MADISON, Ala. – The Mississippi Valley State University baseball program will relive some memories from players’ teenage years this weekend, playing the AAMU Bulldogs off-campus at the home of James Clemens High School.
What You Need to Know
Time and Date: Friday, May 6 (1 p.m.) | Saturday, May 7 (6 p.m.) | Sunday, May 8 (1 p.m.)
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Records: Mississippi Valley State (10-21-1, 4-15 SWAC) | Alabama A&M (8-31, 5-16 SWAC)
Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi – Magnolia Field
Series History: Mississippi Valley State Leads 66-62
Last Meetings: March 19-20, 2022 | Itta Bena, Mississippi (Magnolia Field | Mississippi Valley State Won Series 2-1 (Combined 21-20)
Winning Streak: Mississippi Valley State (W2) | Alabama A&M’s Last Win: March 19, 2022 (6-5)
Mississippi Valley State Overview
When these two programs met earlier in the year, they participated in a trio of one-run contests as Alabama A&M won game one while Valley won games two and three by walk-offs.
Despite being a seven-game long ball drought, Dreylin Holmes still perches atop the conference at 0.30 homers per game and sits in third place with nine round-trippers. He also sports a healthy 0.602 slugging percentage to rank ninth in the conference while leading the Devils in most offensive categories.
Davon Mims continues to quietly impress, fronting the club in both batting average (.317) and multi-hit outings (11) while slotting second in multi-RBI showings (5) behind Holmes (6).
Maury Weaver is in a similar boat compared to Holmes, having yet to steal a base in his past five appearances and only twice in his past nine. However, just like his teammate, Weaver still slots among the nation’s best on the bases with an average of 0.65 (11th in NCAA) and 20 total (43rd in NCAA).
Hunter Stallings has emerged as the new top-of-the-rotation piece on the pitching staff, striking out hitters at a rate of 10.52 per nine innings (3rd in SWAC) with 53 whiffs overall (12th in SWAC).
Calvin McClendon still holds the mantle regarding ERA (4.31) which is just outside the league’s ten-lowest and fronts the team in H/9 at 7.99.
Scouting The Opponent: Alabama A&M Bulldogs
After taking one-of-three from MVSU in the SWAC opening series in March, the Maroon and White have won just four more games in league play, splitting the season series at three apiece with Jackson State while winning one at Florida A&M. Despite the 8-31 record, the Bulldogs do boast one of the conference’s better non-conference victories of the campaign, an 11-9 triumph over a UAB squad that sits at 26-17 and just won a series versus #4 Southern Miss last weekend.
Janmikell Bastardo has been easily the club’s best hitter in 2022, boasting a 0.354 batting average, the only Bulldog with an average above .285, and a team-best 24 runs scored.
The meat of the order, Jared Tribett and Tim Dixon, have done most of the heavy lifting in the scoring department, combining for 13 homers and 56 RBIs.
One of the top returning pitchers from a season ago is still holding strong on the mound as Jose Figueroa leads AAMU in ERA (3.89), strikeouts (45), and batting average against (.268) while making seven starts over ten appearances.
Your financial support, whether it be through purchasing season tickets, making an annual donation or committing to a major gift, directly benefits Valley’s student-athletes in the classroom and in sports.
