Bulldogs Embark On Five-Game Trip To Volunteer State
May 25, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Riding its longest losing skid of the season, the Mississippi State softball team will attempt to right its ship once again this week as the Bulldogs embark on a five-game road trip to the state of Tennessee that will see them match-up with the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee, as well as the sixth-ranked Lady Volunteers.
Coming off a three-game series sweep at the hands of Georgia this past weekend in Starkville, the Bulldogs (17-11, 0-3 SEC) will face Middle Tennessee (3-13) for the first time in school history in a 3 p.m. ET doubleheader in Murfreesboro on Thursday, before heading to Knoxville for a three-game set at Tennessee (31-4, 4-1) on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's double dip with UT has been slated with a 1 p.m. ET first pitch, with Sunday's series finale also tabbed with a 1 p.m. start time.
Although not broadcasting from Murfreesboro, all three games of State's clash with the Orange can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties. State's series in Knoxville can also be followed via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.
"We have to get back to playing good fundamental softball, get some injuries healed up and get loose and relaxed again," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We can't go out and play tentative, no matter who we are playing against. That is one of the things we worked on this week in practice * getting relaxed a little bit more and getting back to playing our game."
Currently riding a 10-game losing streak, the Blue Raiders are coming off the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep at Alabama on Tuesday evening in which they allowed a combined 18 runs while scoring three of their own. Sporting a .237 team batting clip, Middle Tennessee is led by a trio of hitters at or above the .333 mark, including senior Liz Davis (.333, 5 RBI) who is one of two Blue Raiders with a pair of home runs on the campaign.
From the circle, Middle Tennessee has tallied a 4.96 team ERA through 16 outings, but has not gotten an overabundance of positive results. Senior righthander Crystal Bobo has an even 3-3 record (3.56 ERA), but has not seen action from the circle since pitching six and one-thirds innings of relief in MTSU's loss to Saint Louis on March 6. Freshman righthander Ashley Katinas (0-10, 5.91) has pitched the last 24 innings for the Blue Raiders this season, but has yet to taste victory in 2005.
"Obviously, we want to get some confidence for both out hitters and our pitchers," Miller said. "Playing a midweek doubleheader against a non-conference opponent is an opportunity for us to do that. We need to get back on track and get on a roll going into a big conference series this weekend. That will be what we are looking for against Middle Tennessee. The key for us is to go out and play good ball."
Tennessee, which was rained out in its series finale with South Carolina Wednesday evening, has won 15 of its last 16 outings after dropping consecutive outings - then-No. 1 Cal, Notre Dame, and Providence - in the midst of a bout with the flu bug just more than three weeks ago. Having an equal balance in all phases of their game, the Lady Vols have tallied an SEC-leading .359 team batting average, while getting a combined 0.67 ERA from its three-armed pitching staff.
The Big Orange, who swept its series-opening doubleheader on Tuesday evening with the Gamecocks by 9-1 and 12-0 counts, are led by a trio of .400 hitters, including junior Kristi Durant who is hitting .455 with team-highs in both home runs (4) and RBI (44). Durant is the third-leading hitter on the Tennessee squad behind junior Sarah Fekete (.463, 7 RBI) and sophomore Lindsay Schutzler (.457, 23 RBI).
Lefthander Monica Abbott, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, leads Tennessee from the circle with a 21-1 mark and a 0.20 ERA. Abbott is holding opponents to a 0.96 batting clip.
"Tennessee is the best team in the conference in my opinion," Miller said. "They have got great pitching and they are hitting the ball very well and play good defense. They are also playing with a lot of confidence right now. It will be a tough series for us."
Following the road trip, MSU will begin a 10-game homestand on Tuesday evening when the Maroon and White battle UAB in the second half of a home-and-home doubleheader. First pitch of State's tilt with the Blazers is set for 6 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated UAB, 8-3, on March 8 in Birmingham, Ala.
