Bulldogs Battle Lady Tigers For A Twitter Tuesday Tilt
April 09, 2012 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - After winning a crucial three-game conference series at Arkansas this past weekend, the Mississippi State softball team (21-19) returns home Tuesday for a battle against Jackson State (24-18) at the MSU Softball Stadium. The in-state rematch of the Feb. 29 contest, which MSU won 11-2 in six innings, will begin at 5 p.m.
The game against the Lady Tigers will mark this year's second Twitter Tuesday contest, where various items will be given away to fans that tweet at @MStateSB, the official Twitter account for the MSU softball team.
"Jackson State is led by a quality coach and a quality guy in Rick Fremin," Head Coach Vann Stuedeman said. "They have already won 24 games this season after making a NCAA Regional appearance last year, so it is going to be an exciting matchup for us."
Riding its longest winning streak against non-conference opponents since February 2009, the Bulldogs will look to win their ninth-straight game against out-of-league foes Tuesday. The streak led off against the Tigers on Feb. 29, when junior left fielder Jessica Cooley drove in a career-high five runs and sophomore second baseman Heidi Shape tallied a career-best four hits. State is a perfect 5-0 this season against non-conference teams in midweek games.
Softball fans that love speed will get a rare treat Tuesday, as two teams that rank in the top-25 in the country in stolen bases will clash on the basepaths. The Tigers lead the country with 2.71 stolen bases per game, while the Bulldogs rank 24th with 1.68 swipes per contest. Jackson State's Wendi Reed is second in the nation with 37 bag thefts, while teammate Tayler Nave is tied for third with 33. State's leading base stealer is sophomore center fielder Jessica Offutt, who is a perfect 14-of-14 around the squares.
Throwing out the first pitch at the Dawg Diamond will be freshman women's golf sensation Ally McDonald, who is coming off her second-straight top-10 finish individually at the Rebel Intercollegiate. Carsyn Byars will perform the national anthem, which will include two dozen children from Starkville taking the field with their favorite players. Admission is free, but for those that cannot attend, live video and audio streaming of the game will be available online to HailStateTV subscribers (www.HailState.com/hstvlive).
Following the game, Starkville's team takes to the road again for the second-consecutive weekend as Stuedeman's squad faces SEC West rival Ole Miss at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, with Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m. being broadcast live on FOX Sports South. Free audio of the three-game tilt game will be available online to HailStateTV subscribers (www.HailState.com/hstvlive). For more information regarding MSU softball, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
