Something else that I found interesting about last year's draft were the number of Round 23 players that were signed and not signed. As you may or may not know, MSU had one signee drafted in the 23rd round this year, Les Dykes by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last year, 19 of the 30 players drafted in the 23rd round signed pro contracts. The good news is if you take that a step further, you find that of the 30 players that were drafted, 12 of them were high schoolers. Of the 12 high schoolers, only two signed while 10 did not. The bad news is, of the two high schoolers that signed, one was a third baseman drafted by the Dodgers. In fact, Los Angeles signed 8 of the 10 players that they drafted in rounds 20 through 29, and 25 of their first 30 picks. An oddity was the fact that Los Angeles did not sign a single player that they drafted after the 30th round.

06/28/01 - Here is an update on a few MSU players, current and former, who are playing for the Memphis Royals.

The Royals are playing in a tournament in Thomasville, Alabama this weekend. Novarese will be pitching on Sunday. Harden will be in relief tonight in a 6:15 pm game at Bolton H.S. Former MSU Diamond Dawg and Memphis Royals player Kevin Donovan was released by the Phillies. He was rehabing from an injury (in Florida) at the time. His younger brother Justin, who plays at Northwest Miss. CC, is currently playing on the Royals team as an outfielder.

06/22/01 - Bulldog rookie left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm has picked up another national honor for his play in the just-concluded 2001 baseball campaign.

The former Marshall Academy and Germantown (Tenn.) High School standout has been named to the Baseball America Freshman All-America First Team. Earlier this month Maholm was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America first team as compiled by Collegiate Baseball magazine. Three other Diamond Dog rookies --- first baseman Matt Brinson, third baseman Steve Gendron and designated hitter Brent Lewis were honorable mention selections on the Louisville Slugger All-America team.

Maholm led Mississippi State in wins and posted an 8-5 record as a rookie, the most wins by a Bulldog freshman since another MSU southpaw wearing No. 28, Eric DuBose, notched an 8-4 mark. Maholm registered a team-leading 95 strikeouts in a staff-high 102 innings pitched. He was one of three Bulldog freshmen and four MSU newcomers in 2001 named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA Columbus Regional.

Mississippi State finished the 2001 campaign with a 39-24 record and ranked in the top 20 of all three major collegiate polls; 14th by Collegiate Baseball, 17th by ESPN/Baseball Weekly and 19th by Baseball America.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

06/21/01 - According to The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, MS. newspaper), junior pitcher Tanner Brock is returning for his senior season. Brock was quoted as saying the hiring of Ron Polk as MSU's head baseball coach was the deciding factor for his return.

06/20/01
Softball - - Junior Kellie Wilkerson earned the sixth all-american accolade of her career, while teammate and freshman Iyhia McMichael earned her first, as the duo was selected as a part of the three-team Easton all-america squad, the supplier announced Tuesday afternoon.

It was the third such honor in as many years for Wilkerson who earned a spot on the first team after nabbing her third-straight NFCA all-american honors in late May. McMichael, who became just the third Bulldog freshman to garner all-SEC accolades, earned a spot on the third team.

Kellie and Iyhia both had outstanding seasons this year and are very deserving of this honor," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "We feel very blessed to have both of these players returning for us next season. They are tremendous representatives of our program and university."

Wilkerson, who has already or is on pace to shatter 10 Mississippi State career records, turned in another stellar campaign this season after pacing the Bulldogs with a .419 batting average, 14 home runs and 33 RBI. In addition to her offensive numbers, State utilized the SEC Player of the Year nominee in the circle as well, where Wilkerson served as the club's closer. She worked 47 2-3 innings in 2001, striking out 48 batters while allowing just three earned runs en route to a 9-1 record, a miniscule 0.44 ERA and a tie for the national lead with 10 saves.

Her 14 home runs eclipsed her own single-season record at Mississippi State, while her 35 stolen bases shattered a previous mark held by former State all-american standout Keri McCallum. Wilkerson also turned in 20 multiple-hit games while collecting multiple RBI contests nine times. In the circle, she was equally as dominant, pitching 41-straight scoreless innings before allowing her first run of the season in a 3-2 loss to nationally-ranked Alabama on April 21.

Although starting slow - hitting a season-low .237 after a Feb. 23 game at UNLV - McMichael blossomed into one of Mississippi State's best and most consistent hitters. At season's end, she turned in a .323 clip to go along with nine doubles, three triples, five homers and 29 RBI. She became just the seventh Bulldog to garner SEC Player of the Week accolades when she nabbed the honors after an outstanding performance in a three-game series sweep over visiting Georgia, while recording the third-highest home run total by a Mississippi State freshman.

In all, the freshman recorded 18 multiple-hit games and matched a team-high with nine multiple-RBI games. Her 11-game hitting streak from March 1 to March 17 stands as the second-highest streak by a Bulldog rookie.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

06/19/01 (8:00 p.m.) - Here are premium site excerpts from the press conference Tuesday morning and afternoon.

With approximately 150 to 200 MSU fans and media in attendance Mississippi State University Athletic Director Larry Templeton, to the cheers of the Bulldog fans in attendance, announced that former Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk was returning to Mississippi State as the new head baseball coach.

Larry Templeton:
"This was probably the most unusual search for an intercollegiate coach in America. I can remember when I called Ron after Pat told me he was leaving, the first thing Ron said to me was 'what are we going to do?'.

" I knew Saturday afternoon when we topped the hill at the coliseum and I said to him, 'that is your place', and I saw that spark and gleam in his eye (he was coming back). It was kind of hard not to offer the job right then because he was coming home. Now, Sunday afternoon, when we were walking through that stadium, he started to tell me all the things we needed to get done (laugh from the crowd) and how much it was going to cost this program to get them done. I remember I told you, Ronnie, that is your decision and you do it."

Ron Polk:
"I am going to bring with me from Georgia one of the members of my baseball staff, Daron Schoenrock, our pitching coach. We had a great first year (at Georgia) and, as you all know, a great second year. Daron is one of the reasons for that. Another great move that we made, and was not difficult at all, was making sure that Tommy Raffo stayed. (applause from the crowd) Tommy is going to be staying and that gives us that continuity that we need. We will be making a decision on the other assistant coach in time.

"I will sign a contract for four years here. I know a question will be how long will I coach. Depending on my health, I will be the head coach at Mississippi State as long as everybody wants me to be.

"We are excited about a project that is being put together right now. Bryce Griffiths, who is probably as good a Bulldog as you could imagine, is steerheading, and I will be heavily involved, a project that is somewhere between 1.6 and 2 million dollars. It is an indoor practice facility, coaches offices and other stadium improvements, the things that we have to have to go to the next level.

"We have a lot of work to do here. Starkville and Mississippi State is my home and I am glad to be back."

Kenny Kurtz:
Kenny Kurtz: It means a lot to me because I was a part of his first SEC championship team and also a part of his first MSU appearance in the College World Series. It was a sad story when he left but I knew why he did. He is a dear friend to me, not just a coach. He is like a father to me. He has helped me tremendously. He is the kind of person who talks family. He doesn't missed sending birthday cards or Christmas cards, not just to me but to my wife and kids. He does that with all of his players. He writes them himself. In my twenty+ years since I was a player here, he hasn't missed a lick. When he went to Georgia, he sent me a Georgia media guide. The last two years were special to me, especially since I lost my oldest daughter. He was right there with me. He called me on the phone and helped me tremendously. I'm just happy to be a part of that.

Saunders Ramsey:
Saunders Ramsey: Watching Thigpen, Clark, and the others; Van Cleve used to come over to the house. All their stories used to revolve around Coach Polk. I never thought this chance would present itself again. I am thrilled and excited. I am ready to work hard. We have a bunch of great guys returning. With Coach Polk returning, it will bring an entirely different aspect to the game. I feel our players will step it up even more and take it to that next level, winning the national championship. Coach Polk believes we can and we have the guys who can make it happen.

Josh Abraham:
You are not only a player but a fan as well because you grew up in Starkville. Talk about how special it is to you because of that?
Josh Abraham: I can remember when I was 6, 7, 8, 9 all the way up until I was 15 and 16 and seeing Ron Polk on third base. I had always wanted to play for Ron Polk. I thought he would be here forever. This is it, this is all that I have ever wanted. I think that everybody on this team is excited about it. I am getting chills down my body right now thinking about it. I can't wait for fall practice to get here. We are going to work hard and try and win a championship.

Tommy Raffo:
You have a very unique perspective because you not only have played for Coach Polk and Coach McMahon but you have also coached for both men. Talk about that.
Tommy Raffo: There are a lot of emotions going. Both men have meant so much to me since high school Not only on the field but off the field as well. You see the class of our program and the type players we have had at Mississippi State.

06/19/01 - As rumored all along, Ron Polk is coming back to MSU. In an 11 a.m. press conference Coach Polk will be named as the new head baseball coach at MSU. I have heard rumors that current MSU assistant coach Tommy Raffo will be one of his assistants and another assistant will be current Georgia pitching coach Daron Schoenrock.

Look for more details after today's press conference. If you would like to listen to the press conference, WFCA-FM 107.9 radio will be carrying it live. Their internet address is www.wfcafm108.com. Click on Listen Now to listen to it.

06/16/01 - Bulldogs players in summer college leagues.

1) Matthew Brinson --Valley League -- Winchester Royals
2) Allen Buckley -- Cotton States league
3) Chad Henry -- New England Collegiate Baseball League -- Newport Gulls
3) Brad Hutto -- Coastal Plain League -- Thomasville Hi-Toms
5) Collins Hughes -- New England Collegiate Baseball League -- Newport Gulls
6) Jeff Lacher -- New England Collegiate Baseball League -- Newport Gulls
7) Brent Lewis -- Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League -- Northern Ohio
8) Paul Maholm -- USA Baseball National Team or Cape Cod League --- Falmouth Commodores
9) Matthew Maniscalco -- Cape Cod League -- Brewster Whitecaps
10) Todd Nicholas -- Central Illinois Collegiate League -- Danville Dans
11) Jonathan Papelbon -- Central Illinois Collegiate League -- Danville Dans
12) Winston Pearson -- Central Illinois Collegiate League -- Danville Dans
13) Michael Shumaker -- Stan Musical League -- Florida Panhandle
14) Chris Young -- Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League -- Northern Ohio

15) Enrico Jones will be helping out with the MSU baseball camps.
16) Steve Gendron is at home training.

06/14/01 - Press Conference interview with Pat McMahon.

Pat's statement:

Pat McMahon: The biggest reason that we are leaving is family. I hope that doesn't upset too many people. I love this place and I hope everyone understands that. The move is a family decision and based on family. Family takes precedence.

The toughest thing is to leave. It is killing me. This is a very special place. It is special because of the people. I am very proud of the shape the program is in. The players are a quality group of young men who are going to excel in all areas of life. That is very, very important. It is a talented group of young men on the field. As I talked to families last night, there were just tremendous, tremendous comments from moms and dads. That means a lot to me. It has been a tough, tough couple (voice broke with emotion) of days.

Pat's interview.

Gene: How about going through the complete process from the moment they called you to the time you accepted and when you called your MSU players?
Pat McMahon: After that phone call was made, Wednesday was a very special day in the Delta. There was a building at Delta State that was named after Bryce Griffiths. I drove over there to be a part of that. On the way back, there was a call from Larry saying that there had been a call from (Florida AD) Jeremy Foley asking for permission to talk to me. Larry said yes to Jeremy.

On Thursday we visited (by phone). (Foley) asked me about the program, the challenges. It was a very good conversation. I was very impressed by the conversation and his commitment. He asked me if we could visit face to face. I went home to talk to Cheri. I think when opportunities present themselves, you owe it to yourself and your family to look at them. (Florida) is the only program in the country that I would even consider leaving Mississippi State for. The reason is because of our families roots.

We visited for a few hours on Friday.

Saturday night, he said that we would like for you to consider coming to Florida. I said that I would like to visit with Mr. Templeton and talk to my wife and family.

Sunday, we talked about contractional arrangements.

Gene: Was there an official offer during the weekend other than what was said to you Saturday?
Pat McMahon: (The job) wasn't officially offered until Sunday.

When did you decide to take the offer?
Pat McMahon: I've waivered very strongly. The decision to leave here is so hard because of our players and all the reasons that we have talked about. This is our extended family. By the same token, after a lot of thought, a lot of prayer and a lot of discussion with Cheri, a few close friends and my brother, we were leaning that way.

Before I would commit totally, I told Larry that we would have a visit. We had a wonderful discussion Monday. He showed a lot of class. I really appreciate the way he has handled everything. He is a dear friend. Dr. Portera has been wonderful. I visited with him Tuesday and I also visited with Larry Tuesday.

Monday, after Larry and I talked, Cheri and I had a talk, then went to Wells' (Wells is their son) game.

I had to make the decision Tuesday. Tuesday was the final day of the process. But Monday was kind of the turning point in the process.

Gene: This may be a difficult question to answer. When you were, I guess you could say, chosen as Ron Polk's successor, MSU fans thought it was for the remainder of your career but it has only been four years and you are now leaving. Some State fans are very upset about that.

Pat McMahon: It is not a hard question because it is something that I have weighed and prayed about very much. I understand why they are upset. As I said, this is the only position that I would consider leaving Mississippi State for and that is because of my family. I hope they understand that. I hope they are upset because of the good reasons, reasons like how we have represented Mississippi State.

If you start tracking I think there is about 17 to 18 years of my coaching life that have been at this institution. That is a lot of time. You allude to the fact that I have only been here four years. There have been many more than that. The biggest thing to me, and something that I hope the people understand, is that this program is bigger than one person. That is the beauty of this program. This program is so much bigger because of all of the people and all the pieces of the puzzle. This program has the opportunity to get better and better.

Interview with current MSU player, walk-on catcher Jamie Farris.
Jamie Farris: I've tried to talk to a couple of players about it. It shocked me. It shocked a bunch of people around the community. I found out yesterday afternoon. I understand because he is from Florida and he can get back closer to home. He coached at Jacksonville. His wife is from there. I understand him wanting to go back to Florida. It is just a shocker. Hopefully, we can get a new coach in here that can replace him. He is going to be hard to replace.

06/13/01 - Today, the University of Florida will have a 9:30 a.m. CDT press conference to announce MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon as their new head baseball coach. It is also rumored that MSU may have a Pat McMahon press conference this afternoon. The rumor is Coach McMahon will explain to the media the reason he is leaving MSU to coach for U-Florida. As of now, this press conference is only a rumor, so take it as such. If it does happen, I will be there.

06/06/01 (10:35 a.m.)
Baseball - Four members of Mississippi State's SEC Tournament Championship baseball team have been named to the 2001 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team compiled by Tucson-based newspaper "Collegiate Baseball".

Left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm, a member of MSU's starting weekend rotation, headed up the Mississippi State contingent on this year's all-rookie team. Maholm, from Holly Springs, Miss., compiled an 8-5 record with a 4.50 ERA, leading the Bulldog pitching staff with 95 strikeouts. He was named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA Columbus (Ohio) Regional.

Three other first-year Diamond Dogs, first baseman Matthew Brinson of Brandon, Miss., third baseman Steve Gendron of Tampa, Fla., and designated hitter Brent Lewis of Jackson, Tenn., were accorded honorable mention all-America team status.

Brinson, selected the most valuable player in the NCAA Columbus (Ohio) Regional, finished second on the club in batting average (.328), home runs (7) and RBI (46). Gendron, also named to the all-tournament team at Ohio State, compiled a .281 batting average and drew starts in 60 of MSU's 63 games. Lewis hit at a .290 clip, drawing 43 of his 46 rookie season starts as the Bulldogs' designated hitter.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

06/06/01
Baseball - A trio of pitchers from Mississippi State's 2001 NCAA Super Regional baseball team were among the players selected in Tuesday's opening round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Right-handed pitcher Brandon Medders was the first Mississippi State baseball player selected, taken in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cincinnati Reds tabbed Bulldog ace Tanner Brock in the 13th round while the Boston Red Sox selected Ryan Carroll in the 15th round.

It was the third drafting in four years for Medders, who was a 37th round pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 after his senior season at Tuscaloosa's Hillcrest High School and in the 18th round by the Kansas City Royals following his freshman year at Shelton State Community College in Alabama.

Medders appeared in 18 games this season, compiling a 6-3 record with a 2.08 earned run average and a team-leading six saves. In 52 innings he struck out 57 and walked 15. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native did not allow a run and earned three saves and a win over his last five outings (10 innings). Medders struck out four of the six batters he faced to earn the win in MSU's NCAA Columbus Regional-opening 9-8 win over Kent State.

In two seasons Medders has compiled a 7-4 record with a 3.21 earned run average with six saves and a 3.21 ERA.

Brock, from Longwood, Fla., earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a junior, posting a 7-2 record and a 4.44 earned run average. Brock drew starts in all 16 of his appearances.

Carroll, a junior right-hander from Picayune, Miss., compiled a 4.60 earned run average in 16 relief appearances (29.1 innings pitched). He was taken in the 17th round by the Red Sox a year ago.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

(None of MSU's signees were drafted through the 20th round. Based on what I have heard from my sources, I know that Les Dykes would have been drafted in the first two rounds but his signability was a huge question mark and caused clubs to back off of him. I also believe, based on things that I have read in Baseball America and, according to pro scouts, that Craig Tatum was projected as a 3rd to 5th round draft pick but also had a huge signability question mark that caused teams to back off of him. Since teams will continue drafting today, there is still a chance that both players will be drafted. And, as we saw last year with several of our signees, the round does not matter when it comes to money offers. Let's hope we get lucky a second straight year. - Gene)

06/05/01 - A very tired and very disappointed MSU baseball team arrived home around noon yesterday. About 25 MSU fans were on hand to greet them.

Here are several pictures that I took.

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

Former Mississippi State players Keri McCallum and Michelle Gates joined three-time all-american centerfielder Kellie Wilkerson on the distinctive teams which serve as an unofficial qualifier for selection to the USA Olympic team. The selection was no stranger to McCallum who earned an invitation to the 2000 Olympic Games Trials on Sept. 2, 2000 in Midland, Mich. The Bulldog trio joined current SEC Player of the Year Britni Sneed (LSU) and Tiger outfielder Trena Peel on the squads.

Wilkerson and McCallum will join Sneed on the USA Blue squad which will be skippered by Arizona head coach Mike Candrea, South Florida head coach Ken Eriksen and Cal State-Fullerton head coach Michelle Gromacki. Gates will join Peel on the USA Red team coached by Jay Miller (Missouri), John Rittman (Stanford) and Kirk Walker (Oregon State). Candrea recently led his Wildcats to their sixth NCAA national softball championship in 11 years.

"We are tremendously proud of the accomplishments of Keri, Kellie and Michelle," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "They have been, and will continue to be, outstanding representatives of MSU Softball."

The two teams will compete against each other in the USA Softball Shootout, a West Coast exhibition tour, that will stop in Portland (June 8), Spokane (June 10), Sacramento (June 14) and Los Angeles (June 17). USA Red will then travel to Honolulu, June 20-24, to represent the USA at the 2001 U.S. Cup, where they will face 2000 Olympic silver medalist Japan, bronze medalist Australia and fourth-place finisher China. The U.S. Cup will mark the first time Team USA has faced these international teams since the 2000 Olympic Games.

The two teams will then travel to Vancouver, June 30-July 6, for the 2001 Canada Cup. The USA captured the gold medal and the bronze medal in 1999 when two teams were represented at the Canada Cup. USA Blue will close out the season when it travels to Maracay, Venezuela, July 28-August 5 to represent the USA at the 2001 Pan Am Qualifier.

USA Softball Women's National Teams have been among the most dominating of any sports team in history. The USA's ability to bring home the gold in World Championships, the Pan American Games and the Olympics is unchallenged, with a total of thirteen.

The USA Softball Women's National Team won the first Olympic gold medal in the sport's history during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and defended its gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The USA Softball Women's National Team, which has won the past four consecutive World Championships, the past four consecutive Pan Am Games and the past two Olympic gold medals, is the undisputed No. 1 team in the world.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

06/03/01 - Cal State Fullerton (46-16) defeated Mississippi State 9 to 3 last night to win their Super Regional and advance to the College World Series. Cal State Fullerton's first game opponent will be Nebraska, a first-timer to the College World Series.

Mississippi State, after a very poor performance Friday night, jumped out on top with two runs in the bottom of the first inning against CSF starting pitcher freshman Darric Merrell. Junior Michael Brown and senior Phillip Willingham led off the inning with back to back singles. Junior Jason Burkley walked to load the bases. Then freshman Matthew Brinson, with the bases loaded, hit a ball up the middle that appeared to be headed to the outfield but was instead turned into a double play on an outstanding defensive play by the CSF infielder. MSU scored a run on the play. Junior Enrico Jones, the next batter up, hit a two-out RBI single to make the score 2-0. Freshman Brent Lewis then hit a double. With men on second and third and two outs, freshman Steve Gendron popped up to end the inning. What was one play from being a huge scoring inning for the Bulldogs, wound up as a two-run inning.

Cal State Fullerton, hitting three home runs Friday night, started the second inning off with a solo home run by senior first baseman Aaron Rifkin to cut the lead in half.

After Mississippi State could do nothing in their half of the inning, Cal State Fullerton would once again use the long ball, this time to pull out in front of the Bulldogs. Like before, it was senior Aaron Rifkin who would provide the scoring, this time hitting a two-run home run to make the score 3-2, Cal State Fullerton.

Meanwhile the Bulldogs, after getting four base hits in the first inning, were completely handcuffed by Merrell until the bottom of the sixth inning.

Cal State Fullerton added another run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by sophomore Mike Rouse. Mississippi State came back with a run of their own in their half of the inning. Matthew Brinson hit a one-out triple and was knocked in by an ground out by Enrico Jones, his second RBI of the night. MSU could no additional damage in the inning. The score was now 4-3, CSF.

Cal State Fullerton would put the game away in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI double by senior David Bacani and a three-run home run by Aaron Rifkin, his third home run of the night. The score was now 8-3.

Cal State Fullerton would add another run in the top of the ninth to make the final score 9 to 3.

Mississippi State was led at the plate by freshman Brent Lewis who went 3-for-3. Junior Casey Long was 2-for-4, while freshman Matthew Brinson was 1-for-3.

The veteran Cal State Fullerton team, which started three seniors and four juniors last night, was led in hitting by senior Aaron Rifkin who along with his three home runs had a single and six RBIs. Sophomore Mike Rouse was 3-for-3. Senior Louis Lamoure was 1-for-2.

MSU starting pitcher freshman Paul Maholm, who up until last night had pitched extremely well in the post-season, allowed 8 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 6.2 innings of work. He also struck out 8.

CSF starting pitcher Darric Merrell threw 6.1 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 4.

The attendance for the ballgame was once again 3,412.

Mississippi State, which played its last fourteen games on the road, wound up the season 39-24.

06/02/01 - Cal State Fullerton (45-16), behind the pitching of ace Kirk Saarloos, shut the Mississippi State (39-23) hitting down to go on to a 13-2 victory in the first game of the Fullerton Super Regional.

Cal State Fullerton jumped on Bulldog starter Tanner Brock for eight runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back. The scoring in the second innings was led by Mike Rouse's two home runs and four RBIs.

MSU got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Casey Long walked, then was knocked in on a Phillip Willingham single. The second run was scored by Brown when Jason Burkley hit into a double play.

Cal State Fullerton had fifteen hits while MSU had four. Rouse, who had hit eight home runs prior to the game, wound up with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on the night to lead the Titans. Chris Stringfellow also had four hits. Two other Titans, David Bacani and Robert Guzman had two hits each. MSU's Phillip Willingham had two hits to lead the Bulldog hitters.

CSF's Saarloos pitched seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball. It was his fifteen victory in a row.

MSU's Brock gave up eight runs in 1.2 innings of work. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Papelbon came in in relief of Brock and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. He also struck out seven. He retired seven of the last eight that he faced. Junior RHP Ryan Carroll finished up the game by throwing the last two innings.

The game was played in front of a Cal State Fullerton record crowd of 3,412.

MSU is expected to start freshman left-hander Paul Maholm Saturday.

Gametime is the same as last night, 9 p.m. CDT.

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