Bulldogs Host Georgia In SEC Opener
May 25, 2016 | Softball
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Having secured one of the best 25-game starts in the history of its program, the Mississippi State softball team will step into conference play for the first time this weekend as the Maroon and White welcomes SEC Eastern Division foe Georgia to Starkville for a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field.
The squads will renew their series for the 26th time in a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader, before concluding the set on Sunday with a single game that has also been slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all 2005 MSU softball home games is free.
All three meetings of the set will be broadcast locally, as well as over the Internet, by WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties. Live in-game statistics will also be available via a link at the official Internet home for the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.
Coming off a rare midweek trip to UAB, Mississippi State (17-8) is off to one of its best 25-game starts in school history, falling percentage points short of 18-7 starts by both the 2000 and 2003 squads. The Bulldogs used an eight-run third inning to defeat the Blazers Tuesday evening at George Ward Park after turning in a 4-2 weekend at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic.
Like the Maroon and White, Georgia (16-7) is fresh off a midweek tilt as well, defeating visiting Charlotte by 7-1 and 23-0 scores at the Georgia Softball Complex Wednesday evening. In the back end of the twinbill, the Red and Black got 22 hits from its batting order behind a combined no-hitter by three of its hurlers.
We face two very tough opponents (Georgia, Tennessee) to open our conference schedule, but that's what was dealt to us, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. Georgia has got a good club. They are very aggressive offensively and they have all of their pitchers back from last year. That's going to be a key for them. They hit the ball very well and we have got to be ready for that and ready to compete this weekend.
Having battled injury and illness for a better part of the early portion of its schedule, the Maroon and White Bulldogs have gotten an equal balance from its hitting and pitching in its early season success. MState is led by a pair of .400 hitters in sixth-year senior Jennifer Jessup (.426, 3 HR, 17 RBI) and freshman Courtney Bures (.400, 10 HR, 30 RBI), but have an array of consistent hitting behind them as well. Sporting a team clip of .311, MSU has six batters in its order that have posted a .297 or better average through 25 games, with another pair hitting at or above .269.
From the circle, MState has gotten 30 or more innings from four of its pitchers with both sophomore Stephanie Comeaux (6-1, 1.96 ERA) and Melissa Massey (6-2, 2.13) pacing the team in the win column. State's five-armed staff will bring a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 into the weekend.
Our start hasn't been too bad, Miller said. Defensively, we have had some letdowns that have gotten in the way of winning a few more games. But, overall, I am pleased with where we are right now, especially with the way we have been hitting the ball. I have been pleased with our pitching as well. We're right where we need to be.
Georgia will bring a team into Starkville that is more dangerous than the record shows. Having played a very difficult early portion schedule, the Red and Black has been handed four losses by nationally ranked teams, including a trio of setbacks at then-No. 2 UCLA. UGA's fourth top 25 setback came two weeks later to the then-No. 3 ranked Bruins in San Diego.
Following a 32-hit outburst in its twinbill against the 49ers Wednesday evening, UGA raised its team batting clip to an SEC-leading .327, paced by junior Courtney Knight (.400, HR, 11 RBI) and all-American first baseman Kim Wendland (.365, 8 HR, 25 RBI). In the mix of a very powerful lineup, the Red and Black also have seven other players batting at or above the .300 plateau.
From the circle, Georgia is led by senior Michelle Green (6-2, 0.97) who has regained her sophomore all-SEC form on the strength of a unblemished record at the prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic two weeks ago. However, the SEC East Bulldogs have a number of combinations to work with, including the strong presence of sophomore righthander Kasi Carroll (4-2, 1.81) who is coming off an 18-win season in 2004.
We've played similar competition (to the SEC) in our non-conference season to what we are going to see in conference play, Miller said. Obviously, when you get into SEC play, every game is important and every game counts a little bit more. We've played some strong teams to get us ready and we're going to see strong teams from here on out in SEC play.
