Softball To Face Samford In Wednesday Road Game
March 10, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to build upon the momentum of its comeback win over No. 8 Georgia on Sunday, the Mississippi State softball team (18-5, 1-2 SEC) will travel for a game at Samford (15-8) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT from the Samford Softball Field.
"We proved ourselves this past weekend in some big areas and the win on Sunday gave us a huge lift," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "That kind of win really helps a young team grow and we will build on that moving forward. Since we are on spring break we are going to use our free time to get better and solidify ourselves in other areas with more big games ahead of us."
FOLLOW LIVE
The Bulldog battle can be watched live through the SoCon Digital Network, with a live statistic feed also available.
LAST TIME OUT
Coming off its first Southeastern Conference series of the season, State won one of three against No. 8 Georgia this weekend with the Sunday victory having been the most thrilling for State. MSU rallied from four and two-run deficits to beat their top-10 foe, 8-7 in nine innings.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· On Sunday, State rallied from down 4-0 in the second vs. No. 8 Georgia to win 8-7 in nine innings. It was the first time MSU overcame a deficit of four runs since March 15, 2013 vs. Charleston Southern.
· Katie Anne Bailey delivered the walk-off solo home run to down Georgia, making her the first MSU player to hit a walk-off home run since Sam Lenehan did just that vs. Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2011
· Alexis Silkwood pitched all nine innings for MSU on Sunday, setting a new career-high for innings pitched in one outing, previously eight vs. Kentucky in the 2014 SEC Tournament.
· The Bulldogs of MSU have nine come-from-behind wins in 2015 and five walk-off wins. Bailey has provided the offense for two of those walk-off winners.
· State ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in doubles (41), hit by pitch (28), stolen bases (54) and steal attempts (62).
· Silkwood stands tied for first in the SEC in wins (13), second in batters struck out (108) and has recorded four outings with 10 or more strikeouts in 2015.
· Having gone from pinch hitter to offensive leader, Katie Anne Bailey leads the Bulldogs in hits (29), batting average (.387) and triples (4), while she is tied for first in doubles (7).
· Sophomore Caroline Seitz's seven home runs are tied for ninth in the SEC, while her team-best 24 RBI are tied for 14th in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
State leads the all-time series with Samford16-4 and has won four-straight meetings between the two sides. In last season's meeting, the Maroon & White scored nine runs in the final three innings to seal a 9-1 victory in six innings. Then-sophomore pitcher Alexis Silkwood got the win, having pitched five innings, Silkwood struck out five and allowed just one run on one hit.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Selected to finish fourth in the Southern Conference, Samford also received one first-place vote and placed three on the Preseason All-SoCon first team (pitcher Mollie Hanson, shortstop Abby Adams and outfielder Megan Dowdy).
Samford has lost four of its last five games with two of those defeats having come against No. 6 Oklahoma and another to No. 12 Auburn.
ON DECK FOR MSU
The Bulldogs will return home this weekend for another three-game SEC series, this time against No. 19 Texas A&M. The series will begin on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the MSU softball program, follow "HailStateSB" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find all-access coverage of the Bulldogs on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
