No. 25 Bulldogs Prepare for Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Thursday, February 14

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

Southern Illinois

Mississippi State travels south of the border to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

No. 25 Bulldogs Prepare for Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

February 13, 2019 | Softball

Live Stats Watch Live ($)Tournament Central Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Heading south of the border for its first road contests of the season, No. 25 Mississippi State softball (4-1) continues its season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the 2019 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

State's three-day slate begins on Thursday, Feb 14 with a doubleheader slate, kicking off the action against Southern Illinois at 10 a.m. CT. The Bulldogs return to the field at 6 p.m. CT for its first Top 25 matchup of the season, taking on the 2018 Women's College World Series runner-up No. 5 Washington.

Friday, MSU will face Sacramento State, a 2018 NCAA Regional participant, at 10 a.m. CT. The Bulldogs close the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 16 against UCF at 12:30 p.m. CT.

All four contests will be streamed live via FloSoftball.com, which requires a paid subscription to view.

Last weekend, MSU picked up four wins over the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, highlighted by the debut of junior outfielder Fa Leilua in a Maroon and White uniform. The Hawthorne, California, native tallied five hits, three of which were home run, and currently ranks fifth in the SEC in RBIs with nine.

Junior pitcher Alyssa Loza dazzled in the circle over opening weekend. In her first start as a Bulldog, Loza tossed just the third perfect game in Mississippi State history as she blanked Valparaiso, 10-0, behind four strikeouts.

Returning to the field after being sidelined last season with an injury, redshirt sophomore Montana Davidson led MSU over opening weekend in hits (7), doubles (3) and batting average (.538). Her sister, sophomore Mia Davidson, slugged two home runs, including her first career grand slam, to bring her career total to 21 homers, which is good for eighth all-time in program history.

2019 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 14
Game 1 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Southern Illinois – 10 a.m. CT
Game 2 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Washington – 6 p.m. CT

Friday, Feb. 15
Game 3 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. Sacramento State – 10 a.m. CT

Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 4 – No. 25 Mississippi State vs. UCF – 12:30 p.m. CT

Inside the Matchup
Against Southern Illinois
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 7-3
At Neutral Site: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Souther Illinois, 6-2 (Feb. 26, 2018 in Starkville)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +2

Against Washington
Overall: Washington leads, 4-1
At Neutral Site: Washington leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Washington def. Mississippi State, 18-5 (Feb. 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Current Streak: Washington, +2

Against Sacramento State
Overall: First Meeting
At Neutral Site: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Current Streak: First Meeting

Against UCF
Overall: First Meeting
At Neutral Site: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Current Streak: First Meeting

Return to Puerto Vallarta
Mississippi State is making its return trip to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge after posting a 3-1 record at the tournament over the 2017 season. MSU was led by Reggie Harrison, who went 7-for-12 (.583) with a home run, two doubles and two RBI with a 1.000 slugging percentage over MSU's four tournament games to earn the tournament's Most Valuable Player honor. Bevia Robinson was also tabbed to the All-Tournament team that season.

Bomb Squad
Mississippi State's offense opened the season in a huge way, knocking five home runs over opening weekend. Junior outfielder Fa Leilua paced the way with three homers, which ranks fourth in the SEC and sixth across all of Division I softball. With her two home runs against Valparaiso, she became the first Bulldog to hit two dingers in a game since Caroline Seitz at Georgia on April 14, 2017.

Sophomore catcher Mia Davidson added two home runs, including her first career grand slam. She now stands at eighth all-time in MSU history with 21 career homers.

Pitch Perfect
In her first start in a Bulldog uniform, junior Alyssa Loza tossed just the third perfect game in Bulldog history. Loza relied on the State defense as she struck out just four in the contest as MSU topped Valparaiso, 10-0, in five innings on Feb. 9. Her performance comes exactly one year after Holly Ward tossed a perfect game against Mississippi Valley State to open the 2018 season.

On Deck
State returns to Nusz Park on Wednesday, Feb. 20 for its first midweek contest of the 2018 season as the Bulldogs take on Alabama State at 5:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+.

Watch Live
All four of Mississippi State's contests in Puerto Vallarta will be streamed live via www.FloSoftball.com. A paid subscription is required to access the game feeds.

Live Stats
Mississippi State will provide live stats throughout the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Live stats can be accessed by visiting www.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".