State Opens NCAA Tournament Play Against No. 21 BYU

Thursday, May 18

Salt Lake City, Utah

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

#21 BYU

Buy Tickets

The Bulldogs kick off their 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance on Thursday against the BYU Cougars at 5 p.m. CT.

State Opens NCAA Tournament Play Against No. 21 BYU

May 17, 2017 | Softball

Game Notes Live Stats ESPN3 SLC Regional Ticket Info

STARKVILLE, Miss. – For Mississippi State (36-20), the road to Oklahoma City begins out West, as the Bulldogs open NCAA Tournament play against the No. 21 BYU Cougars (44-11) in the Salt Lake City Regional on Thursday.

First pitch in first game to be played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament is set for 5 p.m. CT at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium. Along with MSU and BYU in the Salt Lake City Regional is host No. 11 Utah (33-14) and Fordham (45-15), who will square off at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday.

The regional's first two games will be live streamed on ESPN3.com, with Alex Perlman and Megan Turk on the call. Fans can access those broadcasts through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Television/live streaming assignments for the remaining games will be announced later in the week.

The winner of the Salt Lake Regional will go on to face the winners of the Seattle Regional, hosted by No. 6 Washington (43-11). Also included in the region is Michigan (41-11-1), Fresno State (34-21) and Montana (35-22).

State makes its 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance in its 21^st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference, with an overall record of 12-24 in regional play. All 13 appearances have come since 2000, while Stuedeman has led MSU to five showings in the last six years. That is the best stretch since the Dogs went seven of eight years from 2002-09.

MSU has picked up at least one win in regional play in its last three appearances and will be looking to advance to its first Super Regional in program history.

In their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015, the Bulldogs traveled to Lafayette, La., falling in the series opener against Baylor, 8-4. MSU picked up a 2-0 win against Weber State before being eliminated by Baylor in game three.

Overall, all 13 Southeastern Conference teams earned NCAA Tournament bids, marking the first time that the league has sent every team to the NCAA's postseason event. It also set an NCAA record for most teams sent to the postseason by a single conference. The SEC is the first conference to have all its members receive NCAA Tournament bids since the Pac-12 in 2007.

Fans looking to make their way to Utah to cheer on the Bulldogs in the Salt Lake City Regional can still purchase single session and all tournament tickets while supplies last. Ticket prices and more info can be found at www.utahtickets.com/softball.

Thursday's matchup will be the fourth overall meeting between MSU and BYU. State holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, however the Cougars took the last meeting, a 4-3 nine-inning battle in the Eugene Regional in 2012. The Dogs have also faced off against Utah and Fordham prior to this weekend, going 2-4 versus the Utes and 2-0 against the Rams. MSU and Utah have previously faced off in postseason play, as the two split games in the Seattle Regional in 2000.

State is led by a pair of All-SEC selections in Caroline Seitz and Amanda Ivy. Seitz, who was named All-SEC First Team, finished the regular season leading the SEC in conference play with seven home runs, 28 RBI, a .724 slugging percentage and 55 total bases. She also finished top 10 with a .368 clip, 28 hits and six doubles.

On the flip side, Amanda Ivy has been crucial to MSU's defensive success. The All-SEC Defensive Team selection has made a number of jaw-dropping catches this season and has garnered SportsCenter Top 10 and SEC Now acknowledgement several times throughout the 2017 campaign.

The Bulldog pitching staff has been phenomenal so far in 2017. The group's 1.97 ERA ranks sixth in the SEC and 23rd in the NCAA. The staff's ERA is on pace to be the first sub-2.00 average since recording a 1.33 ERA during the 1998 campaign.

Cassady Knudsen paces the team with a 1.83 ERA, good for 13^th in the SEC. Knudsen is also third in the SEC and seventh nationally with 3.57 hits allowed per seven innings and sixth in the SEC, 44^th in the NCAA with 7.5 strikeouts per seven frames.

Last Time Out…
Mississippi State spent last week in Knoxville for the 2017 SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs fell in a tight 2-1 battle to 18^th-ranked Ole Miss in the tournament opener.

Wednesday, May 10
No. 18 Ole Miss def. Mississippi State, 2-1 (Recap, Box Score)

Salt Lake City Regional Schedule (All Times Central)…
Thursday, May 18
G1: Mississippi State vs. BYU (Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN3)
G2: Utah vs. Fordham (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3)

Friday, May 19
G3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (Friday, 2 p.m., TBA)
G4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Friday, 4:30 p.m., TBA)
G5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (Friday, 7 p.m., TBA)

Saturday, May 20
G6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 (Saturday, 3 p.m., TBA)
G7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (If Necessary) (Saturday, 5:30 p.m., TBA)

Series History…

Against Utah
Overall: Utah leads, 4-2
In Salt Lake City: First Meeting
In NCAA Tournament: 1-1
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Utah, 10-3 (Feb. 26, 2005 in Palm Springs, Calif.)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +1

Against BYU
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 2-1
At Neutral Site: 2-1
In NCAA Tournament: 0-1
Last Meeting: BYU def. Mississippi State, 4-3 (9) (May 17, 2012 in Eugene, Ore.)
Current Streak: BYU, +1

Against Fordham
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 2-0
At Neutral Site: 1-0
In NCAA Tournament: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Fordham, 8-0 (5) (March 2, 2013 in Orlando, Fla.)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +2

Leading The Bulldogs…

Batting Average: Bevia Robinson (.333)
Slugging Percentage: Caroline Seitz (.535)
On-Base Percentage: Reggie Harrison (.448)
Runs: Bevia Robinson (41)
Hits: Bevia Robinson (55)
RBI: Caroline Seitz (44)
Doubles: Reggie Harrison (13)
Triples: Five players with (2)
Home Runs: Caroline Seitz (9)
Stolen Bases: Bevia Robinson (29)
ERA: Cassady Knudsen (1.83)
Opposing Batting Average: Cassady Knudsen (.153)
Innings Pitched: Alexis Silkwood (154.1)
Strikeouts: Alexis Silkwood (105)

Dogs Return To NCAA Tournament For Fifth Time In Six Years…
Sunday night's selection marks MSU's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six years, which is the best stretch since going seven out of eight years from 2002-09.

State will make its 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance in its 21^st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference, with an overall record of 12-24 in the regional round. All 13 appearances have come since the 2000 season. MSU has won a regional game in its last three appearances, but will be aiming to make its first NCAA Super Regional showing in school history this year.

In their last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bulldogs traveled to Lafayette, La., falling in the series opener against Baylor, 8-4. MSU picked up a 2-0 win against Weber State before being eliminated by Baylor in game three.

MSU Heads West For First Time Since 2012…
The Bulldogs' road to Oklahoma City will begin in Salt Lake City, Utah, as MSU makes its first trip out west for the NCAA Tournament in 2012. That season, which was Vann Stuedeman's first at the helm, the Dogs visited Eugene, Ore., falling in a 4-3 nine-inning battle to BYU and a 2-0 decision to Portland State.

SEC Makes History…
For the first time in history, the Southeastern Conference has sent every member to the NCAA Tournament. All 13 teams earned an NCAA Tourney bid, with seven reeling in regional hosting spots. Three of those hosts, No. 1 Florida, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8 Tennessee, also hold Super Regional hosting duties should they advance past Regional play.

The selection of all 13 teams also marks the first time a conference has sent all of its members to the NCAA Tournament since Pac 12 in 2007.

All-SEC Honors For Seitz, Ivy…
Behind stellar senior seasons, Caroline Seitz and Amanda Ivy both earned conference honors last week, with Seitz reeling in All-SEC First Team laurels and Ivy being named to the All-SEC Defensive Team. Seitz is the first Bulldog to be named to the All-SEC First Team since 2010 (Chelsea Bramlett), while Ivy is the first in school history to earn All-SEC Defensive Team honors.

It is the second All-SEC award for Seitz, who was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2014. This is the first conference honor of Ivy's career.

Pitching Dominance…
State's pitching staff has been stellar through 55 games in 2017. The group's 1.97 ERA ranks sixth in the SEC and 23rd in the NCAA. Cassady Knudsen leads MSU with a 1.83 ERA (13th SEC, 61st NCAA).

Knudsen has been dominant beyond just the ERA stat line, standing third in the SEC, seventh in the NCAA with 3.57 hits allowed per seven innings and sixth in the SEC and 44th nationally with 7.5 strikeouts per seven frames.

Adding to her stellar junior campaign, Knudsen is closing in on the MSU single-season record for opponent batting average. She is holding opponents to a .153 clip, which bests the current school record held by Alison Owen (.176, 2013).

Bulldogs In The RPI…
The Bulldogs closed out the regular season at No. 30 in the RPI rankings. So far this year, the Dogs have earned wins against Texas A&M (No. 8), Alabama (No. 15), Kentucky (No. 17), South Carolina (No. 23), Georgia (No. 26) and Arkansas (No. 33). So far this year, 18 of State's wins this year have come against Top 100 programs.

Seitz Tearing Through SEC Play…
Caroline Seitz finished the regular season having dominated the second half of the SEC slate. The senior capped SEC play leading the league in conference play with seven home runs, 28 RBI, a .724 slugging percentage and 55 total bases. She also finished top 10 with a .368 clip, 28 hits and six doubles.

In her last 18 games overall, Seitz has been nothing short of dominant, going 26-for-57 (.456) with 26 runs batted in, 14 runs scored, seven home runs (two grand slams) and six doubles.

Her hot streak skyrocketed April 15-17, when she had a monster weekend in MSU's road series win at No. 19 Georgia. Her efforts there, which included four home runs (two being grand slams), landed her Louisville Slugger/NFCA, USA Softball and SEC Player of the Week honors. With those, she became the second player in school history to earn all three major weekly awards in the same week, joining former MSU All-American Iyhia McMichael.

Silk Having Banner Senior Season…
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. During Super Bulldog Weekend, she captured her 56th-career victory, making her the all-time winningest pitcher in MSU history and against Georgia made her 136th-career appearance, taking over first in that category as well.

Along with her record-breaking accomplishments, Silkwood also became the 13^th Bulldog in school history to reach the pros, as she was selected in the fifth round (24^th overall pick) by the Akron Racers in the 2017 NPF Draft on Monday, April 27.

- 1st in wins (59)
- 1st in strikeouts (552)
- 1st in complete games (50)
- 1st in innings pitched (660.2)
- 1st in appearances (143)
- 2nd in starts (94)
- 3rd in saves (9)
- T-3rd in shutouts (13)

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 75 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 15 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. 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 27-2 when leading after five and 25-1 when leading after six frames.

Ranked Wins Keep Coming…
With a total of nine ranked wins during the 2017 season, MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman now has at least one ranked win in all six years she has been at the helm of the Bulldog softball program. She is the only head coach since MSU reached varsity status in 1997 to have a ranked win in every year of their tenure.

Those nine wins tie for the most in a single season in Bulldog Softball history. The record was first set in 2004.

Dogs Racked Up Series Wins In 2017…
Mississippi State claimed four of its final five SEC series to close out the 2017 regular season, defeating South Carolina, No. 19 Georgia, No. 24 Arkansas and No. 16 Kentucky. The four SEC series wins are the most since the Dogs claimed four in 2012, Vann Stuedeman's first season at the helm.

We've Got That Power…
The Bulldogs have tallied 28 home runs so far through the year, besting the 18 they hit throughout the entire 2016 season. State has put together five multi-home run contests through this season, while only having one all of last year.

Leading MSU's home run barrage has been Caroline Seitz, who paces the Bulldogs with nine bombs this year. She now has 37 for her career, which puts her in a tie for second place on MSU's all-time list with former Bulldog All-American Iyhia McMichael. She is currently seven away from tying the school record, held by Kellie Wilkerson (44, 1999-02).

Weather…
Thursday's Forecast (May 18) – AM Showers, 54 Degrees (30%)
Friday's Forecast (May 19) – Partly Cloudy, 62 Degrees (0%)
Sunday's Forecast (May 20) – Sunny, 70 Degrees (0%)

Live Stream…
All games in the Salt Lake Regional will be broadcasted by ESPN, with the first two games of the regional being shown on ESPN3. Alex Perlman and Megan Turk will have the call for all games in the regional. Fans can access the broadcast through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

Mississippi State vs. BYU ESPN3 Broadcast

Live Stats…
Utah will provide live stats for all games in the Salt Lake City Regional. Live stats for all contests can be found below.

Salt Lake City Regional Live Stats

Admission…
Fans looking to make their way to Utah to cheer on the Bulldogs in the Salt Lake City Regional can still purchase single session and all tournament tickets while supplies last. Ticket prices and more info can be found at www.utahtickets.com/softball.

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".