just stopped recruiting and Bianco cleaned up and that’s why OM won like they did a few years back. I’m not sure that’s fully the case. There seems to be enough talent to go around – Bianco is a good coach. But I do think OM missed an opportunity when State was in the cellar 2008-2010.
Which Ole Miss player are you most concerned about making an impact in this series?
There are so many good hitters that can hurt you, I’ll go with a pitcher in Chris Ellis. If he’s dominate and gets a win then it really gives Ole Miss the advantage. I guess y’all could say the same about Ross Mitchell though.
Which MSU player should Ole Miss fans be most concerned about and why?
This is a team that is pretty much void of stars but I’ll go with Jacob Lindgren. He has been absolutely lights out this year out of the pen. If it gets to Sunday and he hasn’t pitched Cohen won’t be shy about giving the starter a very quick hook and putting Lindgren in the game.
What are the strengths and weaknesses in MSU baseball this season?
The strength is defense. When Matthew Britton is playing 3rd base I think MSU has the best defensive infield in the SEC with him, Seth Heck at SS, Brett Pirtle at 2B and Wes Rea at 1B. C.T. Bradford is a stellar defender in CF and Derrick Armstrong is solid in the outfield as well.
The weakness is power. Ole Miss’ slugging percentage is nearly 100 points higher than MSU and they’ve hit 18 more home runs – it’s not even close. This MSU team has less power than the 2012 team which didn’t have much.
Right now, it doesn’t seem like MSU is heading down the same track as this time last year. Are their concerns from MSU fans that this team might not make it to the CWS?
Yes, Brandon Woodruff did not turn into the Friday night ace everyone was hoping for and that’s put a wrench into the plans. He has looked really good in recent relief outings so there’s a chance he could get back in the rotation this weekend (but with OM’s power and lack of K’s I doubt it).
The hitting has been poor as Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier have been sorely missed. Right now this team is not as good as expected but there is still time to improve if some of the pieces live up to their “potential”….and Cohen gives them a chance to.
MSU has had some tough series lately. They won the series against a high ranked Vandy team, got swept in the series against LSU last weekend, and had to win in extra innings against Southern Miss Tuesday. Are there concerns that Ole Miss could come to Starkville and steal this series?
Absolutely. I think folks want a sweep to make up for last weekend but 2 out of 3 will do fine. But OM could definitely win it. I don’t think there is a clear favorite in this series.
If Ole Miss wins the series against MSU, how would that impact morale for MSU fans?
If the Rebs do that it will be panic time in Starkville. For one thing it’s Super Bulldog Weekend and I would be surprised if the all-time attendance record is not broken. Then on top of that it’s Ole Miss. I personally do not think it’s time to panic because the back-half of the SEC schedule is pretty light and Cohen always has his teams played well in May.
Would we see the excuses blow up on the infamous MSU forums?
No one likes to get beat by their rival so I’m sure you’ll see some of that just like the OM fans’ laundry list of excuses after the Egg Bowl.
What are your predictions of this series?
I will pick MSU to win 2 of 3 because I want them to. I think it will come down to Sunday to determine the series winner.
Including the NCAA Tournament, where do you see both teams finishing at the end of season?
I could see Ole Miss getting a Regional host because their RPI is excellent. I do not think MSU will get one at this point, although we could finish higher than OM in the West. And I could see both teams getting to Super Regionals as well, but I’m not sure Omaha is in the cards for either team…but you never know.
Here is a look at the series schedule between Ole Miss at Mississippi State:
Friday, 4/11/2014, 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, 4/12/2014, 3:00 p.m. CT (Will be televised on the Fox Sports Network)
Sunday, 4/13/2014, 1:30 p.m. CT