Bulldogs Close Out Regular Season By Hosting No. 22 Georgia Tech
May 25, 2016 | Softball
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State To Honor Seven Athletes In Pregame Senior Day Festivities
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Riding a recent surge that has them winning 13 of their last 15 outings, the Mississippi State Softball team will close out its 2004 regular season campaign Saturday afternoon by hosting No. 22 Georgia Tech in a 3 p.m. Senior Day doubleheader at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
The Bulldogs (35-22) and Yellow Jackets (41-13) will meet one another for the ninth and 10th time in a series currently led by the Bulldogs, 6-2. Georgia Tech enters the weekend riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping twinbills at both Georgia Southern and Maryland. State suits up trying to maintain a current season-long seven game winning streak, most recently highlighted by a sweep of a home-and-home series with UAB.
Prior to first pitch of Saturday's twinbill, Mississippi State will honor its seven-member class of 2004 in Senior Day festivities to celebrate a group that has brought MSU more than 140 victories, two NCAA Regional appearances and a bevy of team and invidual records. Blaire Brown, Kate Jaspers, Iyhia McMichael, Lindsay Nelson, Meagan O'Nan, Jennifer Waterman and Brandi Watkins will all play their final games at the MSU Softball Field against the Yellow Jackets.
"Obviously, they have meant so much to this program," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Our best players are our seniors and they are kids that have really built this program and brought it to the level that it is at. It's going to be a little bittersweet seeing them play their last games at the MSU Softball Field. In that respect, there will be some tears shed tomorrow I'm sure.
"They have had such a tremendous year and have done a tremendous job for us, not only stats wise, but more importantly as leaders on our ball club. We have a lot of freshmen on our team that didn't know what it was all about and they do now because the seniors have shown them the way and showed them what is expected to compete at this level."
The Yellow Jackets own recent success in its series with the Maroon and White having swept last year's doubleheader in Atlanta by 9-1 and 5-3 counts. The Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 in the series at home, taking both games of a 2002 Starkville doubleheader by scores of 7-4 and 3-0.
Riding the arm of junior righthander Jessica Sallinger, Georgia Tech has posted 40 wins for just the second time in the history of its program. Although attributing much of its success to pitching staff that has posted the nation's third-lowest ERA (0.77), Georgia Tech has gotten plenty of support from its offense as well. Led by the antics of senior Tara Knudsen (.409, 11 HR, 37 RBI), the Yellow Jackets currently maintain a .277 team batting average and boast 31 home runs. Tech has outscored its opponents 238-66, including a 95-15 advantage in the first and fifth innings combined.
From the circle, the Jackets are solid with Sallinger (26-6, 0.57 ERA) but have a capable backup as well in senior Erin Voeltz (15-7, 0.96). Combined, the duo have limited opponents to a paltry .155 batting average and have managed a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 6-to-1. Both are expected to see action against the Maroon and White.
"They will be one of the best pitching staffs we have faced all season," Miller said. "Both Sallinger and Voeltz throw very well. We had a tough time with both of them last year and got beat twice. We have a pretty good offensive club and we have been swinging the bats very well lately and we need to continue to do that. It will be a good tuneup as we get ready for the SEC Tournament."
Having broke a school-record with a 13-4 mark in the month of April, State has turned it up a notch since shuffling its lineup toward the end of March. Last month, State's hitters combined for a .333 average and outscored foes by a 145-99 count. The Bulldogs were paced in April by a pair of hitters at or above the .471 mark, including Iyhia McMichael who turned in a .558 (24-for-43) batting clip. Fellow senior Kate Jaspers (.471, 24-for-51) led the RBI column for the Bulldogs in the month, driving in 21 on five extra-base hits.
In the circle, the Bulldogs were equally as impressive in April, holding opponents to a .232 average while recording a 2.14 ERA. Rookie Kelli Miller led the charge from the pitching circle in the month, turning in a 4-2 record and a 1.75 ERA while recording a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 3-to-1.
Following the regular season finale on Saturday, Mississippi State will again be in action on Thursday when the Bulldogs head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the 2004 SEC Softball Tournament as the No. 7 seed. State and second-seeded Tennessee will open up tournament play on Thursday at 11 a.m.
Tickets to the 2004 SEC Tournament at the Alabama Softball Complex can be obtained by logging on to www.RollTide.com or by calling the University of Alabama Ticket Office at (205) 348-BAMA. Single game passes are 10 dollars, while tournament passes can be purchased for $40 for adults and $30 for youth.
