Bulldogs Trek to Lexington to Face No. 15 Kentucky in SEC Opener

Friday, March 15

Lexington, Ky.

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

#15 Kentucky

For the first time in program history, Mississippi State will open its SEC schedule in Lexington with a three-game series against the Wildcats.

Bulldogs Trek to Lexington to Face No. 15 Kentucky in SEC Opener

March 14, 2019 | Softball

Live Stats WatchESPN Tickets Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Rolling into Lexington, Kentucky, for a showdown with a top-ranked opponent, Mississippi State softball (19-5) opens the Southeastern Conference slate this weekend against No. 15/18 Kentucky (17-7, 3-0 SEC) at John Cropp Stadium.

The three-game series begins on Friday, March 15 at 5 p.m. CT on the SEC Network +. The final two games of the series will receive national attention with televised broadcasts on the SEC Network. Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) will have the call. First pitch on Saturday and Sunday is set for 11 a.m. CT.

Mississippi State brings a seven-game win streak into the weekend after turning in an undefeated performance over the Bulldog Slamboree. The weekend was highlighted by another strong showing at the plate by sophomore Mia Davidson and junior Fa Leilua as the pair each slugged two home runs over the weekend.

Davidson enters conference play as the NCAA Division I leader in home runs (14), RBIs (36) and slugging percentage (1.274), while ranking second in on-base percentage (.651) and total bases (79). Leilua also ranks fourth nationally in home runs with 12, making Mississippi State the lone school to have two student-athletes in the top four in total home runs.

Junior Alyssa Loza leads MSU's pitching staff with a team-low 2.10 earned run average and a 6-1 record in the circle. The right-hander has tossed two shutouts this season and have earned a save over her 43.1 innings of work. Sophomore Emily Williams (5-2) is the clubhouse leader in strikeouts with 75, which ranks sixth in the SEC.

KENTUCKY SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, March 15
Game One – Mississippi State at No. 15/18 Kentucky – 5 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 16
Game Two – Mississippi State at No. 15/18 Kentucky – 11 a.m. CT

Sunday, March 17
Game Three – Mississippi State at No. 15/18 Kentucky – 11 a.m. CT

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Against Kentucky
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 30-6
In Lexington: Kentucky leads, 16-11
Last Meeting: Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 10-7 [11 innings] (May 7, 2017 in Starkville)
Current Streak: Kentucky, +1

LEADING OFF

Mississippi State opens the Southeastern Conference slate on the road in Lexington to face the No. 15/18 Wildcats.
State is 21-41 all-time overs its opening weekend of SEC play. The Bulldogs won their last SEC opener taking two games against Missouri in Columbia.
This is the second time MSU and Kentucky has squared off to open conference play with the Wildcats winning the conference-opening series in Starkville during the 2014 season. This is the first time the Bulldogs have traveled to Lexington to kick off SEC action. It marks the third consecutive season that MSU has opened conference play on the road.
Behind its seven-game win streak, 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 260 career wins and is now just 35 shy from tying the program record for most victories by a MSU head coach.
Entering conference play, sophomore Mia Davidson leads all of Division I softball in home runs (14), RBIs (36) and slugging percentage (1.274).
Senior Sarai Niu enters the week with 1,000 career putouts to her credit. She is just the fifth Bulldog in program history to record 1,000 or more putouts over a career.
The Bulldogs are 10-0 this season when junior Fa Leilua hits a home run. Leilua ranks third in the conference and fourth in all of Division I softball with 12 homers this season.
With four triples over the first month of the season, senior Kat Moore leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in the category.
Totaling 14 home runs through the first 24 games of her sophomore season, Mia Davidson leads all of Division 1 softball in homers this season. With 33 home runs in her career, Davidson ranks fifth in MSU program history and 31st among all active NCAA student-athletes.

ON DECK
The Bulldogs return to Nusz Park next weekend for the first of four SEC series in StarkVegas as MSU welcomes No. 20/16 Auburn for a three-game series. The action begins on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. CT. All three contests will be streamed on the SEC Network +.

WATCH LIVE
All three contests against Kentucky will be streamed via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Saturday and Sunday's will be televised nationally on the SEC Network with Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) on the call.

Friday, March 15 – Mississippi State at #15/18 Kentucky (SEC Network +)
Saturday, March 16 – Mississippi State at #15/18 Kentucky (SEC Network)
Sunday, March 17 – Mississippi State at #15/18 Kentucky (SEC Network)

LIVE STATS
Kentucky will provide live stats for all three-games of the weekend series via SideArm Sports. Live stats can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

ADMISSION
Tickets for this weekend series at John Cropp Stadium can be purchased by visiting www.ukathleticstix.com.

WEATHER
Friday: 47 Degrees – Cloudy (20%)
Saturday: 48 Degrees – Sunny (10%)
Sunday: 50 Degrees – Mostly Cloudy (10%)

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".