State Heads To USM For Wednesday Double Dip
March 24, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In hopes of continuing its non-conference successes in 2015, the Mississippi State softball team (22-8, 4-5 SEC) will play a doubleheader vs. Southern Miss (15-14, 1-8 C-USA) at 4 p.m. CT on Wednesday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can follow the action live with USM's live video stream, which requires a paid subscription, or the complimentary live statistical feed.
LAST TIME OUT
MSU is coming off a weekend series at in-state rival Ole Miss in which the Bulldogs dropped two of three games. State won game one on Friday, 8-6, with a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning, before dropping both games of a twin billing on Saturday.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· The Bulldogs are 18-3 this season vs. non-conference opponents.
· The Bulldogs have 11 come-from-behind wins in 2015 and six walk-off wins.
· MSU is 18-3 this season when recording seven or more hits in a game and 12-2 when recording 10 or more hits.
· State is 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of competition.
· In the first NCAA RPI rankings of the 2015 season, announced Monday, March 23, MSU came in at No. 27 and is 4-4 vs. teams in the 19 this season.
· Starting Friday, the Bulldogs will play 15-straight games against teams in the top 75 with seven of those coming against teams in the top 10 and four vs. the top two teams.
· Down to its final strike on three occasions, State mounted a seven-run rally with two outs on Friday at Ole Miss to win 8-6. It marked the first time MSU overcame a five-run deficit to win since March 11, 2011 vs. Florida State.
· State ranks 16th in the NCAA in stolen bases per game (2.06) and 23rd in slugging percentage (.534).
· MSU is fourth in the Southeastern Conference in batting average (.339), second in doubles (55), second in hit by pitch (40) and second in stolen bases (62).
· Catcher Katie Anne Bailey leads the conference in runners caught stealing by with 10. Bailey ranks second in the SEC and third in the country in triples (5).
· Ace Alexis Silkwood is tied for the first in the SEC, 8th in the NCAA in wins (16) and ranks second in the league in strikeouts (132).
· Caroline Seitz is third in the SEC in doubles (9) and 11th in home runs (8), both of which lead MSU.
· Loryn Nichols' flawless 22-for-22 effort at stealing bases has her second in the SEC and 18th in the SEC in steals.
SERIES HISTORY
MSU leads USM 31-12 in the all-time series with the two sides having not squared off against each other since the 2012 season. The Bulldogs are 11-3 in the last 14 meetings between the two sides and won their most recent meeting on April 25, 2012, 1-0, in Hattiesburg. Out of State's 20-person roster this season, only senior Ashley Phillips was on the roster during that season.
ON DECK FOR THE BULLDOGS
State will return home for a three-game set with No. 2 Florida (30-3, 3-3 SEC) to continue league play. The action will begin on Friday, March 27 at 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.com and the "Watch ESPN" app.
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."
