This isn't rocket science. The main problem with the team last year .. the bullpen. If Cohen wants to win this year, he has to be able to rely on the pen .. much like he did in the CWS season. He tried to get too many arms into the Eastern Ky game and they simply didn't perform. Pilkington gave him 4.0 good innings of 3 hit, 1 run, 3 BB, 5 SOs and a 7-1 lead. Breaux, Small, Tatum and Blake Smith gave up 14 hits, and 15 runs.
Of the 17 pitchers available to MSU, 13 threw in the two midweek games. (Everyone except the 3 weekend starters .. Hudson, Daniel Brown & Austin Sexton .. and Billingsley)
Mississippi State ip h r er bb so wp bk hbp ibb ab bf fo go np
Keegan James 2.0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 7 7 3 2 27
Ryan Cyr 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 2 17
Zac Houston 0.2 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 5 0 1 31
Noah Hughes 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 5 1 2 20
Jared Padgett 0.0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
Paul Young 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 1 15
Ryan Rigby 2.0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 6 8 0 3 40
Reid Humphreys 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 1 1 13
Konnor Pilkington 4.0 3 1 1 3 5 0 0 0 0 14 17 3 3 65
Kale Breaux 2.0 2 3 2 1 3 0 0 1 0 8 10 1 2 50
Ethan Small 1.0 3 5 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 6 8 1 0 21
Vance Tatum 0.2 4 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 2 0 15
Blake Smith 2.1 5 4 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 12 12 3 3 41