Wednesday, February 26
Starkville
4:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Central Arkansas
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Softball Opens 12-Game Homestand Wednesday
February 25, 2020 | Softball
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball opens a lengthy homestand on Wednesday against the Central Arkansas Bears. First pitch has been moved up to 4 p.m. CT from the originally scheduled 5 p.m. start.
The Bulldogs will play their next dozen games at Nusz Park with two midweek contests and two home tournaments on the schedule. The next 16 games all take place in the state of Mississippi as MSU's lone road contest before opening the SEC slate at home is at Southern Miss on March 11.
State faced stiff competition in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last week, returning with a 3-2 record with losses to then-No. 15/17 Oregon and BYU. The Bulldog offense broke out for two more five-run innings on the trip, and MSU has now batted around in six innings on the year.
Fa Leilua has led the way offensively with six home runs. MSU has hit 21 long balls, which matches their pace through the first 15 games from last year, when the Bulldogs finished with a school record 72 homers on the year.
Live Stats
Rolling Under Ricketts: Samantha Ricketts got off to the best 10-game start by any first-year head coach in program history at 9-1. In fact, Rickett's record through 10 games was the best by any active SEC head coach through the first 10 games of their career.
Up The Middle: Madisyn Kennedy, Lindsey Williams and Aquana Brownlee have combined to go 20-for-65 (.308) at the plate with three doubles, four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Fear Fa: Fa Leilua is 7-for-14 this year with runners in scoring position. She also boasts a team-high eight two-out RBIs and has successfully advanced runners 61.5 percent of the time.
Ain't It Grand: After tying the MSU single-season record with five grand slams last year, State already has a pair this season. The two long balls came on consecutive days at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Fa Leilua and Chloe Malau'ulu hit the 42nd and 43rd grand slams in school history against Liberty and NC State, respectively.
Light It Up: MSU has sent eight batters or more to the plate in six innings this year and scored five or more runs in one inning six times. The Bulldogs celebrate five-run innings with a toy lightsaber.
In A Pinch: State's pinch hitters are 6-for-8 (.750) on the year.
and have reached on 11-of-13 opportunities when walks and sacrifices are included.
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America - NR
Head coach: David Kuhn | Record at UCA: 335-306 (12th Year) | Career Record: 702-529 (22nd Year)
Batting Average: .318; Runs Per Game: 6.6; Hits Per Game: 8.0; Slugging Percentage: .452
ERA: 1.29; K/7: 4.9; K/BB Ratio: 2.3; Opp. Batting Avg.: .178
Series History: 7-1; Streak: Won 5; Last Meeting: March 26, 2019 in Starkville (MSU 4, UCA 3)
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball opens a lengthy homestand on Wednesday against the Central Arkansas Bears. First pitch has been moved up to 4 p.m. CT from the originally scheduled 5 p.m. start.
The Bulldogs will play their next dozen games at Nusz Park with two midweek contests and two home tournaments on the schedule. The next 16 games all take place in the state of Mississippi as MSU's lone road contest before opening the SEC slate at home is at Southern Miss on March 11.
State faced stiff competition in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last week, returning with a 3-2 record with losses to then-No. 15/17 Oregon and BYU. The Bulldog offense broke out for two more five-run innings on the trip, and MSU has now batted around in six innings on the year.
Fa Leilua has led the way offensively with six home runs. MSU has hit 21 long balls, which matches their pace through the first 15 games from last year, when the Bulldogs finished with a school record 72 homers on the year.
Game Coverage
Watch on SEC Network+Live Stats
Leading Off
Two Outs, Tough Outs: Fa Leilua and Anna Kate Segars are State's best two-out hitters, combining for a .444 (12-for-27) average in such situations. They also boast a dozen two-out RBIs.Rolling Under Ricketts: Samantha Ricketts got off to the best 10-game start by any first-year head coach in program history at 9-1. In fact, Rickett's record through 10 games was the best by any active SEC head coach through the first 10 games of their career.
Up The Middle: Madisyn Kennedy, Lindsey Williams and Aquana Brownlee have combined to go 20-for-65 (.308) at the plate with three doubles, four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Fear Fa: Fa Leilua is 7-for-14 this year with runners in scoring position. She also boasts a team-high eight two-out RBIs and has successfully advanced runners 61.5 percent of the time.
Ain't It Grand: After tying the MSU single-season record with five grand slams last year, State already has a pair this season. The two long balls came on consecutive days at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Fa Leilua and Chloe Malau'ulu hit the 42nd and 43rd grand slams in school history against Liberty and NC State, respectively.
Light It Up: MSU has sent eight batters or more to the plate in six innings this year and scored five or more runs in one inning six times. The Bulldogs celebrate five-run innings with a toy lightsaber.
In A Pinch: State's pinch hitters are 6-for-8 (.750) on the year.
and have reached on 11-of-13 opportunities when walks and sacrifices are included.
About the Opponent
Central ArkansasRankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America - NR
Head coach: David Kuhn | Record at UCA: 335-306 (12th Year) | Career Record: 702-529 (22nd Year)
Batting Average: .318; Runs Per Game: 6.6; Hits Per Game: 8.0; Slugging Percentage: .452
ERA: 1.29; K/7: 4.9; K/BB Ratio: 2.3; Opp. Batting Avg.: .178
Series History: 7-1; Streak: Won 5; Last Meeting: March 26, 2019 in Starkville (MSU 4, UCA 3)
Admission/Promotions
Admission to all MSU softball home games is free. Free king cake is available to all fans, and the fans can compete in Grey's Anatomy trivia between innings.Weather Forecast
Feb. 26 – Cloudy, High of 44, Low of 28On Deck
MSU hosts The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial tournament beginning Friday, Feb. 29. State will play two games against both UAB and Alcorn State over the weekend and meet UT Martin for one contest in the tournament.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Softball
SS/3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
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