TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball returns to Tuscaloosa this weekend for a three-game series with Mississippi State at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The first two games of the series are scheduled for 6 p.m. CT starts with the finale on Sunday set for a 3 p.m. first pitch. SEC Network+ will air Friday and Saturday's matchups with ESPNU carrying the third contest of the weekend on getaway day.

The series with State will feature numerous promotions for fans of all ages. On Friday, the Tide will offer the "Family Four Pack" promotion. Fans can get four or more tickets for $5 each by going to RollTide.com. These packages also include a Domino's coupon that can be picked up at the marketing table located inside Gate 3 (packages are limited). The series opener will also be the Crimson Tide's "Star Wars Night", celebrating May the 4th. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a Star Wars-themed Alabama koozie while the first 150 kids (12-and-under) will receive light sabers.

Saturday's matchup will be the second-to-last T-shirt jersey giveaway night at The Joe. The first 300 fans can get their gray BAMA top T-shirt jersey at the gates.

The series finale on Sunday will be "Kid's Day" at The Joe, with $5 tickets for kids. Following the final out, kids 12-and-under can head to the field to run the bases and get autographs from the Crimson Tide players. Sunday will also be "Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day" with all faculty and staff receiving one complimentary ticket by presenting their Action Card with additional tickets for family members priced at $5. On Sunday, the Crimson Tide will also be giving away Alabama stress balls to the first 500 fans to come to The Joe.

FOLLOW THE TIDE

Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:

Watch: SEC Network+ (Friday and Saturday) / ESPNU (Sunday)

Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App

Twitter: @AlabamaBSB

Live Stats: RollTide.com

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY: UA – Sam Finnerty (Jr., RHP) vs. MSU – Konnor Pilkington (Jr., LHP)

SATURDAY: UA – Jake Walters (Sr., RHP) vs. MSU – Ethan Small (R-So., LHP)

SUNDAY: UA – Garret Rukes (R-Fr., LHP) vs. MSU – TBA

LEADING OFF

• Alabama and Mississippi State will meet for the 416th time in series history when the two teams start the three-game series on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

• The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage at 215-196-4 in a series that dates back to 1896, including a 128-77-2 mark in home games over that time. The SEC pairing with the Bulldogs is the third-oldest in UA baseball history, trailing only Vanderbilt (1893) and Ole Miss (1895).

• Mississippi State has won two of the last three series but the teams have split the last 10 series overall at 5-5. Alabama's last series win over State in Tuscaloosa came in 2010 with the Tide falling in each of the three series prior to that season.

• Alabama and Mississippi State last met from April 20-21, 2017, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, with the 11th-ranked Bulldogs sweeping the Crimson Tide in a trio of contests decided by one run. The three-game set opened on Thursday with a 6-5 MSU win before the teams were forced to play a doubleheader on Friday. Game one finished 4-3 in favor of State before the twinbill wrapped up with a 13-12, 13-inning win for the Bulldogs. The second game of the day finished in 5:43, marking the longest recorded game by minutes in Alabama baseball history up to that point.

• State travels to Tuscaloosa with a 24-21 overall mark and a 9-12 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs are 2-5 in SEC series thus far, most recently falling in two of three games against Texas A&M in Starkville. The Aggies secured the series on Sunday after winning game one, 6-3, followed by an 11-6 win for MSU on Saturday. The finale favored A&M, 7-4.

• Mississippi State took the week off leading into this weekend with no midweeks scheduled.

• Alabama continues its regular SEC weekend rotation for the three-game series with the Bulldogs. Junior right-hander Sam Finnerty will get the start on Friday to open the series and will be followed by senior righty Jake Walters on Saturday. Redshirt-freshman Garret Rukes will get the call on Sunday, with the left-hander scheduled to close out the weekend.

• Mississippi State will open the series with junior lefty Konnor Pilkington on the hill on Friday night. Redshirt sophomore Ethan Small, also a left-hander, will get the call on Saturday with the Bulldog starter still to be announced for Sunday.

ABOUT ALABAMA

• This weekend's series with Mississippi State will be the Tide's first weekend since the March 23-25 weekend at Tennessee that Alabama has not squared off with a ranked opponent (five consecutive weekends).

• Alabama is coming off a week that saw the Tide finish 1-3 overall. The Crimson Tide first took down in-state foe Troy, 4-3, on Tuesday evening before traveling to Arkansas for a close three-game set. The Tide came up short against the seventh-ranked Razorbacks, falling in three competitive contests.

• The Crimson Tide used a four-run first inning to gain the early advantage and would go on to outlast Troy, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Alabama offense was highlighted by Chandler Avant , who finished 2-for-4 on the night for his team-leading 18th multi-hit game of the season. The senior also contributed a team-high three RBI and added one run scored. Freshman Sam Praytor joined Avant with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3.

• On the mound, Alabama starter Brock Love earned his second win of the season. The redshirt sophomore tossed 1.0 scoreless frame and struck out a pair of Trojan hitters in his first start since March 12, 2017. The Tide relief effort consisted of six additional arms that combined for the final 8.0 innings with redshirt sophomore Kyle Cameron earning his first career save. Cameron dealt 2.0 scoreless frames with one strikeout on the backend to help secure the Alabama win.

• Three Razorback home runs proved the difference on Friday night, as Alabama suffered a 7-3 loss to Arkansas at Baum Stadium. A pair of two-run home runs along with a solo homer provided all the necessary offense for the Razorbacks, as Arkansas totaled seven runs on 11 hits, five of which went for extra bases.

• A four-run sixth decided Saturday's contest, as the Tide fell, 7-4, to the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide entered the bottom of the sixth with a 3-2 lead, but a four-run home half of the inning put Arkansas in front for good. The Razorback sixth featured four runs on three hits and four walks to give the Hogs a three-run lead. The two teams would exchange single tallies before night's end to close things out at 7-4 in favor of Arkansas. On offense, Alabama was led by multi-hit efforts from Cobie Vance and Praytor once again. Each finished with two hits, including a solo home run, to go with one RBI and one run scored.

• Alabama suffered a 9-7 loss at Arkansas on Sunday afternoon, as a three-run home run in the fifth secured the win for the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide took an early 1-0 lead with Arkansas gaining their first advantage in the bottom of the second thanks to three runs. Alabama bounced right back with a five-run third to move ahead, but the Razorbacks kept things close with one run in the home half of the third. The Tide added one more in the top of the fifth, but a four-run home half for Arkansas, highlighted by a three-run homer, put the Hogs in front for good. Arkansas would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to gain a 9-7 advantage, the eventual final. Alabama had opportunities on the back-end, getting runners into scoring position in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, but was unable to score late.

• Alabama's hitters combined for 15 walks on Sunday, falling one short of the Crimson Tide's all-time record for a single game. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one walk with five players drawing more than one free pass. Vance led Alabama with three walks as part of his 1-for-3 afternoon that included the solo home run to start the game. Also homering was John Trousdale , with the sophomore finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI, one walk and a team-high two runs scored.

• Alabama returned 21 letterwinners while losing 11 from the 2017 squad. The 2018 Crimson Tide welcomed back eight positional starters and three starting pitchers while hosting 11 newcomers (including one transfer who sat out last season).

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

• Mississippi State returned 14 letterwinners, including five positional starters and 12 pitchers, from the 2017 team that finished 40-27 overall and 17-13 in Southeastern Conference play to finish third in the Western Division and fifth in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs earned a berth in the postseason, advancing to the Baton Rouge Super Regional where the 2017 season would come to an end after an 0-2 showing. The 2018 roster is without 12 lettermen from a season ago, a number that includes four positional starters and 10 pitchers, while the Dogs welcomed 14 newcomers made up of eight freshmen, two sophomores, a pair of juniors and two fifth-year graduate transfers.

• The Bulldogs were selected to finish fifth the Western Division and ninth overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

• Gary Henderson is in his first year leading the Mississippi State program after taking over in the interim following the mid-season termination of former head coach Andy Cannizaro. The 2018 campaign is Henderson's ninth season overall as a head coach. Henderson is assisted by Jake Gautreau along with volunteer assistant Mike Brown.

• Founded in 1885, Mississippi State baseball entered its 128th season of existence in 2018 with an all-time program record of 2,601-1,532-29. The Bulldogs have advanced to 36 NCAA postseasons in program history, including nine appearances in Omaha at the College World Series.

• A public land-grant university located in Starkville, Mississippi State holds an enrollment of 20,873 and was founded in 1878 as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi or Mississippi A&M. In 1932, MSU was renamed as Mississippi State College before adopting the current name, Mississippi State University in 1958.

GRADUATING SUCCESS

• Alabama baseball's 2018 roster features four players participating this season with their degree already in hand. Tyler Adams , Hunter Alexander , Keith Holcombe and Connor Short are all currently enrolled in graduate programs at The University of Alabama.

• The Crimson Tide's current roster also features two seniors who are scheduled to graduate this Saturday, May 5. Fourth-year infielder Cody Henry and Saturday night starter Jake Walters will both earn their degrees during the University's morning graduation ceremonies prior to first pitch of the Crimson Tide's 6 p.m. CT matchup with Mississippi State.

• Adams earned his undergraduate degree in human performance exercise science in August of 2017 before entering grad school to pursue his master's in the same school with an emphasis in exercise science. The senior has been named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll on three occasions (2015-17) and finished his undergraduate coursework with a 3.35 GPA.

• Alexander, currently in pursuit of his master's in sports business management, earned his undergraduate degree in consumer science in December of 2017. He was named the 2017 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll in his first season with the Crimson Tide and completed his undergrad studies with a 3.27 cumulative GPA.

• Holcombe, who is a dual-sport athlete, completed his undergraduate work in human performance exercise science in December of 2017, graduating cum laude of his class. Now enrolled in graduate courses towards a master's in sports management, Holcombe has twice been named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll for baseball in 2016 and 2017. As a member of the football program, the Tuscaloosa native was selected to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll three times (2015-17) along with earning CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition in both 2016 and 2017 for his efforts in the classroom.

• Short graduated in May of 2017 with his degree in management and is currently pursuing a master's in sports business management - the same graduate program as Alexander. The Hoover product was selected to both the 2016 and 2017 SEC Spring Academic Honor Rolls during his three seasons with the Crimson Tide and currently holds a perfect 4.0 in grad school.

ON DECK

Next up for Alabama is a Tuesday matchup with in-state foe Jacksonville State to close out the Crimson Tide's 2018 non-conference slate. The two teams will meet for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch on Tuesday, May 8, at Sewell-Thomas Stadium with the game airing live on SEC Network+.