Magnolia State Rivalry Continues With Softball Series In Oxford
April 12, 2012 | Softball
Friday's series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m., with Saturday's game beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale will be broadcast live on FOX Sports South and will mark MSU's first game on television this season. Dave Baker will serve as the play-by-play announcer and National Pro Fastpitch League Commissioner Cheri Kempf will handle the color analyst duties.
"From all accounts, Ole Miss is a fiery squad that is led by a coach who coached her team to a NCAA Regional last year," Head Coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Since my first day of work in Starkville, everyone has stressed to me just how important this series is to the people of our state, so I am definitely looking forward to my first experience in this rivalry."
Mississippi State owns a commanding 31-20 advantage over Ole Miss all-time, including a 12-10 record in Oxford. The last time the two in-state foes met was April 1-3, 2011, when the Maroon and White won two out of three games in Starkville at the MSU Softball Stadium (L 0-6, W 3-0, W 9-3). As a true freshman playing against the Rebels, Sam Lenahan hit .333 with a home run, double and three RBIs.
The last time the two schools met in Oxford, State won by an 11-5 margin on March 21, 2010. During that three-game series, MSU shortstop Erin Nesbit went off, going 4-for-8 (.500) with a double, triple, two RBIs, two runs and two walks. While the series is tied at five in the last 10 meetings, MSU has won 10 of the last 15 between the Magnolia State rivals.
Although they are in their first year as head coaches, Stuedeman and Ole Miss' Windy Thees are no stranger to each other. As an assistant coach last year at Alabama, Stuedeman's squad defeated Thees' Memphis squad by a 7-1 margin at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on May 21, 2011. Picking up the win in the circle for Stuedeman was four-time All-American and two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year Kelsi Dunne, who is currently a volunteer assistant for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are ranked 33rd in the third NCAA RPI rankings of 2012, released April 9 by the NCAA. With most teams inside the top 40 making the NCAA Tournament, it was a good sign for MSU, who has already played 18 games against teams in the RPI Top-25. State's 22 wins are only two away from tying last year's overall win total of 24 in 56 games played. Through 41 games a season ago, MSU owned a 20-21 overall record.
All-SEC candidate Brittany Bell is a big reason for the turnaround, leading the SEC in on-base percentage (.568) and ranking second in slugging percentage (.762). Both clips are in the top three all-time for a single season in Starkville. Placing eighth in the country in OBP as of April 9, Bell has reached base safely in 38 of 41 games this year.
Also helping out Stuedeman's squad in the slugging department is fellow All-SEC favorite Jessica Cooley. The left fielder's 13 home runs in 2012 are tied with Bulldog legend Kellie Wilkerson for fourth-most in school history for a single season, with everyone above her on the list eventually earning All-America honors. The junior's 0.32 home runs per game average is currently on pace to break All-American Iyhia McMichael's school record of 0.28 set in 2003, while her .707 slugging percentage is currently sixth-highest all-time at MSU for a single season. No one in the country has had a better last six at-bats than Cooley, who is a perfect 6-for-6 with seven RBIs, four home runs and two doubles.
The Rebels of Oxford are led at the plate by sophomore RT Cantillo, who leads UM with a .374 batting average to go along with 25 RBIs for 2012. Redshirt freshman shortstop Allison Brown paces the team in RBIs however with 30 driven in. In the circle Ole Miss' Kendall Bruning (12-11) anchors the pitching staff with a 4.07 ERA and 13 complete games. The senior righty has struck out a team-high 105 batters in 137.2 innings of work.
Following the SEC West showdown, Starkville's Team takes to the road once more on Tuesday, April 17, for a 6 p.m. first pitch against Southern Miss. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. For more information regarding MSU softball, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
