'Dogs Take 15-Game Winning Skein To Baylor For Compass Bank Invitational
May 25, 2016 | Softball
WACO, Texas -- Having put the finishing touches on a perfect 10-game homestand with a doubleheader sweep of Samford on Wednesday evening in Starkville, the Mississippi State softball team will pack up its show for the first time since February 12 when it heads to Waco, Texas, for the Compass Bank Invitational at Baylor University's Getterman Stadium.
Mississippi State (15-0) will open its portion of round-robin tournament play on Friday at 12:30 p.m. when it locks horns with 13th-ranked Washington (12-3), prior to a 5:30 match-up with the 18th-ranked Baylor Bears (11-5). State will face Bowling Green (6-0) in the 10 a.m. game on Saturday before playing rematches with all three teams late Saturday and Sunday.
All 12 games of the 2006 Compass Bank Invitational can be followed in progress via a tournament central link at the official Internet home of the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com. State's games with Baylor on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon will be broadcast live over the Internet as well.
While extending its school-record winning streak out to 15 games with the twin killing of Samford, MState also extended its home winning streak out to 13 games, dating back to a three-game sweep of SEC West rival Arkansas last season.
"We're off to a great start," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "The key now is to keep it going. That's the important thing -- finishing what you started. All three opponents this weekend should present great tests to our ball club as we continue to prepare for a tough conference schedule."
Currently possessing the SEC's fifth-best team batting clip at .329, State has outscored its 15 opponents by an 83-11 count, including a 24-3 edge in the fifth inning. Defensively, State is solid from the circle where its trio of righthanders have maintained the league's second-best ERA at 0.65. Included in the impressive numbers is a paltry .151 opponent batting average and a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Washington enters the Compass Bank Invitational after sweeping through the field at the Husky Fever Classic. After opening the season with a loss to Kentucky, Washington has rolled through the rest of its schedule, falling only to nationally-ranked LSU on two occasions.
Offensively, the Huskies feature Marnie Koziol who leads the team with a .462 batting average, while Ashlyn Watson provides the power in the Washington line-up as, heading up the team with three home runs while ranking second on the squad with 11 RBI. From the circle, Washington is led by freshman Danielle Lowrie as the right-hander leads the team with a 7-1 record and 1.38 ERA in 55.2 innings of work. The first-year player has also struck out 84 on the season and has held opponents to a .158 average on the year.
The host Bears will look to extend a three-game winning streak after sweeping through a home doubleheader with Texas State on Wednesday in Waco. The Bears possess an impressive .355 batting clip and are led by the exploits of freshman Brette Reagan who leads the team with a .542 batting average that complements team-bests in doubles (7), triples (1), home runs (5) and RBI (20).
From the circle, the Bears have been paced by junior righthander Lisa Ferguson who has compiled a 6-1 record with a 1.23 ERA in nine appearances for the Green and Gold this season.
Bowling Green, out of the Mid-American Conference, enters this weekend riding a six-game winning streak after sweeping through the Panera Challenge en route to recording the best start in school history. Offensively, the Falcons are led by Gina Rango who maintains a .556 average while turning in three home runs and six RBI. Four players have scored four runs apiece on the season in helping the Falcons outscore opponents 28-9.
Defensively, the Falcons are led by Liz Vrabel who is 3-0 on the season with a 0.95 ERA in 14.2 innings of work.
