Bulldog Softball Returns Home To Host Bulldog Classic
February 19, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State softball team returns to the MSU Softball Field this weekend, hosting Evansville, Rutgers and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the 2009 Bulldog Classic. The tournament begins at 1 p.m. Friday, with the Bulldogs opening play against Rutgers at 3 p.m.
Saturday's slate of four games kicks-off at 10 a.m. State faces Evansville at 2 p.m. and SIU-Edwardsville at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs close the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. Admission to all MSU home softball games is free. Bulldog Club members can have Dog Tags scanned beginning 30 minutes prior to State's scheduled contest though the first 15 minutes of the game.
Bulldog softball will also be getting in the Mardi Gras spirit by hosting Mardi Gras Madness Weekend during the Bulldog Classic. Fans in attendance at Friday's game will have the opportunity to create their own Mardi Gras masks and will receive Maroon and White beads.
Head coach Jay Miller's squad brings a 6-2 mark into the Bulldog Classic after a perfect run through last weekend's Sunshine Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. The Bulldogs knocked off No. 23 Purdue on Friday, making Miller, who was named the United States Women's National Team head coach on Monday, the school's winningest coach with a 223-166 mark.
Junior Chelsea Bramlett, a Preseason All-SEC and All-America selection, paces the Bulldogs at the plate. The Cordova, Tenn., native is hitting at a .440 clip (11-for-25) with two RBI and a team-best 10 runs scored. The school's single-season stolen base record-holder, Bramlett has already swiped 12 of her 13 attempts in 2009. She had a streak of 11-straight stolen bases snapped Friday against the Boilermakers.
Freshman Courtney Moore continued her impressive start to the campaign, hitting .333 in Tallahassee to raise her season average to .417. The El Sobrante, Calif., native has driven in a team-high 11 runs, the best eight-game start by a freshman in school history.
Freshman Lindsey Dunlap and senior Kelsey Nurnberg tossed all 21 innings in Tallahassee. Dunlap picked up a pair of victories to move to 3-0 on the year. The Hueytown, Ala., native, who has also recorded a pair of saves, has a 1.94 ERA, allowing six runs on 15 hits with 14 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings. Nurnberg also enters the weekend at 3-0, and the Ankeny, Iowa, native leads the team with a 1.42 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs host the Bulldog Classic for the ninth time, holding a 30-6 overall record in the tournament. The Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 over the last two events (2006 and 2008) and 17-1 under Miller's guidance.
The Dogs face a tough challenge in this year's field. Evansville enters the weekend 2-2 overall after opening the slate at the Georgia State Tournament last weekend. The Purple Aces fell to nationally-ranked Missouri and the host team on the opening day before rallying to claim 8-0 and 9-0 shutouts of 2008 Women's College World Series participant Virginia Tech.
Lissa Fehlman paced Evansville at the plate, hitting .583 with a home run and seven RBI to earn Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors. Jennifer McKee and Kylie Wagner each picked up a victory over the weekend. The duo allowed 13 runs, 11 earned, for a 3.50 ERA.
The Bulldogs hold a 2-1 series lead over Evansville. The last two meetings between the squads came at the 1999 Bulldog Classic, with the Purple Aces claiming a 3-2 win in eight innings before State responded with a 1-0 victory in an extra frame. MState is meeting the other two teams in the field, SIU-Edwardsville and Rutgers, for the first time.
A relative newcomer to Division I softball, SIU-Edwardsville boasts an 8-1 record so far in 2009. The Cougars, who won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2007, come to Starkville riding the momentum of winning the Kennesaw State Tournament last weekend.
The Cougars enter the weekend hitting .288 as a team and have out-scored opponents 48-13. SIUE is led at the plate by Chaleen Rumpf (.375) and Lauren Zembruski (.360). Zembruski leads the Cougars in home runs (2) and RBI (11). SIUE's pitching staff has compiled an impressive 0.77 ERA, and Erika Taylor leads the way with a 6-0 record and 0.79 ERA. She has struck out 47 on the year while yielding just eight walks.
Rutgers ventures to Starkville looking to open the season on a strong note. The Scarlet Knights return six starters and two pitchers from last year's squad that finished 23-32 and 7-15 in the Big East. Mandy Craig and Amanda Heller, who hit a team-best .299 and .293, a year ago, return to the squad. Sarah Kalka and Kate Valiante are also back after hitting four home runs apiece last season. Valiante and Craig led the team with 28 RBI each.
Nicole Lindley and Crissy Yard bolster the pitching staff for Rutgers. Lindley went 9-7 with a 3.56 ERA in 2008, while Yard was 7-18 with a 4.56 earned-run average.
