Bulldogs Wrap Non-Conference Slate With Tuesday Trip To Samford
May 02, 2011 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State closes the non-conference portion of the 2011 softball schedule on Tuesday, traveling to Birmingham for a 4 p.m. first pitch against Samford.
The Bulldogs take a 23-29 overall record and 9-16 SEC mark into the contest. Despite suffering three tough setbacks to No. 21 LSU in last weekend's home finale, the Dawgs locked up the eight seed in the May 12-14 SEC Tournament in Oxford.
Tickets can be purchased by going to www.mstateathletics.com/softball and clicking the SEC Tournament link on the right side.
Following the midweek trek to Birmingham, the Bulldogs wrap the regular season with a three-game league set against No. 4 Georgia beginning Friday in Athens.
Junior Ka'ili Smith paced Mississippi State last weekend against LSU. Her .444 batting average in the three-game series propelled her into the team lead with a .346 tally. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native, who has hit .462 in the last four games, has notched four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 24 RBI this season.
Two days after playing her final home game as a Bulldog, senior Ali Bainbridge takes the field for the final time in her home area of Birmingham. The Vestavia Hills native has enjoyed a banner year at the plate in her swan song, hitting .362 with a career-best 13 doubles, four triples, 20 stolen bases and 46 runs scored.
Bainbridge, who matched a personal best with four home runs, has also drawn 38 walks, tying her with former MSU all-American Iyhia McMichael for fifth-most in a season.
Fellow senior Courtney Nesbit has also posted career-best numbers this season. The Acworth, Ga., native heads into the week, which includes her final stop in her home state, boasting personal highs in batting average (.308), doubles (9), triples (3), home runs (8) and RBI (42).
In the circle, the Bulldogs have been riding the arm of sophomore Stephanie Becker. The Aurora, Ill., native has drawn the starting nod in the last six-straight games and eight out of the last 10. Becker has a 7-9 record and 4.19 ERA in 108.2 innings of work.
Her 81 strikeouts are two back of the team lead held by fellow sophomore Kylie Vry. Vry, a Des Moines, Iowa, native, leads the Dawgs with eight wins and a 4.13 ERA in 117 innings.
Mississippi State holds a 12-2 advantage in the series that is being renewed for the first time since 2007. The two teams split a pair of games in 2007, with State claiming a 7-0 win in Starkville before falling 3-0 in Birmingham a month later.
Samford sits at 11-37 this season after dropping six-straight games. The Birmingham-based Bulldogs are paced at the plate by Nicole Bobrowski, who is hitting .310 with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI.
Amanda Jordan tops Samford with seven home runs and 18 RBI despite hitting just .211 on the year.
Kayla Burris has seen the majority of the innings for the Bulldogs. She holds an 8-14 record and 4.45 ERA, and she has struck out 91.
