Troy University’s baseball team is preparing for its first of four straight midweek games against Southeastern Conference opponents, traveling to Starkville to play No. 3 Mississippi State on Tuesday.
The Trojans began their season with a three-game series at Mercer, losing the first two games before winning the final matchup 19-3. In that game, Troy scored nine runs in the fifth inning, and Jimmy Janicki, Nico Azpilcueta, Steven Meier, and Aaron Piasecki each hit their first home runs of the year.
Senior Drew Nelson started in right field on opening day and left field in the next two games—his first time playing outfield for Troy. He leads the team with a .545 batting average after collecting six hits and recording his first two career doubles over the weekend.
Mississippi State enters the game ranked third by Baseball America after sweeping Hofstra in its opening series. The Bulldogs are led by new head coach Brian O’Connor, who took over after 22 seasons at Virginia. Preseason All-American Ace Reese paced Mississippi State offensively with a .417 average, three doubles, and one home run during opening weekend.
On Tuesday’s mound for Troy will be junior right-hander Blake Dean. Dean transferred from Kansas State where he previously pitched well against top-ten teams including Clemson, North Carolina, Arkansas, and LSU. Over those four outings as a Wildcat reliever, he allowed just one earned run in 9.1 innings while striking out nine batters. His appearance on Tuesday will mark his debut start for Troy and fourth start of his collegiate career; he was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team last season.
Mississippi State will counter with sophomore right-hander Duke Stone. Stone threw two innings of relief during Mississippi State’s opener this year.
Several new players made notable contributions for Troy during their opening weekend. Shortstop Aaron Piasecki reached base at a .714 clip from the leadoff spot with six hits and six walks—a total that ranks him seventh nationally—and also hit a home run. Outfielder Nico Azpilcueta homered and doubled while third baseman Josh Pyne had three hits in the final game of the series.
Pitchers Tommy Egan (six strikeouts over five innings), Benjamin Stubbs (six strikeouts over 3.1 innings), Cooper Ellingworth (two scoreless frames), and Dylan Alonso (win with five strikeouts in 1.2 relief innings) all stood out among newcomers making their debuts for Troy.
Last season these teams met early as well; Troy defeated then-No. 15 Mississippi State 6-5 thanks largely to home runs despite striking out a school-record twenty times that night.
Troy has won once in six meetings against Mississippi State—the victory coming last year.
The matchup is scheduled for Tuesday at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville at 4 p.m., airing on SEC Network+ with radio coverage available via Troy Sports Radio Network.
