Softball Welcomes No. 17/13 Auburn for SEC Home Opener

Friday, March 22

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#17 Auburn

Mississippi State opens its home conference slate this weekend, hosting No. 17/13 Auburn.

Softball Welcomes No. 17/13 Auburn for SEC Home Opener

March 21, 2019 | Softball

WatchESPN Live Stats Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Facing a Top 25 opponent for the second consecutive weekend, Mississippi State softball (19-8, 0-3) welcomes No. 17/13 Auburn (26-4, 3-0 SEC) for Bulldogs' Southeastern Conference home opener at Nusz Park.

The three-game series kicks off on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. CT. The final two games of the series will feature a SEC Network + broadcast with 1 p.m. CT start times set for both contests. Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and Mississippi State softball alumna Morgan Bell (analyst) will have the call.

State is looking for its first conference win of the season after being swept in Lexington, Kentucky by the No. 15/18 Wildcats. The weekend was highlighted by junior Fa Leilua's impressive SEC debut as she slugged home runs in back-to-back contests against Kentucky.

Leilua is joined by her teammate sophomore Mia Davidson as two of just three student-athletes across all of Division I softball to slugged 14 or more home runs this season as the pair ranked tied for second in the category. The pair are also in fifth with Kellie Wilkerson (2001) on State's single-season home run annuals.

In the circle, freshman Grace Fagan leads the staff with a team-low 2.29 earned run average. The leftie holds a 3-4 record with two saves and has struck out 27 over her debut season. Junior Alyssa Loza holds the best record by any Bulldog pitcher with a 6-1 mark with help of a 2.38 ERA. Loza has struck out 28 and has allowed just 10 walks over 47.0 innings of work.

AUBURN SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, March 22
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/13 Auburn – 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 23
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/13 Auburn – 1 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 24
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/13 Auburn – 1 p.m. CT

INSIDE THE MATCUP
OVERALL: Mississippi State leads, 31-32
IN STARKVILLE: Mississippi State leads, 17-13
LAST MEETING: Auburn def. Mississippi State, 6-3 (April 30, 2017 in Auburn)
CURRENT STREAK: Auburn. +4

LEADING OFF

For the second straight week, Mississippi State will face a ranked opponent in conference play as the Bulldogs opened SEC play at Nusz Park against No. 17/13 Auburn.
The Tigers hold a slight 32-31 advantage in the all-time series. This is the first time the two teams have met in Starkville since the 2016 season.
Entering the sixth week of the season, Mississippi State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
In the first RPI release of the 2019 season, 10 SEC programs ranked in the top 35 with the Bulldogs checking in at No. 33.
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.
Senior Sarai Niu enters the week with 1,035 career putouts to her credit. She is just the fifth Bulldog in program history to record 1,000 or more putouts over a career.
With Carter Spexarth's grand slam at Kentucky (3/16), Mississippi State has knocked five grand slams this season to tie the program record set in 2010.
Against Mississippi Valley State (3/8), Mia Davidson recorded the 100th hit of her career - hitting the mark in just 82 career games play. Davidson holds a 1.2 hits per game average as a Bulldog.
Entering the weekend, Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua rank tied for second in all of Division I softball in home runs (14). The duo is two of just three student-athletes in the country with 14+ home runs this season.
With four triples over the first month of the season, senior Kat Moore ranks second in the SEC and ranks 10th nationally in the category.
Totaling 14 home runs through the first 26 games of her sophomore season, Mia Davidson brings her career total to 33 and is now just 11 homers away from tying Kellie Wilkerson for Mississippi State's career record.

ON DECK
The Bulldogs return to midweek action on Tuesday, March 26, making the trek to Conway, Arkansas to face Central Arkansas. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.

WATCH LIVE
The final two games of the series will feature a SEC Network + broadcast with 1 p.m. CT start times set for both contests. Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and Mississippi State softball alumna Morgan Bell (analyst) will have the call.

Saturday, March 23 – Mississippi State vs. No. 17/13 Auburn (SECN+)

Sunday, March 23 – Mississippi State vs. No. 17/13 Auburn (SECN+)

LIVE STATS
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all three games of the weekend series. Live stats can be accessed by visiting www.msu.statbroadcast.com.

ADMISSION
Admission to all regular-season home contests at Nusz Park is FREE.

WEATHER
Friday: 67 Degrees – Mostly Sunny (10%)
Saturday: 67 Degrees – Mostly Cloudy (10%)
Sunday: 71 Degrees – 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".