May 1999 Unofficial MSU Baseball and Softball News

Polls:
Baseball America Top 25 -- Collegiate Baseball Top 25 -- USA Today/ESPN Top 25 -- The Sporting News Top 25

06/01/99 Go here to view pictures of the Dudy Noble / Polk-DeMent Stadium expansion.

06/01/99 - Click here to see the most up-to-date pictures of the Dudy Noble / Polk-DeMent Stadium expansion project. I took the pictures Sunday.

05/31/99 - MSU closed out their season with a 10 to 7 loss to a very good Ohio State team yesterday. Even though we lost, all MSU fans can be very proud of this team. They weren't expected to do much this season due to so many losses from last year's College World Series team but once again, in the rich tradition of MSU baseball, an MSU team won over 40 games and advanced to regional play for the fourth straight year and the eighth time this decade. Congrats Diamond Dawgs, you have done Mississippi State University proud.

P.S. I took pictures of the Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium late Sunday afternoon. I will post them later today so that you can see how the stadium expansion is going. Also took pictures of the beginning of the locker room renovation at Scott Field. Not much to it, since they just started, but I'm sure some of you would like to see it anyway. Also noticed the tearing down of the buildings across from Scott Field has begun. I believe that is where we are going to have our large tailgate location which, supposedly, will be patterned after Texas A&M's.

05/31/99 - Thought you guys would enjoy reading this email that a Nebraska fan emailed me where he shared his thoughts about MSU fans. I believe I can say the same right back at the Nebraska fans. They, along with the Ohio State fans whom we communicated with on the message boards, were first class.

"As a Husker fan, I stumbled upon your page looking for anything I could find on the MSU-NU game or just that regional. I tend to do this a lot, whether it be football, baseball, or basketball, I like to see what our opponents say about the matchup. Let me say, first of all, when I saw Nebraska was playing in MSU's regional and against MSU in the first game, I thought two things. 1) How is MSU a 3 seed?, and 2) We're screwed. I've seen the CWS here in Omaha, and it seems like MSU is here every year. So, naturally, when I opened your message board, I expected to see a bunch of arrogant fans talking about how MSU will walk through this regional of a bunch of northern schools with no problem, but instead I saw a bunch of fans showing total class and respect for all teams in Columbus. I was shocked. The fans on your board have to be the most respectful, knowledgeable, and classy fans I have ever come across. Rather than get a name and share this on the board, I figured I'd just tell you. So, from the best college football fans in the country to the best college baseball fans in the country, good luck and I hope to see the Dawgs in Omaha.

"With Much Respect,
"Josh in Omaha"

05/31/99 - Click here to read an article which appeared in the Chattanooga Times - Free Press last Thursday. Pay special attention to the part about MSU baseball signee Brennan King, Tennessee's Gatorade Player of the Year this year.

05/30/99 - Here is a link to info on the two MSU regional games from yesterday. As most of you know by now, MSU, 42-20 on the year, lost 6-3 to Ohio State in the afternoon game and won the Nebraska game 13-7 last night. MSU now must defeat Ohio State twice today to advance to the Super Regional. The first game will start at 12:05 Mississippi time (CDT) and the second game will start at 4:05 Mississippi time.

Click here to see the stats for Ohio State. Note the stats for pitcher Andy Lee, the probable starting pitcher in game 1 today. Andy was Ohio State's number 2 starter for most of the year.

Here's a little info on Andy from the official Ohio State baseball site:
19 Andy Lee, RHP, Senior, R-R, 6-2, 200, West Chester, Ohio:
Solid second man in the rotation. Knows how to win. Would be a No. 1 starter at most schools in the Big Ten. Intense. Enters the NCAA Tournament with a stunning 21-4 career record. Went seven innings in the second round game vs. Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament, allowing seven earned runs. Notched his second consecutive complete game in the Michigan State series, allowing just one run and striking out seven. Tossed a complete game, four-hit shutout against Purdue in game two, his second blanking of the year. Appeared twice against Penn State, once as a starter and once as a reliever. Picked up the win in game four by pitching two shutout innings in relief. Tough start Illinois, going 4.2 innings and surrendering nine earned runs. Went 4.1 innings and surrendered four earned runs in a game two start at Michigan, earning the win. Pitched the final inning of the 16-1 win over Ashland. Impressive seven-inning complete game shutout in game two vs. Northwestern. Scattered three hits over those seven innings and struck out four. First career complete game was a 7-2 win against Georgia as the Buckeyes rolled through the Bulldogs. Was named to the Hurricane Classic all-tournament team. Picked up win No. 1 this year against Troy State after pitching 6.2 innings.

05/30/99- Here are the stats for future Diamond Dawg Jeff Lacher, one of two Hattiesburg senior baseball players who signed with MSU this year.

Hitting:

Pitching:

05/29/99 - Here are various links to results of yesterday's 18 to 14 MSU victory over Nebraska:

Here is a link to the results of all the regionals.

05/28/99 - MSU takes on Nebraska today at 2:05 CDT. If you are interested in reading more about the Columbus regional, click here. You'll find a lot of good info. BTW, did you know Nebraska is riding a 9-game win streak? Included in that win streak are victories over Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.

Don't forget today is Coach Pat McMahon's birthday. If you are interested, you can either fax him a birthday greeting to the Holiday Inn (fax number 614-294-3390, make sure you mention his name and Mississippi State baseball on your cover sheet) or email me your birthday greeting and I'll fax it to him. My email address is swindoll@genespage.com

05/27/99 - Received this email from a Nebraska fan last night. Thought you guys would enjoy reading it.

"I don't want a username or anything like that, because I'm not much of a poster. However, I did want to say that I'm absolutely amazed at the class shown by the MSU fans. Usually when a team finds out they're playing Nebraska in any sport, they head straight to our boards to flame and harass. I've seen nothing but wonderfully complimentary things from MSU fans, even though NU baseball (or Nebraska in general) could make for an easy target. Please accept my thanks and pass it on to your fellow fans. If NU doesn't win the regional, I sincerely hope y'all do. Because of the class shown, MSU made a new fan for life.

"Thanks,
"HuskrAngel"

05/27/99 - Here's a little Nebraska baseball info from Leland Bulldog via a friend of his who saw Nebraska play three times this past season:

Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn plays to win. He is a very competitive coach and his players are going to compete. They have an extremely solid ball club and I will be honest with you, it will not be a walk in the park for the Bulldogs. Nebraska will be the proverbial snake in the grass. These guys can play baseball and if they catch State napping, the Dogs could be in for a long day.

Their best hitter is Ken Harvey. It doesn't matter where he is pitched...in....out...up..or down the guy can flat out hit. Don't let his looks fool you, because he can flat out run! Their third basemen (I can't recall his name) pulls the ball on the ground every time he makes contact. Therefore he is an easy double play target.

They have a freshman pitcher from Hawaii named Kumine who has four pitches that he can control. He is their ace pitcher. His fast ball is in the upper 80's. They have a pretty good starting pitching rotation, but their bullpen is not deep.

05/25/99 - Guess who has a birthday this coming Friday, May 28th? None other than our very own head baseball coach, Pat McMahon. Hope you have a great birthday Coach Mac.

05/25/99 - MSU, selected as a 3 seed, is headed to the Columbus regional, hosted by Ohio State, to play Nebraska in the first round. Click here to go to the Columbus regional website.

Click here for almost everything you would like to know about Columbus, OH.

05/25/99 - If you are as interested in the MLB Draft as I am, check out the following two locations on Baseball America's website. They have some very interesting info about MSU players and signees in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Mississippi
Tennessee

05/24/99 - Three Bulldogs made the All-SEC Baseball Tournament Team. They were freshman pitcher Tanner Brock and juniors Travis Chapman at shortstop and Jamie Rock at outfield.

The NCAA Baseball Tournament teams will be announced on ESPN today at 2 p.m. Check my message board for the latest info.

For additional info, click here to go to the officially MSU baseball site.

05/23/99 - MSU was eliminated from the SEC Tournament with their 12 to 11 loss to Alabama yesterday. State, behind 8 to 3 at one point, rallied the last three innings but fell just short. MSU used six pitchers during the game, one of whom, Ryan Carroll, was impressive. Ryan, a redshirt freshman, threw 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 2. The hitting stars for MSU were Jon Knott (3 for 5, HR, 4 RBI), Chris Lotterhos (3 for 5), Travis Chapman (4 for 5) and Jamie Rock (2 for 4).

The Bulldogs now await word to see where they will be going for their regional.

05/22/99 - MSU freshmen pitchers Tanner Brock and Adam Larson completely shut down Ole Miss yesterday as they threw a 4-hit shutout. The final score was 2-0. Tanner, now 4-0 on the season, pitched 8 innings, allowed 4 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 3. Adam, earning a save, came in in the 9th and got three up and three down. Although I'm sure he would not say it, former Ole Miss Rebel Chris Lotterhos got a little revenge when he scored the winning run in the 1st inning and made a great defensive play in the 9th. Travis Chapman was the hitting star with a 3 for 4 game. Ty Martin knocked in an insurance run in the 9th with his pinch-hit single. The Bulldogs, now 40-18, continue play in the SEC Tournament as they attempt to earn a higher seed in the NCAA Regionals, while the Rebels, 33-26, go home wondering if they even will be in the tournament. I expect they will unless there are a lot of upsets in other league tournaments across the nation.

The Bulldogs play the Crimson Tide at 10 a.m. today. If they win that game, they play the Tide again at 5 p.m. Click here to go to the latest SEC Tournament bracket courtesy of David Oakes and the MSU Ticket Exchange page.

05/21/99 - MSU lost to Alabama 4 to 3, putting MSU into the loser's bracket. State now plays Ole Miss at 3 p.m. today. If State wins, they play Alabama at 10 a.m. Saturday. If they win that game, they once again play Alabama at 5 p.m Saturday.

Bring your cowbells to the games. They are legal for all sports but football and basketball. I called the SEC office Thursday to verify this. However, the SEC does give each member school the option to not allow artificial noisemakers (cowbells) in their own stadium.

05/21/99 - Need help in finding the MSU fan who lost his wrist watch Wednesday at Hoover. The person who found the watch sat behind 4 guys who got up and left before State scored their runs. If you or someone you know lost a watch, email me at swindoll@genespage.com and I'll give you the email address of the person who found the watch. He will mail it to you if you can describe it.

05/20/99 - MSU defeated South Carolina 7 to 5 in 10 innings yesterday. Matt Ginter picked up the win in relief. Click here for the complete stats compliments of the SEC official site.

MSU (39-17) takes on Alabama (43-14) today at 4 p.m. If MSU wins, they don't play again until Saturday at 10 a.m. (the team they play will be one of these three: Alabama/South Carolina/Ole Miss). If they lose, they play at 3 p.m. Friday (South Carolina/Ole Miss winner).

05/19/99 - Click here to see the Official SEC site's SEC Baseball Tournament brackets.

05/19/99 - Congrats to Diamond Dawgs Cliff Wren (1st Team), Brian Wiese (1st Team) and Ty Martin (2nd Team) for making the All-SEC Baseball Team. However, I'm very, very surprised 2B Chris Lotterhos and SS Travis Chapman did not make the team. Chris was the best overall second baseman that I saw this year. Chris was as good or better defensively than the two selected for the 1st and 2nd teams and as good of a hitter, as the official SEC stats shows (click here to view the SEC hitting stats). Travis was better offensively and defensively than the 2nd team shortstop and also a great clutch hitter.

05/19/99 - Click here to read the latest on MSU baseball signee Brennan King. It seems the rumor that he seriously hurt his elbow was just that, a rumor.

05/18/99 - MSU plays South Carolina Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Other MSU news: MSU will not host a regional this year.

P.S. - I hope Rebel fans have a sense of humor about this because it really was funny after it was over with. Sometimes rivalries get a little out of hand. This was one of those times.

Here is a link to an image of the notorious cowbell that had four security officers (2 COBRA Security officers and 2 Ole Miss campus officers.) in a tizzy this past Saturday. Click this link to view three of them "visiting" with the MSU fan. I have covered their faces to avoid embarrassing them. To his credit, one of the campus security officers used his common sense and laugh it off, shook cowbell owner Buck Johnson's hand and left. You will be happy to know Buck did not give up his cowbell.

05/17/99 - MSU, now 38-17 on the season, salvaged one game of the three-game series with Ole Miss by defeating them 9 to 6. Freshman Brock Tanner pitched three very strong innings to gain the victory. Brock allowed no runs on one hit. Other pitchers for MSU were freshman Ryan Carroll, sophomore Justin Estel, senior Scott Polk and freshman Adam Larson (2.2 IP, no runs).

Hitting stars for MSU were:

A special comment is reserved for MSU second baseman Chris Lotterhos who had a clutch single to knock in two runs as well as several outstanding defensive plays at critical points in the game.

05/16/99 - MSU once again lost a one-run game to Ole Miss. This time, the score was 5 to 4. And once again MSU hit the ball very, very well but at folks. MSU and Ole Miss conclude their 3-game series today at 1:30. See you there.

P.S. - Monday or Tuesday I hope to have pictures posted online of the incident involving a MSU couple, the Ole Miss security force known as COBRA and a couple of policemen (may have been campus security, not really sure). It happened about six rows directly above me.

05/15/99 - MSU lost to Ole Miss last night 2 to 1. MSU had their chances in the 8th and 9th inning but shots by Travis Chapman and Josh West were hit right at Ole Miss defenders.

Brian Compton once again pitched a good game before giving way to Kevin Donovan, who was on the losing end of the game.

I'm proud to say, based on info I received from several MSU fans, about 40% of the fans at the game were MSU fans. As always, MSU fans turn out to show our support for our Diamond Dawgs.

This is Gene Swindoll reporting from the Downtown Inn in Oxford, Mississippi.

05/14/99 - MSU Softball team defeated #3 seed Alabama 6-3 yesterday in the first round of the SEC tournament with Autumn Anderson picking up the win. And they are scheduled to play #2 seed Tennessee today.

05/14/99 - 17th ranked MSU takes on Ole Miss at Ole Miss tonight at 7 p.m.

05/13/99 - The MSU softball team plays Alabama today at noon in the SEC Softball Tournament.

05/11/99 - In the latest polls, MSU is ranked 28th by Collegiate Baseball and 17th by USA TODAY Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches.

Our very own Brian Compton was selected SEC Pitcher of the Week for his outstanding performance against Florida Friday night. Click here to go to the official SEC site.

05/11/99 - Click here to see which schools CBS Sportsline projects as regional host schools.

05/10/99 - Not sure of the details but Brian Wiese's father collapsed recently and is in intensive care. He is doing better but I'm sure the family would appreciate your prayers. This is the reason Brian's family could not make it up for Saturday's seniors' day.

05/10/99 - MSU defeated Florida 15 to 8 Sunday afternoon. Matt Ginter started the game and lasted 5.0 before giving way to Kevin Donovan. Matt, now 7-6, allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 6. True freshman Adam Larson finished the game, pitching the last 1.2 innings. Adam allowed no hits or walks, while striking out 2.

Hitting stars were:

For the 3-game series, MSU committed 2 errors while fielding at a .983 clip. Florida fielded .946, committing 6 errors. Batting leaders for the series were Travis Chapman (6 for 12, .500), Brian Wiese (5 for 12, .417), Chris Lotterhos (6 for 15, .400), Jamie Rock (4 for 11, .364) and Chris Curry (4 for 11, .364). Overall, MSU batted .349 for the series, while Florida batted .301. The team ERA's for the series were MSU 4.33 and Florida 8.28.

MSU, now 14-12 in SEC play, has now won six SEC series this season, while losing two and tying one. The Bulldogs final regular season home record was 26-6. Their road record, including neutral sites, is 11-9 with one road SEC series (Ole Miss, May 14-16)) to go.

05/09/99 - MSU lost to Florida 6 to 4. MSU made several mental errors that pretty much cost them the game. A few bright spots was the outstanding catch my outfielder Shane Kelly, the 2-run home run by catcher Chris Curry, and the clutch hit by Travis Chapman. For the most part, we just seemed a step too slow all game long.

MSU and Florida conclude their series beginning at 1:30 today.

Here are a few tidbits of info on a couple of our redshirt freshmen. Ryan Carroll (6-6, 235), a right-handed pitcher, and Enrico Jones, an outfielder, will be playing summer ball for the Newark Raptors (click here), a team out of the Northeastern Collegiate Baseball League (click here). BTW, did you know Ryan is consistently throwing the ball in the 88-90 mph range (topped out at 92)? Also, there is a rumor going around that he might give up baseball to play basketball next season. The reason given is he wants to play on the same team with MSU signee Jonathan Bender, who is a former high school teammate of Ryan's. Forget the rumor, because, according to a very solid source, he will be a Diamond Dog for the rest of his MSU athletic career.

05/09/99 - MSU softball swept Auburn 8-0, 4-3 yesterday. Autumn Anderson pitched a 3-hitter in the opener. Kellie Wilkerson (.453, 13 HR, 63 RB) provided great support by hitting a grand slam (about 250 feet in the air. I saw it with my own two eyes). In the second game, Wilkerson picked up the win, pitching 2.2 innings of relief. Kellie also hit her 3rd home run of the series in the second game. A. J. Lott drove in the tying run and Tracy Clark pinch-hit a single driving in Wilkerson with the winning run in the bottom of the 6th.

MSU is now 36-27 overall, 15-15 in the SEC. They have secured the #6 seed in the SEC Tourney next week in Columbus, GA.  MSU is expected to play the #3 seed, Alabama.  MSU's first game will be next Thursday.

05/08/99 - First-time SEC starter Brian Compton pitched a complete-game jewell last night as he threw a 2-hit shutout against Eastern Division co-leader Florida. Brian struck out 11 while allowing no runs or walks. MSU hitters supported him by getting 15 base hits and scoring nine runs. MSU committed one error.

Hitting stars were:

MSU and Florida resume their series today beginning at 5 p.m.

05/08/99 - Our softball team swept Auburn yesterday 4 to 3 and 8 to 0. MSU earned a spot in the SEC Tournament with their two wins. MSU won the first game in the bottom of the 9th. Down 3-1 with 1 out, MSU's Kellie Wilkerson hit a two-run homer, then the Bulldogs scored the winning run a few batters later as A. J. Lott hit a two-out single to knock in Jenny Hehnke. In the second game, MSU totally dominated Auburn. The highlight was a Michelle Gates grand-slam. For complete details of the game, click here to go to the official MSU softball site.

BTW, yesterday's two wins brought MSU Softball Coach Kathy Arendsen to 100 wins at MSU.

MSU and Auburn continue play today with a Noon double-header. Come on out and make it a Super Bulldog Saturday by attending the softball double-header, then walking on over to the baseball game afterwards.

05/08/99 - MSU signee Jeff Hunter of Meridian CC pitched an excellent game Thursday against Miss. Delta CC in the Regional 23 Tournament. Carrying a no-hitter into the 5th inning, he wound up striking out 11 (8 in a row at one point) in a 8 to 0 victory.

05/07/99 - Here's a comparison of MSU and Florida:

05/07/99 - Our very own Jim Ellis, MSU baseball radio announcer, has a birthday this Monday. Happy Birthday, Jim! Since there is no game Monday, any of you think we ought to sing Happy Birthday to Jim after the national anthem Sunday?

05/07/99 - Tonight's game is supposed to be televised by the Fox/Sports South and Sunshine Network according to the SEC office.

05/07/99 - How strong has the SEC Conference been in baseball this decade? Read on:

Info provided by the SEC Office.

05/06/99 - The MSU softball team entertains Auburn this weekend with a double header Friday (4:00 p.m) and a double header Saturday (Noon). If MSU wins two of these games, they will earn a spot in the SEC Tournament. If you can, go out and support our softball team as they try and earn a playoff spot.

05/04/99 - Down but not out. At least not in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches and Collegiate Baseball polls where our Diamond Dawgs are ranked 17th and 25th respectively. Hopefully, the slump is about to end and we will start moving back up the polls.

Did you know MSU has five players batting over .300 in SEC games only? They are....

Brian Wiese has the most RBI's (25) and home runs (8). Hank Thoms has the most victories with 4 (record 4-3).

As a team, MSU is batting .297 in SEC games (opponents are batting .275). The team ERA is 4.75 (opponents is 6.23). MSU's SEC fielding percentage is .979.

05/03/99 - Miss. State was swept by Arkansas, losing Sunday's game 7 to 5. MSU's hitting stars were Chris Lotterhos, Brian Wiese and Josh West, all of whom had 2 hits each (one of Josh's hits was a home run). MSU hit Arkansas' ace, Dennis Walling, pretty hard but, like Saturday night, hit them at folks. Too bad we couldn't get into their bullpen. That appears to be their one weak link.

It was just one of those weekends you have to learn from and not get down about. Arkansas is now 11-1 at home in SEC games only. If you look at Arkansas' SEC scores at home, we actually did better than anyone but LSU, who was the one SEC team to defeat Arkansas at home.

05/02/99 - Arkansas defeated Miss. State 7 to 4 Saturday night. Senior RHP Hank Thoms pitched the first 7 innings, allowing 7 runs (4 earned) on 12 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 6. On a good note, freshman RHP Ryan Carroll (6-6, 225) pitched the 8th inning, allowing no runs on no hits. Cliff Wren was the hitting star for the Bulldogs, going 3 for 4 (robbed of an extra base hit in the 8th). Just one of those nights where the Diamond Dogs hit the ball hard but right at them.

MSU (35-13, 12-10 in the SEC) and Arkansas complete their 3-game series with a 1:00 game today.

05/01/99 - MSU lost another Friday night SEC game. This time 6 to 4 to Arkansas at Arkansas. Matt Ginter, continuing to be in a pitching slump, was on the losing end.

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