Bulldogs Open Six-Game Homestand with In-State Rival No. 17/16 Ole Miss

Friday, April 19

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

#17 Ole Miss

Mississippi State will honor its 2019 senior class following Saturday's series finale.

Bulldogs Open Six-Game Homestand with In-State Rival No. 17/16 Ole Miss

April 18, 2019 | Softball

Game Notes Watch Live Live Stats

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Returning home for the final six contests at Nusz Park, Mississippi State softball (26-17, 3-12 SEC) faces off against in-state rival No. 17/16 Ole Miss (31-11, 9-5 SEC) this weekend in Starkville.

The series marks the sixth consecutive ranked opponent that Mississippi State has faced in Southeastern Conference play.

Due to Thursday's severe weather threat, Ole Miss and the Bulldogs will play a doubleheader on Friday, April 20 with games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. CT. The series finale is set for Saturday, April 21 with a 1 p.m. CT first pitch.

The series opener and series finale against the Rebels will be streamed on the SEC Network + with Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and Mississippi State softball alumna Morgan Bell (analyst) on the call. Game two of the series will be broadcasted nationally on the SEC Network with Melissa Lee (play-by-play) and Carol Bruggerman (analyst) in the booth.

Following Saturday's series finale Mississippi State will honor graduating seniors Bevia Robinson, Kat Moore, Emily Heimberger, Sarai Niu and Taylor Kelly in a special post-game ceremony.

MSU wrapped up its non-conference schedule on Tuesday with a 5-4 victory over UAB in Birmingham. Junior Fa Leilua and sophomore Mia Davidson both slugged home runs in the contest to account for all five Bulldog runs scored.

Leilua (20) and Davidson (22) ranked second and first, respectively, in MSU single-season history. Mississippi State is the only program in all of Division I softball to feature two student-athletes with 20 or more home runs this season. Davidson leads the SEC and all of Division I softball with her 22 home runs. The total is good for a tied for fifth in SEC single-season history.

Sophomore Emily Williams leads the Mississippi State pitching staff with a 2.75 earned run average. She holds an 8-6 record with three saves this season. Williams ranks seventh in the SEC with 105 total strikeouts.

OLE MISS SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, April 19
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss – 1 p.m. CT
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss – 5 p.m. CT

Friday, April 20
Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss – 1p.m. CT

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 39-26
In Starkville: Mississippi State leads, 22-8
Last Meeting: Ole Miss def. Mississippi State, 6-7 (April 16, 2018 in Oxford, Mississippi)
Current Streak: Ole Miss, +1

LEADING OFF

Mississippi State opens its final homestand of the regular-season with a three-game series versus against No. 17/16 Ole Miss at Nusz Park. This weekend will mark the sixth consecutive ranked opponent the Bulldogs have faced in conference play.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with a 39-26 record, including a 22-8 record against the Rebels in Starkville. This is Ole Miss's first trip to Nusz Park since 2016.
In the fifth RPI release of the 2019 season, Mississippi State comes in at No. 30. Ten SEC programs currently rank within the top 30 in the latest RPI standings.
In her eighth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, head coach Vann Stuedeman has collected 267 career wins and is now just 28 shy from tying the program record for most victories by a MSU head coach.
Slugging her 22nd home run of the season on April 16 at UAB, sophomore Mia Davidson holds Mississippi State's single-season record and stands for a tied for fifth in SEC single-season history for total home runs.
Through the first 43 games of the season, Mississippi State has knocked 59 total home runs, setting a new single-season record for the program.
Striking out only four times in 85 at bats, sophomore Carter Spexarth ranks as the second toughest batter in the SEC to strike out, only doing so once every 21.3 at bats.
Junior Fa Leilua slugged her 20th home run of the season at UAB (April 14) and holds MSU's junior home run record. In just her first season at MSU, Leilua already ranks tied for ninth in program history in career bombs.
Senior Sarai Niu enters the week with 1,112 career putouts to her credit. She is just the fourth Bulldog in program history to record 1,100 or more putouts over a career. She is now 318 putouts shy of MSU's career record held by Cheri Smith (1998-01).
Mississippi State is the lone program in all of Division I softball to have two student-athletes with 20+ home runs this season as both sophomore Mia Davidson (22) and junior Fa Leilua (20) rank first and third, respectively, in all of Division I softball.
Sophomore Emily Williams delivered No. 7/5 LSU its first shutout loss of season with a 6-0 victory on April 5. It marked the first time in program history that MSU has shut out the Tigers.

WATCH LIVE
Friday's series opener and Saturday's series finale will be streamed on the SEC Network + with Anthony Craven (play-by-play) and Mississippi State softball alumna Morgan Bell on the call. The second game of the series will feature a national broadcast on the SEC Network with Melissa Lee (play-by-play) and Carol Bruggerman (analyst) in the booth.

Friday, April 19 – Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss [GAME ONE] (SEC Network + )
Friday, April 19 – Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss [GAME TWO] (SEC Network)
Saturday, April 20 – Mississippi State vs. No. 17/16 Ole Miss (SEC Network + )

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

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

PROMOTIONS
Friday, April 19

Golden Egg Photo Booth
Nusz at Night: 250 Free Neon Tank Tops
Friday Night Fireworks (postgame)

Saturday, April 20

Easter Egg Hunt
Senior Day

WEATHER
Friday: 54 Degrees – Showers (50%)
Saturday: 66 Degrees – Sunny (0%)

ON DECK
Mississippi State rounds out its home schedule at Nusz Park next weekend with a three-game series versus Missouri. The home finale begins on Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network +. Saturday and Sunday's contests against the Tigers will feature a national broadcast on the SEC Network .

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".