Bulldogs Open 2017 SEC Tournament Against In-State Foe Ole Miss

Wednesday, May 10

Knoxville, Tenn.

1:30 PM

Mississippi State

#19 Ole Miss

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The Bulldogs make their 15th SEC Tournament appearance on Wednesday, starting against in-state rival Ole Miss.

Bulldogs Open 2017 SEC Tournament Against In-State Foe Ole Miss

May 09, 2017 | Softball

Game Notes SEC Network +Live Stats SECSB Gameday Information 2017 SEC Tournament Bracket

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Riding a hot streak coming out of the regular season, the ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs (36-19, 10-14 SEC) look to keep it rolling as they open the 2017 SEC Tournament against their in-state rivals, the ninth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels (36-18, 10-14 SEC) on Wednesday.

First pitch from Knoxville is set for 1:30 p.m. CT from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and will be nationally televised on the SEC Network. Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough and Laura Rutledge will be on the call. Fans can also access the game online through SEC Network + by going to WatchESPN.com or using the ESPN app.

The winner of Wednesday's game will go on to face the tourney's top seed, the Florida Gators, on Thursday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Fans looking to make their way to the 2017 SEC Tournament can still purchase single session tickets while supplies last. Tickets are $10 each and more information can be found at the 2017 SEC Tournament Gameday Page.

Wednesday will be the second meeting this year between the Bulldogs and Rebels, with Ole Miss taking a 2-0 decision on March 22 in a midweek non-conference battle in Oxford. MSU leads the overall series, 39-25, but the Rebels hold a 4-1 advantage in neutral site games. Wednesday's contest will be the first meeting between the two teams at the SEC Tournament.

This is State's fourth-straight and 15^th-overall appearance in the SEC Tournament. MSU holds an 11-23 record in the tourney and is looking for its first win since defeating South Carolina 4-1 in 2005.

State is led by a pair of All-SEC selections in Caroline Seitz and Amanda Ivy. Seitz, who was named All-SEC First Team on Tuesday, leads the SEC in conference play with seven home runs, 28 RBI, a .724 slugging percentage and 55 total bases. She also stands 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 this season.

The Bulldog pitching staff has been phenomenal so far in 2017. The group's 1.96 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 1.67 ERA, good for 11^th in the SEC and 47^th in the NCAA. Knudsen is also third in the SEC and fifth nationally with 3.34 hits allowed per seven innings and sixth in the SEC, 45^th in the NCAA with 7.6 strikeouts per seven frames.

Last Time Out…
Mississippi State closed out the 2017 regular season with a series victory against the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats. With that series win, the Dogs captured four of their last five SEC series.

Friday, May 5
Mississippi State def. No. 16 Kentucky, 6-2 (Recap, Box Score)

Saturday, May 6
Mississippi State def. No. 16 Kentucky, 5-3 (Recap, Box Score)

Sunday, May 7
No. 16 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 10-7 (Recap, Box Score)

Series History…

Against Ole Miss
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 39-25
At SEC Tournament: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Ole Miss def. Mississippi State, 2-0 (March 22, 2017 in Oxford)
Current Streak: Ole Miss, +2

Leading The Bulldogs…

Batting Average: Bevia Robinson (.340)
Slugging Percentage: Caroline Seitz (.545)
On-Base Percentage: Reggie Harrison (.450)
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 (1.67)
Opposing Batting Average: Cassady Knudsen (.144)
Innings Pitched: Alexis Silkwood (150.0)
Strikeouts: Alexis Silkwood (102)

Dogs Make Fourth-Straight Trip To SEC Tourney…
For the fourth-straight season the Maroon and White are taking to the SEC Tournament, with the 2017 edition coming from Knoxville. MSU will open against in-state rival Ole Miss on Wednesday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. CT. It is the first meeting between the two programs in the SEC Tournament.

Overall, this is Mississippi State's 15^th SEC Tournament appearance. State is 11-23 overall and will be looking for its first SEC Tourney win since defeating South Carolina 4-1 in 2005.

All-SEC Honors For Seitz, Ivy…
Behind stellar senior seasons, Caroline Seitz and Amanda Ivy both earned conference honors on Tuesday, 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.

Bulldogs In The RPI…
The Bulldogs moved up to No. 31 in this week's RPI rankings. So far this year, the Dogs have earned wins against Texas A&M (No. 8), Alabama (No. 14), Kentucky (No. 17), South Carolina (No. 22), Georgia (No. 25) and Arkansas (No. 30). So far this year, 18 of State's wins this year have come against Top 100 programs.

Seitz Tearing Through SEC Play…
Caroline Seitz ended the 2017 regular season on an absolute tear through SEC play. Entering the SEC Tournament, the senior is leading the league in conference play with seven home runs, 28 RBI, a .724 slugging percentage and 55 total bases. She also stands top 10 with a .368 clip, 28 hits and six doubles.

Her hot streak began 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 (549)
- 1st in complete games (50)
- 1st in innings pitched (656.1)
- 1st in appearances (142)
- 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 Racking Up Series Wins…
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.

Weather…
Wednesday's Forecast (May 10) – Mostly Sunny, 84 degrees (10%)

Live Stream…
All of this week's SEC Tournament games will be nationally televised, with Wednesday's MSU-Ole Miss battle being broadcast on the SEC Network. Wednesday's game can also be accessed online through WatchESPN.com, the ESPN app or by clicking the link below.

#9 Mississippi State vs. #8 Ole Miss SEC Network Broadcast (Wednesday)

Live Stats…
Tennessee will provide live stats for all games this week. Live stats for Wednesday's contest can be found below.

#9 Mississippi State vs. #8 Ole Miss Live Stats (Wednesday)

Admission…
There are limited single-session tickets ($10) available for purchase for the 2017 SEC Tournament in Knoxville. For more information, visit the Tennessee SEC Tournament Gameday Info page.

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".