Softball Readies for Weekend vs. No. 2 Gators
March 26, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Back home after a six-game road stint, the Mississippi State softball team (24-8, 4-5 SEC) will play its fifth ranked opponent this season, No. 2 Florida (30-3, 3-3 SEC), this weekend. The three-game Southeastern Conference series will begin Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT at the MSU Softball Field.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday: vs. No. 2 Florida – 5:30 p.m. CT
Saturday: vs. No. 2 Florida – 1 p.m. CT
Sunday: vs. No. 2 Florida – 11 a.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: FREE neon softball stress balls and FREE neon glow necklaces
Saturday: Inaugural "Taste of the Town" starting at 12:30 p.m. with FREE FOOD from local restaurants, including DawgHouse and Dave's Dark Horse Tavern. FREE Hail State rally towels will also be given away.
Sunday: As part of Kids Day at the Park, every Sunday home game includes free ice cream and face tattoos to those in attendance. Kids can run the bases with the Bulldogs postgame and play in the bounce house throughout the day.
LAST TIME OUT
State most recently played a twin billing at Southern Miss on Wednesday and took both games. In game one, sophomore ace Alexis Silkwood starred with a no-hitter from the circle in a 10-0 win in six innings, with a 3-for-3 offensive performance from junior Kayla Winkfield. The second game saw the Bulldogs record their 12th come-from-behind victory of the season, 12-6.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· The Bulldogs have 12 come-from-behind wins in 2015 and six walk-off wins.
· MSU is 12-0 this season when scoring first, 19-3 when scoring six or more runs and 14-0 when holding opponents to two runs or less.
· State is 4-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of competition this season.
· 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 this weekend, 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 (2.03) and 23rd in slugging percentage (.541).
· MSU is fourth in the Southeastern Conference in batting average (.341), second in doubles (57), second in hit by pitch (45) and second in stolen bases (65).
· Silkwood is tied for the first in the SEC, 8th in the NCAA in wins (17) and ranks second in the league in strikeouts (140). In her sophomore season, Silkwood ranks fifth in the MSU record books for career strikeouts (307).
· First-year catcher and sophomore 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).
· Sophomore Caroline Seitz is third in the SEC in doubles (9) and 11th in home runs (8), both of which lead MSU.
· Junior Loryn Nichols' flawless 23-for-23 effort at stealing bases has her second in the SEC.
SERIES HISTORY
The Gators lead the all-time series 29-18, but the Bulldogs won the most recent meeting on April 7, 2013 in Gainesville, 6-5. MSU hasn't won two-straight vs. Florida since the 2004 season. This weekend marks the first time the Gators have visited Starkville since the 2012 season, for a mid-week doubleheader.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Ranked first in this week's RPI rankings, Florida began the season with 28 consecutive wins. The Gators finished fourth in the SEC last season, but went on to win the National Championship. UF is 3-3 in the conference this season with its first two SEC series having come against No. 1 LSU and No. 5 Alabama.
ON DECK FOR MSU
The Bulldogs will re-take the road, this time with a four-game swing that will begin with a trip to Lipscomb on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m. The game was previously scheduled for March 10, but was postponed due to inclement weather.
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."
