Bulldogs Welcome Kentucky To Begin Nine-Game Homestand
May 25, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Fresh off an unscheduled layoff following a rainout on Tuesday evening, the Mississippi State softball team will begin a nine-game homestand this weekend when the Maroon and White locks horns with visiting Kentucky in a key three-game intra-divisional series at the MSU Softball Field.
The two squads will renew their rivalry for the 22nd time in a 4 p.m. Friday afternoon doubleheader, before closing out the series on Saturday with a single game slated for a 1 p.m. start. All three games of the set can be followed in progress via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com. Saturday's series finale will also be broadcast live by WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties.
Having already battled nationally-ranked Georgia and Tennessee to begin the 2005 conference slate, the Wildcats (14-22, 1-8 SEC) will mark the third consecutive opponent from the SEC's Eastern Division for MState (18-15, 0-6) who will look to snap a season-long four-game losing streak in the comfy confines of home this weekend. Friday's game will also mark the first home appearance for the Bulldogs in 13 days.
We've started out (our conference schedule) pretty tough with Georgia and Tennessee, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. I think that they are the two best teams in the conference. After that, we don't have the same level of competition. But, when you're in the SEC, everybody can play and every game is a tough game. We're going to have to come out ready to play every game from here on out. Anybody can beat anybody in this conference.
Having snapped an eight-game losing streak with a doubleheader sweep over Marshall on Wednesday, Kentucky has battled some of the tougher teams in the conference as well. However, after dropping Ole Miss in its SEC opener, the ?€˜Cats have dropped eight-straight, including being victimized in series sweeps by then-#13 Georgia and at ninth-ranked Alabama this past weekend.
Sporting a team batting clip of .212, the Blue and White is led by sophomore infielder Brooke Marnitz (.340, HR, 4 RBI), but has a littering of dangerous hitters throughout their order as evidenced by six other players with 10 or more RBI on the season. Freshman catcher Alli Eckman (.250, 11 R) paces the team in that column with 14 so far this season.
Defensively, Kentucky has struggled through a wave of inconsistency with its pitching staff which has managed to turn in a 5.18 staff ERA through 36 outings. UK's three-armed pitching staff is allowing a healthy .308 opponent batting average, with 27 percent of their opponents' hits falling into the extra-base variety. The Wildcats have used only two pitchers since a win over Minnesota on February 20 with freshman Samantha Allen leading the way with a 10-9 record and a 5.02 ERA in her rookie campaign.
Junior righthander Meghan Cooper, who has handled her own against conference foes in each of her past two seasons in Lexington, currently sports a 4-11 clip and a 4.25 ERA.
