State Softball Set To Host No. 19 Texas A&M
March 12, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After having two games canceled this week, Mississippi State softball (18-5, 1-2 SEC) looks to use its time off as an advantage heading into a Southeastern Conference series with No. 19 Texas A&M (20-5, 2-1 SEC). The series will begin Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT at the MSU Softball Field.
"We are very excited to get back out there and play since our games were rained out this week," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "We will be fired up to play. Every weekend in the SEC is similar to an NCAA Super Regional. We will need fight, mental toughness, quality pitching, defense and timely hitting. We love playing at home in front of our fans. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the ball park."
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday:            vs. Texas A&M – 5:30 p.m. CT
Saturday:        vs. Texas A&M – 1 p.m. CT
Sunday:          vs. Texas A&M – 1 p.m. CT
FOLLOW LIVE
All three of the weekend contests will air on SEC Network+, exclusively through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. The voice of Bulldog softball, Anthony Craven, will have the call for all three games.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
TICKET INFORMATION
Admission to all games at the MSU Softball Stadium is free and open to the public.
PROMOTIONS
For every SEC home game in 2015, one select fan can participate in the "3-Strike Challenge" in which the participant will have the opportunity to pitch three softballs underhand into a target for the change to win either $5,000, a $50 gift card or a Hail State softball t-shirt.
Friday:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â FREE Hail State sunglasses will be available while supplies last
Saturday:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â FREE Hail State drawstring backpacks will be available while supplies last
Sunday:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â As part of Kids Day at the Park, free ice cream and face tattoos will be available to those in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT
State had its two-game road swing washed out this past week with a Tuesday game at Lipscomb and a Wednesday game at Samford having been nixed. MSU will make up its game at Lipscomb on Tuesday, March 31 with a make-up date vs. Stamford still to be determined.
Coming off its first SEC 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
· State is 2-3 this season against opponents ranked in the top 25 at the time of the contest. The Bulldogs have beaten No. 23 Notre Dame and No. 8 Georgia, along with having dropped one to No. 11 Minnesota and two to No. 8 Georgia.
· MSU has already had four games nixed this season that were on the initial schedule. Feb. 15 vs. Lamar, March 1 vs. Georgetown, March 10 at Lipscomb and March 11 at Samford.
· On Sunday, March 8, 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
The Aggies lead the all-time series 5-4 and have won four of the last six meetings with MSU. State dropped the most recent series in 2013, two games to one, in College Station.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Ranked as high as No. 19 in this week's polls, Texas A&M is coming off a series win over then-No. 9 Kentucky as both teams opened SEC play last weekend. The Aggies took the first two games of the three-game set before the Wildcats won the third to evade the sweep.
Both State and A&M faced Penn State earlier this season with MSU having won all three of its games vs. PSU and the Aggies having split the two-game series. Picked to finish ninth in the SEC Preseason Poll, TAMU is coming off a 2014 season that ended in the Norman Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
ON DECK FOR MSU
State will start a six-game road stint on Tuesday, March 17 at Southeastern Louisiana with first pitch set for 5 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."
