Softball Begins Nine-Game Road Swing In Mobile
February 17, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After starting the season 5-0 for the third-straight year, the Mississippi State softball team will now hit the road for five games in four days, starting Friday at 5 p.m. CT vs. No. 23South Alabama in the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, Alabama.
The Bulldogs will play at total of four games in Mobile at Jaguar Field between Friday and Sunday in the round-robin event that also includes Samford, SIU-Edwardsville and Southern Miss. State will then head west for a single game at Southeastern Louisiana on Monday.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
Friday, Feb. 19 - at South Alabama (5-0) – 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20 - vs. Southern Miss (4-3) – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20 - vs. SIU-Edwardsville (2-3) – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21 - vs. Samford (2-3) – 12:15 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 22 - vs. Southeastern Louisiana (5-1) – 5 p.m.
FOLLOW LIVE
All five games on the weekend can be heard through HailStatePLUS as the voice of Bulldog softball, Anthony Craven, will have the call. Fans can also keep up with Friday's contest against host South Alabama via live stats. Live stats for MSU's final three games in Mobile can be found here.
Monday's game at Southeastern Louisiana can only be followed through live stats or by following the Bulldogs on Twitter (@HailStateSB).
LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs opened their season and their brand new $6.4 million home, Nusz Park, with a bang as State won all five of its games in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic (Feb. 11-14). The home team outscored its opponents 35-7 over the weekend with four of its five wins coming by six or more runs. Freshman Sarai Niu made an instant impact by making starts in all five games and picking up home runs in two. The MSU pitching staff excelled throughout the weekend as the staff combined for a 0.22 ERA that ranks best in the Southeastern Conference. The staff's 44 total strikeouts and 11 strikeouts looking both rank second in the SEC.
PRESEASON VOTE GETTERS
The return of much of its production from 2015 and a hot 5-0 start in 2016 has the country's attention as State received votes in the Feb. 15 edition of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches polls. The Bulldogs were also receiving votes in both publications' preseason polls.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
State is set to play a total of 31 games against 15 teams that made the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including 16 games vs. six teams that made the Women's College World Series. The Bulldogs handled their first tournament team of 2016 with an 11-4 win over Tennessee Tech (Feb. 13) and are set to play another on Friday in South Alabama.
TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· After posting 15 comeback victories in 2015, MSU already has three in 2016 which brings its grand total to 53 under head coach Vann Stuedeman.
· State leads the SEC in hit by pitch with 10 as they average exactly two per game. MSU's three HBP vs. Houston (Feb. 14) is tied for the most in a game among SEC teams.
· The fearless personality of Stuedeman is evident with MSU's 12 stolen bases entering the weekend, a mark that ranks second in the SEC. The Bulldogs are a perfect 12-for-12 when it comes to swiping bases, a mark that no other conference team comes close to.
· Niu's two homers over opening weekend have her tied for second-most in the SEC, while her slugging percentage of .846 ranks ninth.
· Sophomore Holly Ward's 3-0 record has her sitting tied for first in the SEC in wins, while her 0.41 ERA ranks 12th and her strikeouts (18) fifth.
· In the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Bulldogs were slated to finish 10th in the league in 2016.
STATE VS. THE FIELD
MSU is a combined 55-20 all-time against the Mardi Gras Invitational field with winning records over every team except South Alabama as the Jaguars lead the all-time series 4-2. The last State victory over USA came in Stuedeman's head coaching debut, a 7-2 victory in Mobile on Feb. 9, 2012. Against Southern Miss, the Bulldogs are 33-13 all-time and 3-0 under Stuedeman, which includes a no-hitter from junior Alexis Silkwood that came last season on March 25 in game one of a doubleheader in Hattiesburg.
ON DECK FOR MSU
The Bulldogs will close their nine-game road swing with four games at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Tournament in Gulport, Mississippi Feb. 26-28. The highlight of the event is expected to be MSU's rematch with Baylor on Feb. 27, the team that knocked them out of the Lafayette Regional in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
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.”
