Bulldogs Host Alabama State for First Midweek Swing of 2019

Wednesday, February 20

Starkville

5:30 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama State

Senior Sarai Niu has reached base safely in all nine of State's contest to open the 2019 season.

Bulldogs Host Alabama State for First Midweek Swing of 2019

February 19, 2019 | Softball

Watch Live (SECN+) Live Stats Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Returning to Starkville to open a six-game home swing, Mississippi State softball readies for its first midweek tilt of the 2019 as Alabama State travels to Nusz Park for a Wednesday date on the diamond.

First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network + with Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and MSU softball alumna Morgan Bell (analyst) on the call. With inclement weather forecasted for Wednesday, any changes to the schedule will be released on all of @HailStateSB's social channels as well as www.HailState.com.

Last weekend, MSU traveled south of the border for the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, facing a tough slate of opponents. The Bulldogs picked up two victories over Sacramento State and UCF to improve to 6-3 on the season.

Sophomore catch Mia Davidson paved the way for the Bulldogs with a stellar performance in Mexico. The Hillsborough, North Carolina, native went 8-for-12 at the plate with three home runs, five runs scored and seven RBI. She held a 1.417 slugging percentage coupled with a .759 on-base percentage over MSU's five games to earn All-Tournament Team honors.

Davidson slugged three home runs against No. 5 Washington on Feb. 14 to set Mississippi State's single-game records for homers (3) and total bases (12). She currently ranks fourth in the SEC and seventh in the nation with five home runs this season. The sophomore has 24 round-tripped to her credit and is just two shy from tying Brianna Bell (2008-13) for seventh all-time in MSU history.

Not to be outdone, junior outfielder Fa Leilua picked up three home runs and seven RBI while in Mexico to join Davidson on the All-Tournament Team. The Hawthorne, California, native currently ranks second in the conference in home runs (6), third in RBIs (16) and sixth in slugging percentage (1.038).

Freshman Grace Fagan was State's star in the circle last weekend as she posted a 0.84 earned run average to lead MSU's pitching staff. Fagan picked up a win in her two appearances and allowed just one earned run over 8.1 inning of work with eight strikeouts.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Against Alabama State
Overall: 4-0
In Starkville: 1-0
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Alabama State, 11-0 (March 27, 2018 in Montgomery)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +4

LEADING OFF

Mississippi State opens its six-game home swing on Wednesday against Alabama State for the first midweek tilt of the 2019 season.
The Bulldogs have won all four previous meetings with the Hornets, outscoring Alabama State, 69-0. MSU has won three of the four contests via the run-rule.
MSU fell out of the USA Today / NFCA Coaches Poll for the first time this season, but continue to receive votes in both major national polls.
In her eighth season at the helm of Mississippi State, head coach Vann Stuedeman has collected 247 career wins and is now just 48 wins away from tying the program record.
Combining for six home runs and 14 RBIs over the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge last weekend, sophomore Mia Davidson and junior Fa Leilua both earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the second against UCF, Mississippi State plated 10 runs off 11 hits en route to a run-rule victory. It was the most runs scored in an inning in Puerto Vallarta College Challenge history since Nevada scored nine against Southern Illinois on Feb. 28, 2015.
Against No. 5 Washington, Mia Davidson went 3-for-3 with three home runs to set MSU's single-game records for home runs and total bases (12). She was one home run away from tying the NCAA record.
Fa Leilua (6) and Mia Davidson (5) rank second and fourth, respectively, in the SEC in home runs and have combined for 11 of State's 12 home runs.
Only six student-athletes have slugged three triples over the first two weeks of the season as senior Kat Moore (3) is one of just two SEC student-athletes to reach the feat to lead the country, joining LSU's Taryn Antoine.
With 938 career putouts to her credit, senior Sarai Niu is just one of six Bulldogs to record over 900 putouts in a MSU career.
Just a sophomore, Mia Davidson has slugged 24 home runs in her career to stand eighth all-time in MSU history. She is just two away from tying Brianna Bell (2008-13) for seventh. She is now just 20 homers shy of tying Kellie Wilkerson's (1999-02) school record.
With help of her perfect 5-for-5 mark this season, senior Bevia Robinson holds a .920 career stolen-base percentage, which ranks ninth among all active Division I student-athletes.
Senior Sarai Niu enters the midweek contest having reached base safely in all nine of State's games to open the season. She ranks second on the squad with a .500 on-base percentage.

ON DECK
This weekend, Mississippi State hosts its second non-conference tournament of the season, welcoming Georgia Tech, Alcorn State and Southeastern Louisiana for The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament. MSU opens the tournament on Friday, Feb. 22 against Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. CT before facing Alcorn State at 5:30 p.m. CT. State will face Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m. CT, while its final two matchups of the weekend determined by seeding.

WATCH LIVE
Wednesday's midweek tilt will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network+ via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and softball alumna Morgan Bell (analyst) will have the call.

Mississippi State vs. Alabama State

LIVE STATS
Mississippi State will provide live stats, which can be accessed by visiting www.msu.statbroadcast.com.

ADMISSION
All regular-season contests at Nusz Park are free admission.

WEATHER
Wednesday, Feb. 20 – Thunderstorms; 64 Degrees (100%)

PROMOTIONS
Mississippi State vs Alabama State (5:30 p.m. CT)
- FREE Admission
- GIVEAWAY: Free Muffin Bar for National Muffin Day (While Supplies Last)
- PROMOTION: Midweek Trivia: Disney! (Top Team wins $100)
- 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".