Softball Continues Homestand with UT Martin and February Freezer

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After opening the season with an impressive showing at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, Mississippi State softball (4-0) looks to keep the momentum rolling as they welcome UT Martin for a Thursday midweek showdown at Nusz before hosting a trio of opponents for the February Freezer.

The Bulldogs take on the Skyhawks of UT Martin (2-2) on Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CT. The contest marks the first "No One Fights Alone" game as the team will sport teal uniforms in honor of freshman outfielder Alex Wilcox's battle with ovarian cancer.

MSU hosts its second tournament of the season with the February Freezer, beginning on Friday, Feb. 16. The Bulldogs open the tournament with a Friday doubleheader, taking on Murray State (1-3) at 3 p.m. CT before facing off with Drake (4-1) at 5:30 p.m. CT.

State also welcomes South Alabama (4-1) to town as the Bulldogs face the Jaguars at 1:30 p.m. CT to open Saturday's slate. MSU will close out the weekend with a 4 p.m. CT rematch with Drake on Saturday.

Seventh-year head coach Vann Stuedeman and the Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 4-0 record after a perfect showing at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. For the first time in program history, MSU opened the season with four straight shutout victories after blanking Mississippi Valley, Omaha and Missouri State to win the tournament title.

Individually, the Bulldogs were led by freshman catcher/infielder Mia Davidson after her impressive debut at the plate. Davidson garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors after posting a .667 batting average and 1.333 slugging percentage over opening weekend with six runs scored and five RBIs.

Senior right-hander pitcher Holly Ward was virtually untouchable over opening weekend. She tossed two complete-game shutouts, allowed just two hits and four walks over 12.0 innings of work. Ward struck out 18 and held opponents to a .051 average at the plate. Ward's weekend was highlighted by tossing just the second perfect game in program history and the first since the 1997 season during MSU's 10-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

ON DECK
MSU wraps up its 10-game homestand on Tuesday, Feb. 20 with a 5:30 p.m. CT versus Southeastern Louisiana. The Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time this season next weekend for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. MSU kicks off the tournament on Thursday, Feb. 22 with a doubleheader against Arizona State at 3:00 p.m. CT and Nebraska at 10 p.m. CT. The tournament field also features Oklahoma State, San Jose State and Cal State Fullerton.

2018 FEBRUARY FREEZER SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 16
Game 1 – Drake vs. Murray State – 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 2 – Mississippi State vs. Murray State – 3 p.m. CT
Game 3 – Mississippi State vs. Drake – 5:30 p.m. CT

Saturday, Feb. 17
Game 4 – Murray State vs. South Alabama – 11 a.m. CT
Game 5 – Mississippi State vs. South Alabama – 1:30 p.m. CT
Game 6 – Mississippi State vs. Drake – 4 p.m. CT
Game 7 – Murray State vs. Drake – 6:30 p.m. CT

Sunday, Feb. 18
Game 8 – Drake vs. South Alabama – 11 a.m. CT
Game 9 – South Alabama vs. Murray State – 1:30 p.m. CT

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs turned in a perfect performance at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic to jump out to the program's first 4-0 start since 2016. MSU wrapped up the first weekend of the season as one of just three teams in Division I softball to shut out every opponent it faced.

Friday, Feb. 9
Mississippi State def. Mississippi Valley State, 10-0 [5 inn.] (Recap, Box Score)
Mississippi State def. Omaha, 8-0 [5 inn.] (Recap, Box Score)

Sunday, Feb. 11
Mississippi State def. Missouri State, 5-0 (Recap, Box Score)
Mississippi State def. Mississippi Valley State, 8-0 [6 inn.] (Recap, Box Score)

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Against UT Martin
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 3-0
In Starkville: Mississippi State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. UT Martin, 4-2 (Feb. 14, 2015)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +3

Against Murray State
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 1-0
In Starkville: Mississippi State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Murray State, 4-1 (Feb. 17, 2013)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +1

Against Drake
Overall: First Meeting
In Starkville: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Current Streak: First Meeting

Against South Alabama
Overall: South Alabama leads, 5-3
In Starkville: South Alabama leads, 1-3
Last Meeting: South Alabama def. Mississippi State, 1-2 (April 26, 2016)
Current Streak: South Alabama, +1

NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE
Thursday marks the first midweek contest of the 2018 season and the first game of State's "No One Fights Alone" campaign. The Bulldogs will wear teal every midweek contest in honor of freshman outfield Alex Wilcox's battle with ovarian cancer and encourage fans to do the same. Softball student-athletes have filmed messages of support and encouragement to others locally that are battling ovarian cancer. During the fourth inning, the teams will participate in a moment of silence and will allow fans to hold up the special game programs that feature a space to write down the name of a loved one that is also battling cancer.

PITCH PERFECT
Holly Ward tossed her first solo no-hitter and just the second perfect game in MSU program history behind a career-high 11 strikeouts in MSU's 10-0 victory over MVSU to open the 2018 season. State's first perfect game was tossed on March 2, 1997 as Jenny Hehnke blanked Alabama State 18-0 over five innings.

SHUTDOWN STAFF
MSU's pitching staff tossed four shutouts, including three complete-game shutouts, to open the 2018 season. It's the first time in school history that MSU's has blanked opponents in four consecutive games to open a campaign. The Bulldog staff was just one of three teams, joining Alabama and Lipscomb, to shut out opponents in every contest over opening weekend.

DAVIDSON'S DOMINANT DEBUT
Freshman Mia Davidson earned SEC Freshman of the Week after a dominating performance at the plate over her collegiate debut. Davidson led all SEC freshmen with a .667 batting average, while topping the league with teammate Morgan Bell with a 1.333 slugging percentage. Davidson slugged two home runs and two doubles for five RBIs and six runs scored.

HOT BATS
Mississippi State turned in a strong performance at the plate over opening weekend. The Bulldogs went 39-of-99 for a .394 average, which ranks second in the conference and 12^th nationally. The Bulldogs put the ball in play in 97 of its 99 at bats, striking out just three times.

WATCH LIVE
Four of Mississippi State's five games will be broadcasted on SEC Network+

MSU vs. UT Martin
MSU vs. Murray State
MSU vs. Drake
MSU vs. South Alabama

LIVE STATS
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all 10 games this week. Live stats can be found HERE or by visiting msu.statbroadcast.com.
ADMISSION
All regular-season home games at Nusz Park this weekend, as well as the entire season, are free admission.

PROMOTIONS
A list of this weekend's promotions are listed below.

Thursday, Feb. 15
MSU vs. UT Martin (4 p.m.)
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

Friday, Feb. 16
MSU vs. Murray State (3 p.m.) // MSU vs. Drake (5:30 pm.)
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

Saturday, Feb. 17
MSU vs. South Alabama (1:30 p.m.) // MSU vs. Drake (4 p.m.)
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

FOLLOW THE DAWGS
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".

Softball Continues Homestand with UT Martin and February Freezer

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Bell

Mia Davidson

Holly Ward

Alex Wilcox

Mississippi State University Athletics