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Kellen Walker
Instate Rivals Prepare to Clash in Annual Governor’s Cup
No. 23 Ole Miss and Mississippi State are set to face off in the annual Governor’s Cup at Trustmark park on Tuesday night.
Mississippi State enters tonight’s matchup with a 24-16 overall record. Meanwhile, the Ole Miss Rebels sit ranked at No. 23 in the nation with a 28-12 record. State currently leads the series in the Mayor’s Trophy/Governor’s Cup 24-19 since it began in 1980. The Bulldogs also hold a 267-213-5 advantage over the Rebels all-time.
MSU Standouts
Collectively, Mississippi State ranks fourth in the nation with 12 strikeouts per nine innings, as well as fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.37.
Junior left fielder Gehrig Frei leads the Bulldog regulars hitting .387 and a .693 slugging percentage. Sophomore Ace Reese leads the team with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. He is tied for eighth in the SEC in both categories.
In addition, senior first basemen Hunter Hines has tallied 62 career home runs which sits at third among active Division I players and second all-time in program history behind only Rafael Palmeiro (1983-85).
Ole Miss Standouts
The Rebels have stolen 58 bases so far this season as a team, which already reaches their highest season total since 2019 when they stole 93 bases.
Junior Luke Hill has reached the bases in 24 straight games and has reached base in every game since SEC play began. He has reached the bases in all but two of his 39 appearances this season for the Rebels.
Sophomore Austin Fawley is currently on fire with five homers in his last six games played, with one of them being a first-inning grand slam this past weekend against South Carolina.
Significance and First Pitch Time
While this game does not count towards conference records, bragging rights are always at stake. Tonight will be the first out of four matchups between the Bulldogs and the Rebels during the regular season. Coverage for tonight’s showdown between the two bitter rivals is set to begin at 6 p.m. Central Time on SEC Network+.
