Wednesday, May 9
Columbia, Mo.
11:00 AM
Mississippi State
vs
#14 Texas A&M
Mississippi State will make its fifth straight SEC Championship appearance on Wednesday, taking on the sixth-seeded Aggies of Texas A&M.
Bulldogs Open 2018 SEC Championship Against Six-Seed Texas A&M
May 08, 2018 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Making its 17th overall appearance in the SEC Championship tournament, the 11th-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs (35-20, 7-17 SEC) will open the tournament with a regular-season rematch, squaring off with the sixth-seeded Texas A&M Aggies (40-15, 13-11 SEC) on Wednesday.
First pitch from the Mizzou Softball Complex in Columbia, Mo., is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be nationally televised on the SEC Network. Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough and Laura Rutledge will have the call. Fan can also access the game online through WatchESPN and the WatchESPn app.
The winner of Wednesday game will go on to face tournament's No. 3 seed in South Carolina on Thursday, May 10 at 11 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.
Fans looking to make their way to Columbia for the 2018 SEC Tournament can still purchase single-game and session tickets. More information can be found at the 2018 SEC Championship Hub.
Wednesday will mark the fourth meeting between the Bulldogs and the Aggies this season as Texas A&M picked up two wins in Starkville in early April to win the regular-season series. The final two games of the series were decided in extra innings. Wednesday will be the first time the two squads have met in the SEC Championship, but MSU holds a 2-1 advantage in neutral site meetings against the Aggies.
This is State's fifth straight and 17th overall appearance in the SEC Championship. MSU holds an 11-24 record in the tournament and is looking for its first win since defeating South Carolina, 4-1, in 2005.
State is led by the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year Mia Davidson, who also picked up All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors on Tuesday. Davidson leads the entire SEC in total bases (137), home runs (18) and slugging percentage (.797). She is just one home run away from breaking Iyhia McMichael's single-season record that was set back in 2003.
The Bulldog pitching staff has been phenomenal so far in 2018, tying the program record with 17 shutouts over the regular-season. The staff's 2.03 earned run average ranks fifth in the league and 24th in the country. The squad's ERA is the lowest since the 2006 staff, which held a 2.00 ERA in the circle.
Senior Holly Ward paces the team with a 1.34 ERA, which is eighth in the SEC and 24th in all of Division I softball. Ward is also ranks fourth in the league in shutouts (7), sixth in strikeouts (158) and holds a 3.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the circle.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 24 Mississippi State plated two runs in the seventh inning off a two-RBI single by junior Emily Heimberger, but the comeback rally fell short as No. 7 Tennessee held on the claim the series victory, 6-3.
Friday, May 4
No. 7 Tennessee def. No 24 Mississippi State, 4-7 (Recap, Box Score)
Saturday, May 5
No. 24 Mississippi State def. No. 7 Tennessee, 10-3 (Recap, Box Score)
Sunday, May 6
No. 7 Tennessee def. No. 24 Mississippi State, 3-6 (Recap, Box Score)
SERIES HISTORY
Against Texas A&M
Overall: Texas A&M leads 10-8
At SEC Championship: First Meeting
Last Meeting: No. 10 Texas A&M def. No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-1 [8 inn.] (April 8, 2018 in Starkville, Miss.)
Current Streak: Texas A&M, +1
CLUBHOUSE LEADERS
Batting Average: Mia Davidson (.384)
Slugging Percentage: Mia Davidson (.797)
On-Base Percentage: Mia Davidson (.457)
Runs: Mia Davidson (48)
Hits: Mia Davidson (66)
RBI: Mia Davidson (46)
Doubles: Mia Davidson (13)
Triples: Three players (3)
Home Runs: Mia Davidson (18)
Stolen Bases: Emily Heimberger (15)
ERA: Holly Ward (1.34)
Opposing Batting Average: Holly Ward (.200)
Innings Pitched: Holly Ward (156.2)
Strikeouts: Holly Ward (158)
DAWGS MAKE FIFTH STRAIGHT SEC CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE
For the fifth straight season the Maroon and White are heading to the SEC Championship, with the 2018 edition coming from Columbia, Mo. MSU will have a rematch with regular-seson foe Texas A&M on Wednesday, May 9 at 11 a.m. CT. It is the first meeting between the pair in the SEC Championship.
Overall, this is Mississippi State's 16th SEC Championship appearance. State is 11-24 overall and is looking for its first SEC Championship win since defeating South Carolina, 4-1, in 2005.
DAVIDSON REELS IN HONORS
Behind a stellar rookie season, Mia Davidson picked up a trio of honors of Tuesday. Davidson was named the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year, becoming just the third Bulldog in school history to win the honor. She also became the second straight Bulldog to pick up First Team All-SEC honors, joining Caroline Seitz (2017). Rounding out the awards was a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team as Davidson is the first MSU freshman to win the honor since Seitz and Alexis Silkwood in 2014.
SLUGGING TOWARDS SEASON RECORD
With 55 games of her freshman season under her belt, Mia Davidson has etched her name into the record books. Davidson slugged her 18th home run of the season during the regular-season finale to set a new MSU freshman record.
She is also now tied with Iyhia McMichael for the Mississippi State single-season record. Even more impressive, Davidson is already on the MSU career home run charts, checking in tied for ninth.
BOMB SQUAD
As a team the Bulldogs have hit 49 home runs, which ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference and is also the third-most homers hit in a single season by MSU. The Bulldogs have turned in 15 multi-home run games this season, including tying the program record with four home runs versus Tennessee on May 5.
Freshman Mia Davidson leads the team, knocking 18 of MSU's 49 home runs and leads the SEC in bombs as well as tying for MSU's single-season record.
Five Bulldogs have also knocked the first home runs of their career this season: Carter Spexarth, Grace Dabbs, Carmen Carter, Macey Petrey and Bevia Robinson.
BLANK'EM
Behind Holly Ward's one-hit performance at Troy on April 26, the Bulldog pitching staff recorded its 17th shutout of the 2018 season, tying the school record that was originally set over the 1998 season.
In her seven seasons at the helm, head coach Vann Stuedeman's staffs have recorded 74 shutouts.
WARD UP
Carrying the bulk of the load in the circle in MSU's final weekend of the regular season 2018, Holly Ward jumped into seventh for most career innings pitch. She now ranks in the Top 10 in eight MSU career categories
5th Strikeouts 357
5th Shutouts 12
T5th Saves 7
T6th Solo No-Hitters 1
7th Opponent Batting Avg. .231
7th Innings Pitched 438.0
9th Strikeouts per 7 inn. 5.71
9th Wins 36
MAMA MIA!
Mia Davidson continues to prove that being a freshman is not a limitation when it comes to success at the plate in the SEC.
Davidson currently ranks in the top 10 in the Southeastern Conference in eight offensive categories, including leading the league in total bases (137), home runs (18) and home runs per game (0.33) and slugging percentage (.797)
Nationally, Davidson ranks in the top 15 in two categories – fifth in total bases and 11th in home runs.
SHUTDOWN STAFF
MSU's pitching staff has tossed 17 shutouts, including 13 complete-game shutouts, over the first 55 games of the season. The 17 shutouts ties the school record for most recorded in a single-season first set in 1998
MSU set a program record by opening 2018 with five straight shutout victories. The Bulldog staff was just one of three teams, joining Alabama and Lipscomb, to shut out opponents in every contest over opening weekend.
Entering the 14th week of the season, MSU ranks 24th in the country and fifth in the SEC with an 2.03 ERA, allowing just 106 earned runs over 365.1 innings this season.
WEATHER
Wednesday – Mostly Sunny, 88 degrees (20%)
WATCH LIVE
Every game of the SEC Championship will be television nationally on the ESPN family of networks with all four of Wednesday's opening-round contests airing on the SEC Network. The game can also be streamed through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
#11 Mississippi State vs. #6 Texas A&M Broadcast
LIVE STATS
Missouri will provide live stats throughout the SEC Championship. Wednesday's live stats can be accessed below.
#11 Mississippi State vs. #6 Texas A&M Live Stats
ADMISSION
Tickets for the 2017 SEC Championship in Columbia are still available. For more information, visit the SEC Championship Hub.
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".
First pitch from the Mizzou Softball Complex in Columbia, Mo., is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be nationally televised on the SEC Network. Adam Amin, Amanda Scarborough and Laura Rutledge will have the call. Fan can also access the game online through WatchESPN and the WatchESPn app.
The winner of Wednesday game will go on to face tournament's No. 3 seed in South Carolina on Thursday, May 10 at 11 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.
Fans looking to make their way to Columbia for the 2018 SEC Tournament can still purchase single-game and session tickets. More information can be found at the 2018 SEC Championship Hub.
Wednesday will mark the fourth meeting between the Bulldogs and the Aggies this season as Texas A&M picked up two wins in Starkville in early April to win the regular-season series. The final two games of the series were decided in extra innings. Wednesday will be the first time the two squads have met in the SEC Championship, but MSU holds a 2-1 advantage in neutral site meetings against the Aggies.
This is State's fifth straight and 17th overall appearance in the SEC Championship. MSU holds an 11-24 record in the tournament and is looking for its first win since defeating South Carolina, 4-1, in 2005.
State is led by the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year Mia Davidson, who also picked up All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors on Tuesday. Davidson leads the entire SEC in total bases (137), home runs (18) and slugging percentage (.797). She is just one home run away from breaking Iyhia McMichael's single-season record that was set back in 2003.
The Bulldog pitching staff has been phenomenal so far in 2018, tying the program record with 17 shutouts over the regular-season. The staff's 2.03 earned run average ranks fifth in the league and 24th in the country. The squad's ERA is the lowest since the 2006 staff, which held a 2.00 ERA in the circle.
Senior Holly Ward paces the team with a 1.34 ERA, which is eighth in the SEC and 24th in all of Division I softball. Ward is also ranks fourth in the league in shutouts (7), sixth in strikeouts (158) and holds a 3.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the circle.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 24 Mississippi State plated two runs in the seventh inning off a two-RBI single by junior Emily Heimberger, but the comeback rally fell short as No. 7 Tennessee held on the claim the series victory, 6-3.
Friday, May 4
No. 7 Tennessee def. No 24 Mississippi State, 4-7 (Recap, Box Score)
Saturday, May 5
No. 24 Mississippi State def. No. 7 Tennessee, 10-3 (Recap, Box Score)
Sunday, May 6
No. 7 Tennessee def. No. 24 Mississippi State, 3-6 (Recap, Box Score)
SERIES HISTORY
Against Texas A&M
Overall: Texas A&M leads 10-8
At SEC Championship: First Meeting
Last Meeting: No. 10 Texas A&M def. No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-1 [8 inn.] (April 8, 2018 in Starkville, Miss.)
Current Streak: Texas A&M, +1
CLUBHOUSE LEADERS
Batting Average: Mia Davidson (.384)
Slugging Percentage: Mia Davidson (.797)
On-Base Percentage: Mia Davidson (.457)
Runs: Mia Davidson (48)
Hits: Mia Davidson (66)
RBI: Mia Davidson (46)
Doubles: Mia Davidson (13)
Triples: Three players (3)
Home Runs: Mia Davidson (18)
Stolen Bases: Emily Heimberger (15)
ERA: Holly Ward (1.34)
Opposing Batting Average: Holly Ward (.200)
Innings Pitched: Holly Ward (156.2)
Strikeouts: Holly Ward (158)
DAWGS MAKE FIFTH STRAIGHT SEC CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE
For the fifth straight season the Maroon and White are heading to the SEC Championship, with the 2018 edition coming from Columbia, Mo. MSU will have a rematch with regular-seson foe Texas A&M on Wednesday, May 9 at 11 a.m. CT. It is the first meeting between the pair in the SEC Championship.
Overall, this is Mississippi State's 16th SEC Championship appearance. State is 11-24 overall and is looking for its first SEC Championship win since defeating South Carolina, 4-1, in 2005.
DAVIDSON REELS IN HONORS
Behind a stellar rookie season, Mia Davidson picked up a trio of honors of Tuesday. Davidson was named the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year, becoming just the third Bulldog in school history to win the honor. She also became the second straight Bulldog to pick up First Team All-SEC honors, joining Caroline Seitz (2017). Rounding out the awards was a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team as Davidson is the first MSU freshman to win the honor since Seitz and Alexis Silkwood in 2014.
SLUGGING TOWARDS SEASON RECORD
With 55 games of her freshman season under her belt, Mia Davidson has etched her name into the record books. Davidson slugged her 18th home run of the season during the regular-season finale to set a new MSU freshman record.
She is also now tied with Iyhia McMichael for the Mississippi State single-season record. Even more impressive, Davidson is already on the MSU career home run charts, checking in tied for ninth.
BOMB SQUAD
As a team the Bulldogs have hit 49 home runs, which ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference and is also the third-most homers hit in a single season by MSU. The Bulldogs have turned in 15 multi-home run games this season, including tying the program record with four home runs versus Tennessee on May 5.
Freshman Mia Davidson leads the team, knocking 18 of MSU's 49 home runs and leads the SEC in bombs as well as tying for MSU's single-season record.
Five Bulldogs have also knocked the first home runs of their career this season: Carter Spexarth, Grace Dabbs, Carmen Carter, Macey Petrey and Bevia Robinson.
BLANK'EM
Behind Holly Ward's one-hit performance at Troy on April 26, the Bulldog pitching staff recorded its 17th shutout of the 2018 season, tying the school record that was originally set over the 1998 season.
In her seven seasons at the helm, head coach Vann Stuedeman's staffs have recorded 74 shutouts.
WARD UP
Carrying the bulk of the load in the circle in MSU's final weekend of the regular season 2018, Holly Ward jumped into seventh for most career innings pitch. She now ranks in the Top 10 in eight MSU career categories
5th Strikeouts 357
5th Shutouts 12
T5th Saves 7
T6th Solo No-Hitters 1
7th Opponent Batting Avg. .231
7th Innings Pitched 438.0
9th Strikeouts per 7 inn. 5.71
9th Wins 36
MAMA MIA!
Mia Davidson continues to prove that being a freshman is not a limitation when it comes to success at the plate in the SEC.
Davidson currently ranks in the top 10 in the Southeastern Conference in eight offensive categories, including leading the league in total bases (137), home runs (18) and home runs per game (0.33) and slugging percentage (.797)
Nationally, Davidson ranks in the top 15 in two categories – fifth in total bases and 11th in home runs.
SHUTDOWN STAFF
MSU's pitching staff has tossed 17 shutouts, including 13 complete-game shutouts, over the first 55 games of the season. The 17 shutouts ties the school record for most recorded in a single-season first set in 1998
MSU set a program record by opening 2018 with five straight shutout victories. The Bulldog staff was just one of three teams, joining Alabama and Lipscomb, to shut out opponents in every contest over opening weekend.
Entering the 14th week of the season, MSU ranks 24th in the country and fifth in the SEC with an 2.03 ERA, allowing just 106 earned runs over 365.1 innings this season.
WEATHER
Wednesday – Mostly Sunny, 88 degrees (20%)
WATCH LIVE
Every game of the SEC Championship will be television nationally on the ESPN family of networks with all four of Wednesday's opening-round contests airing on the SEC Network. The game can also be streamed through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
#11 Mississippi State vs. #6 Texas A&M Broadcast
LIVE STATS
Missouri will provide live stats throughout the SEC Championship. Wednesday's live stats can be accessed below.
#11 Mississippi State vs. #6 Texas A&M Live Stats
ADMISSION
Tickets for the 2017 SEC Championship in Columbia are still available. For more information, visit the SEC Championship Hub.
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".
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