Softball To Close Regular Season at South Carolina
April 29, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a three-game winning streak, Mississippi State (34-16, 9-12 SEC) will re-take the road to close out the 2015 regular season with a three-game Southeastern Conference weekend set at South Carolina (34-18, 8-13 SEC).
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday: at South Carolina – 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday: at South Carolina – 3 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday: at South Carolina – 11 a.m. CT (SEC Network)
FOLLOW LIVE
All three of the weekend contests will air on either SEC Network or SEC Network+, with both networks accessible through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Sunday's game on the SEC Network is accessible through your cable provider, but the Friday and Saturday contests will air on SEC Network+, which is exclusive to digital platforms.
The voice of Bulldog softball, Anthony Craven, will have the call on all three of the games with a live audio stream through HailStatePLUS.
Watch Friday's Game | Watch Saturday's Game | Watch Sunday's Game
LAST TIME OUT
MSU is riding a three-game winning streak after stepping out of conference play last week to outscore its opponents a combined 24-10. Freshman Cassady Knudsen starred on the week as she went 1-0 in 12.1 innings of work, including a complete-game performance against Memphis (April 22). Knudsen followed it with a career-high outing that lasted 7.1 innings as she struck out a career-high nine in the process at Georgia Southern (April 26). 11 different Bulldogs recorded a hit last week as well, while seven of those 11 drove in a run as well.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· The Bulldogs have 15 come-from-behind wins in 2015 and 50 in the four years of the Vann Stuedeman era.
· State is a perfect 20-0 when scoring first this season.
· MSU is 33-8 when scoring three or more runs and 30-9 when holding opponents to five or fewer runs. State is 7-12 vs. ranked opponents this season.
· With three regular-season games remaining in 2015, MSU has already shattered its 2014 totals for home runs (50), doubles (79), triples (16), hits (433), runs scored (307), RBIs (276) and stolen bases (91).
· State is one home run shy of tying the program record for home runs in a season (51), set in 2013.
· The Bulldogs rank seventh in the SEC in batting average (.319), fourth in hits (410), second in doubles (74), third in triples (14) and tied for second in double plays (18).
· In the most recent NCAA RPI rankings, April 27, State held true at No. 30. The Bulldogs have five wins over teams ranked in the top 17 (three vs. the top 8 and two vs. the top two) and have three upcoming at No. 32 South Carolina.
· Sophomore Katie Anne Bailey ranks first in the SEC in triples with 8 after she recorded two at Georgia Southern (April 26), which made her the first Bulldog to hit two triples in a game since now-senior Ashley Phillips did so on March 3, 2012 vs. Columbia.
· On Senior Day, Katie Gentle went 2-for-2 with two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, for six RBIs vs. No. 12 Tennessee. She became the second Bulldog with two homers in a game this season.
· Sophomore Caroline Seitz ranks fourth in the SEC in doubles (14), tied for 13th in home runs (13) and 12th in RBI (50), she also leads the team in all three categories.
· Sophomore Alexis Silkwood, who won two-straight SEC Pitcher of the Week honors (March 30 & April 6), ranks second in the conference in batters struck out (187), first in wins (24), second in innings pitched (200.2) and tied for sixth in saves (2).
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
Ranked No. 32 in this week's RPI rankings, South Carolina is currently sitting in 10th in the SEC standings with MSU a game ahead of them and in the eighth spot. The Gamecocks have won its last three SEC series, having taken two of three from Arkansas, Kentucky and Ole Miss, respectively, in consecutive weekends.
ON DECK FOR THE BULLDOGS
MSU will shift its attention to postseason play with the SEC Tournament set to begin on Wednesday, May 6. State's opponent is still yet to be set with numerous conference teams jockeying for seed positioning.
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."
