Bulldog Softball Enters National Rankings, Travels To Mississippi Valley State Wednesday
February 24, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State softball team, winners of its last seven games, entered the national polls for the first time this season on the eve of a Wednesday trip to Itta Bena for a 3 p.m. match-up with Mississippi Valley State.
State hits the road with a 10-2 overall record, and the Bulldogs seek their eighth-straight win a day after being ranked No. 25 in both the USA Today/NFCA and Ultimate College Softball polls.
"Being ranked is a tribute to how well we've played so far," Miller said. "Our goal is to keep improving and moving up the polls, but it's a nice recognition for our players and the Mississippi State softball program."
MState owns a commanding 11-1 series lead against the Delta Devilettes. State makes the trip to Itta Bena for only the second time. The only other meeting on the MVSU campus came in 2007, with the hosts taking their lone win of the series. Since that defeat, the Bulldogs have won the last three meetings by a combined score of 32-1.
Chelsea Bramlett paced the Bulldogs last weekend, hitting .700 (7-for-10) with two RBI and five runs scored. She was also a perfect 4-for-4 on the bases. The Cordova, Tenn., junior leads the team with a .514 average (18-for-35), 15 runs scored and an SEC-leading 16 stolen bases.
Freshman Courtney Moore continues to hold the team RBI lead with 12. The El Sobrante, Calif., native is hitting at a .333 clip with two doubles and a triple. Sophomore Ali Bainbridge bumped her average to .353 with an all-tournament showing last weekend. Bainbridge, a Vestavia Hills, Ala., native, has driven in 11 runs on the season and is tied with junior Jessie Bailey, a .355 hitter, for the team's home run lead with two each.
The Bulldog pitchers turned in a dominating effort last weekend with four-straight shutouts, the most since the 2004 Dogs held five-straight opponents scoreless in the Bulldog Classic.
Freshman Lindsey Dunlap and senior Kelsey Nurnberg each picked up two victories to earn all-tournament accolades. Dunlap ran her record to 5-0, the best start ever by a Bulldog freshman. The Hueytown, Ala., product has struck out a team-high 32 while allowing six runs for a 1.15 ERA. Nurnberg, who has also won five straight to start the year, has compiled a 0.94 ERA and struck out 21 in eight appearances.
Following Wednesday's in-state tilt, MState travels to Columbus, Ga., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic where it will meet 2008 NCAA Tournament teams Ohio State, Long Island, Massachusetts, Hofstra and Michigan.
