GAME NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers will travel to Shuckers Ballpark in Biloxi on Wednesday to face another power five school as they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
UNO: RHP-
Cortez Dennis vs. MSU: TBA
New Orleans is coming off a tough weekend against a still unbeaten Florida State. The Privateers lost all three games.
Blake Dean's win total remains at 15 (corrected from a previous article) heading into Wednesday. The Privateers will also play LSU in April.
Miguel Useche drew six walks last week, boosting his season total to 19. Useche enters the weekend 11th in the country in walks. As a team, the Privateers have drawn 85 free passes which ranks 48th out of 295 Division I teams in the nation.
Dennis, who celebrated a birthday last week, has been entrenched as the Privateers' midweek starter. This will be his third consecutive start in a midweek. Dennis threw 5.0 innings against Tulane and limited South Alabama to one run over 4.1 innings last Wednesday.
Dean has coached against three SEC schools in his tenure which began in 2016. The Privateers have played LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss over the last eight seasons. All three of his wins against SEC opponents have come against LSU.
Heading into the week, the Privateer pitching staff has the third best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the Southland. The Privateers have 2.02 strikeouts for every walk issued this season. Through 15 games last year, Privateer pitchers had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.55.
The Privateers and Bulldogs have been very familiar with each other having faced off 62 times. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2005. Mississippi State leads the all-time series 41-21. New Orleans defeated the Bulldogs to advance to their last College World Series in 1984.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Mississippi State has overcome a slow start to enter the week on a nine-game winning streak. The Bulldogs will also play on Tuesday against South Alabama. Dakota Jordan is hitting .414 with eight homers and 26 RBI entering the week. Former Privateer, Amani Larry is hitting .300 and is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 19.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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