No. 23 Bulldogs Open Final Weekend of Non-Conference Play

Friday, March 9

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

Illinois (DH-1)

Mississippi State closes out its final weekend of nonconference play with four games against Illinois and UMass Lowell at Nusz Park.

No. 23 Bulldogs Open Final Weekend of Non-Conference Play

March 08, 2018 | Softball

Live Stats MSU vs. UMass Lowell Game One (SECN+)MSU vs. UMass Lowell Game Two (SECN+)Game Notes

STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the final weekend before the Southeastern Conference slate, No. 23 Mississippi State (17-3) closes out its nine-game homestand with contests against Illinois and UMass Lowell at Nusz Park.

The weekend forecast has already forced changes to the schedule as the Bulldogs will now face the Illini of Friday afternoon doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. CT.

Mississippi State will face UMass Lowell on Saturday, March 10. First pitch is schedule for 30 minutes following the conclusion of UMass Lowell vs. Illinois, which is set for 9 a.m. With rain in Saturday's forecast, fans are encouraged to follow @HailStateSB on its various social media platforms and visit HailState.com for any additional changes to Saturday's schedule.

The weekend will conclude on Sunday, March 11 with an 1:30 p.m. contest against the Riverhawks.

The Bulldogs are coming off its fifth straight victory after knocking off Boston College Wednesday evening at Nusz Park. The Bulldogs plated four runs in the first inning to hang on to a 4-3 victory. Senior Cassady Knudsen earned her sixth victory of the season, striking out 10 batters for her fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season. At the plate, State was led by senior Morgan Bell, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.

MSU enters the final nonconference weekend of the season with the sixth-lowest earned run average in the nation at 0.84. Over 133.0 innings, State has allowed just 13 earned runs while striking out 185 batters. Knudsen continues to rack up the punch outs as she still leads the country with a 12.1 strikeouts per seven inning average.

Offensively, freshman Mia Davidson continues to be the leader of the Bulldog offense. Over the first 10 games of the season, Davidson holds a .403 average with a staggering .790 slugging percentage. She ranks fifth in the conference with five home runs this season. She opened the season with a 16-game hit streak, becoming just one of 15 Bulldogs in program history to ever record a hit streak of at least 16 games.

ON DECK
Mississippi State opens a five-game road swing on Tuesday, March 13 in Birmingham, Ala as the Bulldogs will take on Samford at 6 p.m. CT before traveling to Memphis on Wednesday, March 14 with a 6 p.m. showdown with the Tigers.

LAST TIME OUT
Mississippi State plated four runs in the first inning with help of a two-RBI double by senior Morgan Bell, and that was all the Bulldogs needed as they held on for a 4-3 victory over Boston College. Cassady Knudsen earned her sixth win of the season behind 10 strikeouts, while Holly Ward notched her team-leading second save with a shutdown seventh inning.

Friday, March 7
Mississippi State def. Boston College, 4-3 (Box Score, Recap)

UPDATED WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, March 9
Game 1 - Mississippi State vs. Illinois – 4 p.m. CT
Game 2 - Mississippi State vs. Illinois – 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 10
Game 3- UMass Lowell vs. Illinois – 9 a.m. CT
Game 4- Mississippi State vs. UMass Lowell – approximately 11 a.m. CT

Sunday, March 11
Game 5 – UMass Lowell vs. Illinois – 11 a.m. CT
Game 6 – Mississippi State vs. UMass Lowell – 1:30 p.m. CT

INSIDE THE SERIES
Against Illinois
Overall: First Meeting
In Starkville: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Current Streak: First Meeting

Against UMass-Lowell
Overall: First Meeting
In Starkville: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Current Streak: First Meeting

DAWGS IN THE POLLS
A 4-0 weekend over the Bulldog Slamboree lifted Mississippi State two spot to No. 23 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. The ranking is the highest for the Bulldogs since February 2016 when MSU also held a No. 23 rank in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Currently, 11 of the 13 Southeastern Conference squads are ranked.

WARD UP
Holly Ward's impressive start to her senior season has moved her into the MSU career record book. With a shutout against Sam Houston State (3/4), Ward tossed her eighth shutout of her career, moving her in a tied for seventh all-time with Alison Owen (2013-14) and Kim Davis (1985-86). She now stands at 264 career strikeouts after her save outing versus Boston College. Ward now ranks ninth all-time in program history and is just six strikeouts away from surpassing Stephanie Comeaux (2004-07) for eighth.

CASSADY "KKKKKKKKKK"NUDSEN
Opening her senior campaign, Cassady Knudsen has struck out at least 10 batters in five of her seven starts in 2018, including two career-high performances of 13 strikeouts.

Cassady currently leads the SEC and all of Division I softball with a 12.1 strikeouts per seven inning average. Her 72 total strikeouts currently rank fifth among SEC pitchers. Over her career, Knudsen ranks second in MSU history with a 7.43 strikeouts per seven inning average.

MISSISSIPPI QUEEN
Wednesday's victory over Boston College mark head coach Vann Stuedeman's 220th victory at the helm of Mississippi State softball. With the win Stuedeman surpasses Kathy Arendsen (1997-2002) for second-most wins in program history by a head coach. Jay Miller (2003-2011) holds the program record at 295.

ADMISSION
Admission to all regular-season home games at Nusz Park is free.

PROMOTIONS
vs. ILLINOIS at 4/6 PM
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- FREE T-Shirts for ALL Bulldog Strikeouts!
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

vs UMASS LOWELL at approximately 11:00 AM
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- FREE T-Shirts for ALL Bulldog Strikeouts!
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

vs. UMASS-LOWELL at 1:30 PM
- FREE Admission
- FREE Gift Cards & Prizes Throughout the Games
- FREE T-Shirts for ALL Bulldog Strikeouts!
- Up to 225 Hail State Rewards Points Per Game
- 150 Bully's Kids Club Points Per Game

WATCH LIVE
Due to changes in both softball and baseball's weekend schedule, only Saturday and Sunday games will only be streamed.

Mississippi State vs. UMass Lowell (Game One)
Mississippi State vs. UMass Lowell (Game Two)

LIVE STATS
Live stats for all six contests at Nusz Park can be found HERE or by visiting msu.statbroadcast.com.

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".