STARKVILLE, Miss. (Interstat) — The Mississippi State Bulldogs (37-12) open a pivotal Southeastern Conference series Thursday against the Auburn Tigers (33-14) in a day-night doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium.

First pitch for the afternoon game is scheduled for 2 p.m., with the evening contest following at 6 p.m. The forecast calls for rain and a game-time temperature of 74 degrees.

The series opener carries significant implications for the SEC standings. Mississippi State enters on a high after a 21-6 rout of Nicholls State on Tuesday, while Auburn rode a 10-2 victory at UAB into this matchup.

Auburn will look to right-hander Griffin Graves for stability on the mound. The sophomore has been dominant in his recent appearances, posting 9 scoreless innings across his last two outings. On May 5 against UAB, Graves threw 4 innings of hitless relief with 1 strikeout. He also recorded 3 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts against Alabama State on April 14. His lone blemish came April 21 at Samford, where he allowed 2 earned runs in 2 innings.

Mississippi State counters with a potent lineup anchored by first baseman Reed Stallman. The junior erupted Tuesday against Nicholls State, going 4-for-5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Stallman also homered April 17 at South Carolina. Half of his hits in the past three weeks have left the yard, making him a primary threat in the Bulldogs’ order.

Auburn’s offense has shown similar pop. Third baseman Eric Guevara drove in 3 runs with a home run in the UAB win. The Tigers have won four of their last five, including a series victory at Texas A&M last weekend. Their lone loss in that stretch was a 4-3 decision Sunday against the Aggies.

Mississippi State has been nearly unbeatable at home. The Bulldogs took two of three from LSU last weekend and swept a midweek series against Memphis.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Mississippi State win for the opener. The teams will continue the series Friday and Saturday. Mississippi State then travels to Texas A&M next week, while Auburn hosts Georgia following a midweek game at Jacksonville State.