STARKVILLE, Miss. (May 13, 2024) – The University of North Alabama baseball team hits the road for the final midweek contest of the season against Mississippi State on Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. It will be just the third meeting between the two teams since UNA made the move to Division I prior to the 2019 season.
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast while live video will be available via SEC Network+.
North Alabama at Mississippi State
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
6 PM
NOTES
The Lion King: North Alabama starting pitcher
Jacob James struck out eight batters on Friday, May 19 against North Florida, tying Chad Boughner for the most career strikeouts in program history. He enters the midweek contest having struck out 280 batters in his UNA career. With one strikeout in the final four games of the season, James will be in sole possession of first place on the UNA all-time strikeout leaderboard.
Farewell to "The Mike": The University of North Alabama baseball team played the final ever games at Mike D. Lane Field on May 10-12 against North Florida. Former head coaches Mike Lane and Mike Keehn were honored with a pre-game ceremony. With construction on a new playing surface to begin this summer as part of the Bank Independent Stadium project, today's game marks the final game to be played at Mike D. Lane Field. The new baseball facility is set to open for the 2025 baseball season.
Climbing the Ladder: With four games remaining in the season. UNA has set the mark for most wins in a season at the Division I level. The Lions have won 17 games this season, edging the previous best mark set in 2019 by one game. North Alabama head baseball coach Jad Prachniak is in his second season with the program and also boasts the most ASUN wins in a season with nine this season.
State of the Union: Prior to the midweek matchup with MSU, the UNA baseball team has four regular season contests remaining. After taking on the Bulldogs, UNA travels to Clarksville, Tenn. to square off with Austin Peay on May 16-18in the regular season finale.
April Showers: In the month of April, the University of North Alabama baseball team has strung together some of the best offensive numbers of the Division I era. The Lions put up the best numbers in home runs (26) and slugging percentage (.476) in 16 games during April.
Big Fly Frei: UNA infielder
Gehrig Frei leads the team with 15 home runs so far this season. The redshirt sophomore has appeared in 47 games for UNA and has already hit the most home runs by a UNA batter in Division I program history. He is just two shy of tying the North Alabama record for most home runs in a season with 17, set by Mike Burns (1989) and D.J. Harris (1993).
A Record Weekend: North Alabama set multiple Division I offensive program records against Bellarmine on April 13-14. UNA tallied 48 runs in three games, the most in a series since 2006. The Lions also set new single-game Division I program records for runs (22), hits (23), total bases (36) and margin of victory (19) in Sunday's match.
Mr. 300: Prachniak picked up his 300th career win on Sunday, April 14 against Bellarmine, 22-3. Prachniak came to UNA with 273 career victories at Division II West Chester, where he won two NCAA Division II National Championships. Prachniak is in his second season at the helm of the UNA Baseball program.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Entering the midweek game, Mississippi State boasts a 33-18 record, including a 15-12 record in SEC play. They are ranked the 16th best team in NCAA Division I baseball according to RPI and are ranked 16th by d1baseball.com. Mississippi State is actively competing to earn the opportunity to host an NCAA regional in Starkville.
Mississippi State Series History: UNA and Mississippi State have met 10 times since 1984, with just two meetings coming since UNA's move to Division I in 2019. MSU has taken both meetings, including a 14-4 win over UNA in 2022. North Alabama's last win over Mississippi State came in 1992 when the Lions defeated MSU 3-2 in Starkville.
