Mississippi State and LSU both claimed Southeastern Conference championships last season with the Bulldogs winning the SEC Tournament and the Tigers claiming both the Western Division and overall titles.

Both teams are contending again this season and are ranked in the top 10 in the country. It is only fitting that they open the conference slate against one another this weekend in Starkville.

Tonight's game 6:30 at kicks off the SEC portion of the schedule for both. Saturday's 6 p.m. contest and Sunday's 1:30 p.m. finale will wrap up the three-game series.

No. 8 MSU is 18-2 on the year and are coming off a 13-5 win over Southern Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday night. The Diamond Dogs slugged out 15 hits in the contest led by right fielder Hunter Renfroe's 3-for-5 performance which included two doubles, a home run and six runs batted in.

State leads the series against the Tigers 204-168-1 including a 110-66-1 record in Starkville.

The two SEC West rivals met five times last season with the Bulldogs winning three of those matchups. Four of the five games were decided by one run and two games went into extra innings. LSU took last year's series in Baton Rouge winning the first two games 3-2 in 10-innings and 4-3 before dropping the finale 7-1.

The teams would meet twice during the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., last year with Mississippi State claiming a 3-2 win in the second round and a 4-3 10-inning victory in the semi-finals.



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