MSU Returns To SEC Play With Weekend Trip To No. 10 LSU

Friday, March 31

Baton Rouge, La.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#10 LSU

Bevia Robinson and the Bulldogs head to Baton Rouge for a weekend SEC series against the Tigers.

MSU Returns To SEC Play With Weekend Trip To No. 10 LSU

March 30, 2017 | Softball

Game Notes SEC Network + (Friday)SEC Network + (Saturday)SEC Network + (Sunday)Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After a weekend away from SEC play, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (26-9, 2-4 SEC) return to league action with a road series in Baton Rouge against the No. 10 LSU Tigers (28-7, 4-2 SEC).

The weekend begins on Friday, March 31 with a 6 p.m. CT first pitch. Saturday's contest is slated for 6 p.m., as well, with the series finale on Sunday set for a 1 p.m., first pitch. All three contests will be broadcast on the SEC Network +, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

As a part of the weekend series, both Mississippi State and LSU will wear teal uniforms on Saturday and participate in the Tigers' "Strikeout Ovarian Cancer" game, which raises awareness for ovarian and other GYN cancers. Prior to the game, the Bulldogs will join the Tigers in participating in the fourth-annual Geaux Teal Ovarian Cancer Walk.

MSU and LSU have met 64 times prior to this weekend, with the Tigers holding a 55-9 advantage in the series. The two squads played a three-game series in Starkville last season, with State capturing a 7-2 victory before the Tigers earned wins in the final two games.

State enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak and having won four of its last five contests. The Dogs most recently picked up two midweek victories, putting together a seventh-inning rally against Southern Miss on Tuesday and then run-ruling Mississippi Valley State at home on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs have been fueled by the play of their pitching staff who have only allowed two runs (one earned) over the last three contests, including a pair of run-rule shutouts. The staff dropped their ERA down to 1.44, which holds strong at fourth in the SEC and 12^th on the national scale.

Senior Alexis Silkwood continues to lead the MSU arms, sporting a 0.93 ERA (7^th SEC, 15^th NCAA) and a 10-2 record. With her win Wednesday night, she is now one victory away from tying for the all-time program record of 55.

Offensively, junior Reggie Harrison has been the team's catalyst, leading the program with a .402 clip. She is 5-for-6 over the last two games with three runs batted in and a double. On the year she leads the team with 39 hits, 10 doubles, a .640 slugging percentage and a .521 on-base percentage.

MSU is set to return to Nusz Park for a four-game home stand, hosting Jackson State on Wednesday, April 5 (6 p.m. CT) before welcoming the South Carolina Gamecocks to town for Super Bulldog Weekend (April 7-9).

Series Schedule Against No. 10 LSU…
Friday, March 31 – Mississippi State at No. 10 LSU (6 p.m. CT)
Saturday, April 1 – Mississippi State at No. 10 LSU (6 p.m. CT)
Sunday, April 2 – Mississippi State at No. 10 LSU (1 p.m. CT)

Last Time Out…
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of midweek wins this week, taking down Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on Tuesday and run-ruling Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday at Nusz Park.

Tuesday, March 28
Mississippi State def. Southern Miss, 3-2 (Recap, Box Score)

Wednesday, March 29
Mississippi State def. Mississippi Valley State, 8-0 (6) (Recap, Box Score)

Series History…

Against LSU
Overall: LSU leads, 55-9
In Baton Rouge: LSU leads, 26-2
Last Meeting: LSU def. Mississippi State, 12-1 (5) (April 17, 2016 in Starkville)
Current Streak: LSU, +2

Dogs Remain In Top 30 In The RPI…
The Bulldogs are holding strong at No. 27 in this week's RPI rankings. So far this year, the Dogs have earned wins against Alabama (No. 7), Texas A&M (No. 9) and Fresno State (No. 33). Nine of State's wins this year have come against Top 100 programs.

State is 11^th among SEC programs in the RPI, as all 13 Southeastern Conference programs stand in the Top 45. It's ranking of No. 27 is the highest since coming in at No. 23 on April 12, 2015.

Dogs Got That Power…
The Bulldogs have tallied 15 home runs so far through the year, besting the 10 they hit in the first 35 games of the 2016 season. State has put together three multi-home run contests through this season, while only having one all of last year and is just three away from tying last year's season total 18 bombs.

Pitching Staff On Fire…
State's pitching staff has been stellar through 35 games in 2017. The group's 1.44 ERA ranks fourth in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA. Alexis Silkwood stands seventh in the league and 15th in the nation with a 0.95 ERA.

Harrison Continues To Dominate At The Plate…
Junior Reggie Harrison has been a beast at the plate the last couple weeks for the Dogs. Harrison tops the team with a .402 average (39-for-97), while also earning a team-high 10 doubles, 63 total bases, .649 slugging percentage and .521 on-base percentage.

Harrison's power also has pitchers thinking twice about throwing to her, as she leads the Bulldogs with 19 walks this season. Her 0.58 walks per game average ranks 19^th in the SEC.

Silk Rewriting The Record Books…
Senior lefty Alexis Silkwood has been putting her name all throughout the MSU record books since she arrived on campus in 2014. Now in her final year, she has already crowned herself the new MSU K Queen, became the first pitcher in Bulldog history to record over 500 strikeouts and 600.0 innings pitched and is poised to take over several other categories...

- 1st in strikeouts (517)
- 1st in complete games (47)
- 1st in innings pitched (604.2)
- 2nd in wins (54)
- 3rd in starts (86)
- 3rd in appearances (129)
- T-3rd in shutouts (13)
- T-3rd in saves (8)

Seitz Enters Another Top 10 List…
Senior Caroline Seitz has already put her name on a number of Top 10 lists in the MSU record book and she added another one last weekend. Seitz earned her 200^th-career hit against UAB on March 25. She currently stands at 201-career hits, putting her in sole possession of 10^th place.

She is also holding on at No. 5 on the all-time doubles list with 47, while standing tied with Sam Lenahan for fourth on the home run list

Late Innings, Our Innings…
Under the leadership of head coach Vann Stuedeman, State has been a force in the late innings and nothing is more evident of that than the 70 comeback wins the Bulldogs have amassed in her tenure. MSU tallied 10 in 2016, including an early-season comeback against No. 23 South Alabama and another against No. 11 LSU at home. State has 10 come-from-behind victories so far in 2017, including walk-off victories against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 11, Samford on March 4 and Louisiana Tech on March 24. Most recently, the Dogs rallied from two down against Southern Miss on March 28, scoring three in the seventh to take the lead and the win.

The Dogs are also 19-0 when leading after five and 16-0 when leading after six frames. In games tied after five and six innings, State is 2-1.

Weather…
Friday's Forecast (March 31) – Sunny, 85 Degrees (10%)
Saturday's Forecast (April 1) – Sunny, 86 Degrees (10%)
Sunday's Forecast (April 2) – PM Thunderstorms, 80 Degrees (80%)

Live Stream…
All three of this weekend's contests will live streamed through the SEC Network +. Fans can access the games through WatchESPN.com, the ESPN app or clicking the links below.

Mississippi State at LSU SEC Network + Broadcast (Friday)
Mississippi State at LSU SEC Network + Broadcast (Saturday)
Mississippi State at LSU SEC Network + Broadcast (Sunday)

Live Stats…
LSU will provide live stats for all three games this weekend. They can be found in the link below.

Mississippi State at LSU Live Stats (Friday)
Mississippi State at LSU Live Stats (Saturday)
Mississippi State at LSU Live Stats (Sunday)

Admission…
Tickets for this weekend at Tiger Park start at $3 per game for youth (ages 3-12) and $5 per game for adults. Children ages three and under are admitted for free without a ticket.

LSU Tiger Park Ticket Information

Up Next…
MSU is set to return to Nusz Park for a four-game home stand, hosting Jackson State on Wednesday, April 5 (6 p.m. CT) before welcoming the South Carolina Gamecocks to town for Super Bulldog Weekend (April 7-9).

Social Media…
For more on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap".