Bulldogs Prep for Midweek Road Tilt at Memphis

Wednesday, February 27

Memphis, Tenn.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Memphis

The Bulldogs travel to Memphis to face the Tigers for State's first true road test of the 2019 season.

Bulldogs Prep for Midweek Road Tilt at Memphis

February 26, 2019 | Softball

Watch Live Live Stats Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Making the short trek to Memphis for its first true road test of the season, Mississippi State softball prepares for Wednesday's midweek showdown against the Tigers inside the Tiger Softball Complex.

First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. CT with the contest being streamed live on the Memphis Tiger Network.

Over the weekend, the Bulldogs hosted the inaugural The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament at Nusz Park. MSU picked up four victories, including a dramatic extra-innings thriller against Southeastern Louisiana, to improve to 11-4 on the season.

With three weeks of the season in the books, sophomore Mia Davidson and junior Fa Leilua continue to impress at the plate with nine home runs each, a mark the not only leads the Southeastern Conference, but also all of Division I softball. Davidson also leads the SEC in on-base percentage (.667) and slugging percentage (1.353). With just 15 games of the 2019 season complete, the duo is now each one home run shy of already earning a spot on MSU's single-season annuals.

Junior Alyssa Loza turned in an impressive week in the circle, earning a couple victories, including a one-hit shutout over Alcorn State. The right-hander leads MSU with a 4-1 record and a 1.71 earned run average. Over 32.2 innings, Loza has given up just six walks compared to 21 strikeouts.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Against Memphis
Overall: 8-0
In Memphis: 2-0
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Memphis, 3-1 (April 17, 2018 in Starkville)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +8

LEADING OFF

Hitting the road for its first true away contest of the 2019 season, Mississippi State treks to Memphis to face the Tigers in a midweek contest.
MSU has won eight straight contests against Memphis, including sweeping the home-away series with the Tigers last season. State is 2-0 in contests played at Tiger Softball Complex.
For the second straight week, MSU is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
In her eighth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, head coach Vann Stuedeman has collected 252 career wins and is now just 43 shy from tying the program record for most victories by a MSU head coach.
With nine home runs reach to their credit, Fa Leilua and Mia Davidson has combined for 18 of MSU's 21 home runs this season. The duo also is tied for the SEC and the NCAA lead in the category.
Only two SEC student-athletes have slugged three triples over the first three weeks of the season - MSU's Kat Moore and LSU's Taryn Antoine. Moore currently ranks fourth in all of Division I softball.
With 980 career putouts to her credit, senior Sarai Niu is just one of six Bulldogs to record over 900 putouts in a MSU career. She ranks fifth in program history.
Just a sophomore, Mia Davidson has slugged 28 home runs in her career to stand sixth all-time in program history. She is now three away from surpassing Sam Lenahan (2011-14) for fifth all-time in school history and is just 16 shy of tying Kellie Wilkerson's (1999-02) school record of 44.
With help of her 6-for-7 mark this season, senior Bevia Robinson holds a .920 career stolen-base percentage, which ranks ninth among all active Division I student-athletes.
The Bulldogs are 7-0 this season in games where Fa Leilua slugs a home run.
With her one-hit shutout versus Alcorn State on Monday, junior Alyssa Loza stands fifth in the SEC with two shutouts over her debut season.
Ten of sophomore Mia Davidson's 18 hits this season have gone for extra-bases as she boasts a 1.353 slugging percentage which leads the SEC and ranks second nationally.

ON DECK
The Bulldogs continue their road trip this weekend, trekking to Durham, North Carolina for the Duke Invitational hosted by the Blue Devils. MSU opens the tournament on Friday, March 1 with a doubleheader slate, facing Ohio University (12 p.m. CT) and Duke (6 p.m. CT).

WATCH LIVE
Wednesday's midweek tilt will be streamed live of the Memphis Tigers Network.

Mississippi State at Memphis

LIVE STATS
Memphis will provide live stats for Wednesday's midweek tilt.

Mississippi State at Memphis Live Stats

ADMISSION
Admission to the Tiger Softball Complex is free.

WEATHER
Wednesday, Feb. 27 – Cloudy; 62 Degrees (20%)

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".