What: Mississippi State (15-21, 3-12) at Alabama (20-18, 6-9).

Where: Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

When: Friday, 6:35 p.m. CST; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. CST; Sunday, 2:06 p.m. CST.

Radio/TV: All games on radio at WACT 1420 AM (Tuscaloosa)/Sunday game televised on CSS.

What's at stake: Winning two out of three would certainly keep the Crimson Tide afloat for the eighth and final position for a berth in the Southeastern Conference tournament. But a sweep would do wonders for a team that has been under .500 in league play for the entire season. And with a 3-12 league mark, UA won't get a better chance for a sweep all year than it has this weekend. The Bulldogs, the only team in the league with a losing overall record, are merely trying to exit the division cellar, 2.5 games behind fifth-place Arkansas.

Scouting the Bulldogs: Offensively, catcher Cody Freeman (.394) and third baseman Connor Powers (.341, 11 HR) lead MSU, although Powers is questionable with a hamstring injury. The Bulldogs have also received a nice boost from freshman OF Ryan Collins (.366). Mississippi State has had more than its share of injury woes where pitching is concerned, with starters in and out of the lineup all season. MSU's team ERA this year is a hefty 6.27, and among four pitchers with at least four starts, three have an ERA above 7.00. Closer Aaron Weatherford has been untouchable of late, firing nine scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts since his return from injury earlier this month.

Probable starters: Friday - UA RHP Austin Hyatt vs. MSU RHP Chad Crosswhite; Saturday - UA LHP Miers Quigley vs. MSU RHP Rickey Bowen; Sunday - UA RHP Robert Phares vs. MSU LHP Justin Pigott.

Who's hot: Freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge continues to be an outstanding table setter at the top of the lineup, and is now batting .377. He's not far behind Dave Magadan's mark for the highest freshman average in school history (.389).

Who's not: UA's Tyler Odle is just 2 for his last 16 (.125) over the Tide's last five games.

Notable: CSS will air an SEC triple-header for the first time on Sunday, starting with Ole Miss at South Carolina at 11 a.m. CST. MSU and Alabama will follow, and the Georgia-LSU game will serve as the nightcap at 8 p.m. CST. ... Legendary MSU coach Ron Polk, who has announced his retirement effective at season's end, coaches at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the last time. He'll be honored in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday. ... Brandon May's home run Sunday against LSU snapped a homerless streak of 56.1 innings and 192 at bats for the UA offense. ... UA's 18 balks is the most in the SEC this year, including six by Quigley.