Softball Continues SEC Play at No. 21 Mizzou
April 09, 2015 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Riding a six-game win streak, Mississippi State (30-10, 8-7 SEC) will look to stay hot as it travels into "The Show Me State" for a three-game set this weekend vs. No. 21 Missouri (24-9, 6-6 SEC) at University Field.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday: at Missouri – 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Saturday: at Missouri – 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
Sunday: at Missouri – 2:30 p.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
The Bulldogs are coming off a 9-4 victory over No. 1 LSU on Wednesday night, a game that saw MSU jump out front 3-0 through the first two innings and salt the game away with four runs in the sixth. Sophomore Alexis Silkwood turned in a complete-game performance in the circle for State, along with hitting a two-run home run to help her own cause. Seven Bulldogs recorded hits vs. a Tiger pitching staff that entered with a team ERA of 1.37.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· The Bulldogs have 14 come-from-behind wins in 2015 and 49 in the Vann Stuedeman era.
· State is a perfect 16-0 when scoring first this season.
· MSU is 29-5 when scoring three or more runs and 26-5 when holding opponents to five or fewer runs. State is 6-6 vs. ranked opponents this season.
· With 13 regular-season games remaining in 2015, MSU has already broken its 2014 totals for home runs (41) and triples (12).
· In the most recent NCAA RPI rankings, April 6, State jumped one spot to No. 22. Wednesday's game vs. LSU started an eight-game stretch vs. teams in the top 8 in RPI. (One vs. No. 2 LSU, three at No. 8 Missouri, one vs. No. 28 South Alabama and three vs. No. 13 Tennessee)
· MSU is 5-5 vs. teams with RPIs in the top 26 this season and have 11 upcoming vs. teams in the top 31. State is 2-2 vs. the top two RPI teams.
· Silkwood has won two-straight Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors (March 30 & April 6), making her the first pitcher in State history to receive the weekly honor twice in the same season.
· Silkwood ranks second in the conference in batters struck out (166), first in wins (22), first in innings pitched (166.0) and fourth in saves (2).
· The Bulldogs rank fifth in the league in batting average (.326), fourth in hits (353), second in doubles (65), fourth in triples (12), second in stolen bases (72) and second in hit by pitch (53).
· Sophomore Caroline Seitz ranks third in the SEC in doubles (12), 11th in home runs home runs (11) and 12th in RBI (39), she also leads the team in all three categories.
· Seitz recorded her first-career multiple-home-run game on Saturday at Arkansas, making her the first MSU player to accomplish the feat since 2013.
· Sophomore Amanda Ivy has reached base safely in 22-straight games, a team high, while senior Julia Echols and sophomore Katie Anne Bailey are in the midst of an 18-game reached base stretch.
SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou leads the all-time series with MSU, 4-1 with the first two meetings having been neutral-site meetings. The two sides met in Starkville last season for the first SEC series between the two sides and the Tigers took two of three from the Bulldogs.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Sitting at No. 8 in this week's NCAA RPI rankings, Mizzou is coming off a road series at Georgia in which the Tigers dropped two of three. Mizzou was picked to finish sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll and will likely have freshman lefty and Feb. 20 SEC Pitcher of the Week Paige Lowary in the circle throughout the weekend.
ON DECK FOR THE BULLDOGS
MSU will play its fifth-straight game against a ranked opponent when No. 22 South Alabama comes to Starkville on Wednesday, April 15. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. CT and the game will air nationally on the SEC Network.
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."
