Bulldogs Face Seattle on Friday to Open NCAA Regional Action

Friday, May 17

Seattle, Wash.

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

Seattle

Mississippi State's road to the Women's College World Series begins Friday at Seattle against the Redhawks.

Bulldogs Face Seattle on Friday to Open NCAA Regional Action

May 16, 2019 | Softball

Tournament Central Tickets Watch Live Live Stats Game Notes

by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications

SEATTLE – For Mississippi State softball (33-21), the road to the Women's College World Series begins in Seattle, Washington, as the Bulldogs open the 2019 NCAA Tournament against Seattle (39-15) to open action at the Seattle Regional on Friday.

First pitch from the Huskey Softball Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN3. Alex Perlman and All-American and Arizona softball alum Kenzie Fowler will have the call. The game can be streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Along with the Bulldogs and Redhawks, the Seattle Regional host No. 2/2 Washington (45-7) will face off against the Fordham Rams (29-24) at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN3. The Huskies earned the third overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Broadcasts assignments for the remaining games of the Seattle Regional will be announced throughout the weekend, but every game will be available via live stream through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

This weekend marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons and the 15th overall time in program history that Mississippi State has earned an NCAA Tournament berth. This is the second trip for the Bulldogs to the Seattle Regional. The first trip for State came in 2000 - the very first NCAA Tournament berth in Mississippi State history.

State earned the two seed in the Seattle Regional, marking the second consecutive season for head coach Vann Stuedeman's squad to earn the two-seed ranking at a regional site. The Bulldogs hold a 14-28 overall record in the postseason. All 15 of the program's appearances have come since 2000. MSU has won at least one regional game in four of its last five NCAA Regional appearances and is aiming to make its first NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history.

The winner of the Seattle Regional will advance to Super Regionals to the face the winner of the Lexington Regional, hosted by 14^th-seeded No. 23/20 Kentucky. Also competing in the Lexington Regional are Toledo, Illinois and Virginia Tech.

In their last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bulldogs trekked to Tucson, Arizona, advancing to the Tucson Regional finals. It marked the first time since 2005 that Mississippi State had competed for a NCAA Regional championship. State fell to tournament host No. 10 Arizona by a 4-3 final.

For the third consecutive season, all 13 SEC programs earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Fans looking to make the journey to Seattle to cheer on the Bulldogs can purchase all-session and single-game tickets while supplies last. Ticket prices and additional information can be found at GoHuskies.com.

Friday's matchup will mark the first in program history between Mississippi State and Seattle. The Bulldogs hold a 4-0 record against first-time opponents this season, defeating Valparaiso, Sacramento State, UCF and Duke.

The Bulldogs have met both Fordham and Washington prior to this weekend. Mississippi State and the Huskies met earlier this season on Feb. 14 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as part of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Washington squeaked out a 7-5 victory, but sophomore Mia Davidson kept State in the game by slugging a school-record three home runs in the contest. The Bulldogs and Rams last tangled at the 2017 Salt Lake City Regional. Fordham ended Mississippi State's season with a 9-3 victory.

At the plate Mississippi State as led by Davidson and junior Fa Leilua. The duo has both secured First Team All-SEC and First Team NFCA All-South Region honors this month as the pair has slugged a total of 47 home runs. Mississippi State and Arizona are the lone NCAA Division I programs to boast two players with 20 or more home runs this season as Davidson is tied for the NCAA lead with 25. Leilua ranks just behind in third with 22. It is the first time in SEC softball history that a program has two student-athletes with at least 22 homers.

Davidson leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 62 RBI. She is just four RBI away from setting a new single-season record at State. Davidson has already set the program's single-season record for home runs and is just one shy of setting a new SEC single-season record and Mississippi State's career mark.

Sophomore Emily Williams anchors the Bulldog pitching staff with a team-low 2.54 earned run average with a 13-8 record in the circle with five saves, which ranks third in the SEC. Williams allows just 4.79 hits per seventh innings, the fifth-lowest mark in the SEC, and has held opponents to a .189 average at the plate. Her 138 strikeouts rank seventh in the conference.

SEATTLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 17
Game One: Mississippi State vs. Seattle – 6:30 p.m. CT
Game Two: Washington vs. Fordham – 9 p.m. CT

Saturday, May 18
Game Three: Game One Winner vs. Game Two Winner – 5 p.m. CT
Game Four: Game One Loser vs. Game Two Loser – 7:30 p.m. CT
Game Five: Game Three Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 10 p.m. CT

Sunday, May 19
Game Six: Game Three Winner vs. Game Five Winner – 8 p.m. CT
Game Seven: If Necessary – 9:30 p.m. CT

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Fans can visit GoHuskies.com for the latest news on the Seattle Regional, which includes the regional schedule, ticket information, parking information, stadium maps and more.

INSIDE THE MATCH UP
Against Washington
Overall: Washington leads, 5-1
At Seattle: Washington leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Washington def. Mississippi State, 7-5 (Feb. 14, 2019 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
Current Streak: Washington, +3

Against Fordham
Overall: Mississippi State leads, 2-1
At Neutral Site: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: Fordham def. Mississippi State, 9-3 (May 19, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah)
Current Streak: Fordham, +1

Against Seattle
Overall: First Meeting
At Neutral Site: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting

LEADING OFF

For the 15th time in program history and the seventh time in the last eight seasons, Mississippi State earn an NCAA Regional berth.
The Bulldogs hold an 14-28 overall record in the postseason. All 15 appearances have come since 2000. MSU has won at least one regional game in four of its last five NCAA Regional appearances and is aiming to make its first NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history.
A program record three Bulldogs were honored as First Team All-SEC selections as sophomore Mia Davidson, junior Fa Leilua and senior Kat Moore all earn first-team laurels. Freshman Anna Kate Segars was also honored with a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Arizona and Mississippi State are the lone programs in all of Division I softball to have two student-athletes with 20+ home runs this season as both sophomore Mia Davidson (25) and junior Fa Leilua (22) rank first and third, respectively, in all of Division I softball.

WATCH LIVE
Alex Perlman and All-American and Arizona softball alum Kenzie Fowler will have the call for every game of the Seattle Regional. Friday's contests will be streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Broadcasts assignments for the remaining games of the Seattle Regional will be announced throughout the weekend, but every game will be available via live stream through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Seattle Regional Game One: Mississippi State vs. Seattle (ESPN3)

LIVE STATS
NCAA softball will have live and interactive stats for every game of the NCAA Tournament via its websites. Fans can access live stats for the first game of the Seattle Regional by CLICKING HERE.

ADMISSION
Fans looking to make the journey to Seattle to cheer on the Bulldogs can purchase all-session and single-game tickets while supplies last. Ticket prices and additional information can be found at GoHuskies.com.

WEATHER
Friday: 61 Degrees – Scattered Showers (50%)
Saturday: 70 Degrees – Partly Cloudy (10%)
Sunday: 64 Degrees – Scattered Showers (70%)

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".