Softball Game At Jackson State Moved Up To 3 p.m.
February 28, 2012 | Softball
TIME CHANGE: Today's game vs. Jackson State has been moved up to 3 p.m.
STARKVILLE, Miss. - In a midweek in-state showdown, the Mississippi State softball team (8-5) will travel to the state capital Wednesday to take on Jackson State (8-7) at 3 p.m. at the JSU Softball Complex. The Bulldogs are 4-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers, with all four victories coming in Starkville.
"Jackson State is coming off a fantastic year where they won the SWAC and advanced to the NCAA Regional under head coach Rick Fremin," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "I look for them to be highly competitive because they just came off a heartbreaking loss at Arkansas this past weekend. They are going be hungry and ready to play, so I must have our team ready for that."
In the 14th game of the 2012 campaign, the Bulldogs will face their seventh NCAA Tournament team from a year ago. Jackson State won last year's Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, automatically qualifying them for the Big Dance. The Lady Tigers are no stranger to Steudeman, as JSU's first game at the 2011 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional came on May 20th against Alabama, where Stuedeman then served as the pitching coach. The first-year skipper for MSU coached her 23rd career no-hitter in an 8-0 victory over the reigning SWAC champs.
This season, Stuedeman has taken her coaching talents to Starkville, where she has lowered MSU's school-record high 4.90 ERA from 2011 to a much lower 1.73 clip in 2012. This season's ERA is currently third-lowest in the Southeastern Conference, while left-handed batters are hitting a league-low .168 against the Maroon and White.
Junior lefties Kylie Vry and Stephanie Becker rank inside the top 10 in the SEC in ERA, with Vry also placing fifth in strikeouts (45). This past weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Vry pitched a team-high 20.0 innings, going 1-2 with a 2.10 ERA. Vry's first loss was Friday afternoon against Louisiana, who entered the game averaging 9.6 earned runs per game, but was held to just three earned against the Iowa native. Vry snapped the season-long hitting streak (0-for-4) of reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week Christi Orgeron, who entered the game batting .708 with a nation-best 27 RBIs. Friday night vs. South Florida, Becker became the first SEC pitcher in 2012 to throw a no-hitter, tossing her first career no-no against tournament host South Florida. Throwing the 24th no-hitter by a Stuedeman-coached player, Becker was the first Bulldog to hold an opponent hitless since Vry accomplished the feat on Feb. 14, 2010, vs. Stephen F. Austin.
At the plate this season, senior designated player Brittany Bell has established herself as one of the top offensive threats in the conference, leading the SEC in on-base percentage (.681), tying for the league-lead in batting average (.516) and ranking second in slugging percentage (1.097). The native Floridian is also tied for third in total bases (34), fourth in walks (11) and fifth in home runs (4). Along with teammate Ka'ili Smith, Bell has reached base safely in all 13 games this season.
Despite the four setbacks this weekend, Stuedeman is tied for the best start by a softball coach in school history through 13 games. After pitching just 12 complete games a year ago, the same staff has already acquired seven complete games this year. The offense has also improved its clutch genes, with 27 of the team's 49 RBIs being of the two-out variety.
The hosts Lady Tigers are fresh off a gut-wrenching 4-3 extra-inning loss Sunday at Arkansas in the championship game of the Arkansas Fastpitch Invitational. Jackson State plays Nicholls State at 5 p.m. Tuesday in a final warm-up before Wednesday's contest.
On offense, the Blue and White are led by junior outfielder Tayler Nave, who paces the team with a .417 average and four home runs. In the circle, sophomore pitcher Breea Jamerson owns five complete-game victories in nine starts (5-2), registering a 3.15 ERA in 10 appearances.
After returning home to Mississippi's college town, Stuedeman's squad will host the 13th Bulldog Classic at the MSU Softball Stadium. From Friday to Sunday, the Maroon and White will square off against the likes of Columbia, Louisiana Tech, Eastern Illinois and Samford. For more information regarding the Bulldog Classic, visit the official event page at HailState.com, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
