Wednesday, March 11
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
Southern Miss
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
State Prepares for Final Tune-Up Before Opening SEC Play
March 10, 2020 | Softball
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – With a 24-3 record, Mississippi State's softball team heads to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Wednesday for a midweek contest at Southern Miss with first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT.
The Bulldogs rose to No. 21 in the NFCA Coaches' Poll this week while holding steady at Nos. 22 and 24 in the ESPN/USA Softball and Softball America polls, respectively. MSU's 24 victories are tied for second in the nation. Only No. 1/1/2 UCLA has won more games (25).
State won its fourth regular-season tournament title behind a 5-0 weekend in the Bulldog Slamboree last week. The Bulldogs outscored their opponents, 25-4, while posting three shutouts. That brought their season total to 11 shutouts, which is third in the nation.
Annie Willis and Emily Williams have sparked a turnaround in the circle for the Bulldogs. Both currently rank among the top 10 in the nation in ERA. Willis' 9.75 strikeout-walk ratio ranks fifth in the nation, and Williams has held opponents to just 2.30 hits per seven innings, which is second in the country.
Live Stats
Rolling Under Ricketts: Samantha Ricketts became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 career wins, doing so in just 23 games. Ricketts is also the first Bulldog head coach to see her squad ranked in her first season.
Pitching Turn Around: MSU is currently fourth in the nation with a 1.34 ERA and second in the SEC with 237 strikeouts and a .160 opponent's batting average. Last season, MSU finished with a 3.36 ERA that ranked second-to-last in the league.
Offensive Outbursts: State has scored double digit runs in four contests this year, including a season high in a 20-3 victory against MVSU (3/7). The Bulldogs also have two 16-run games against Alabama State (2/12) and UAB (2/28).
Making The Most Of Mistakes: MSU batters have reached base on error an SEC-leading 30 times. Brylie St. Clair's speed has allowed her to reach on errors three times this year in just nine at-bats. If those counted as hits, she'd be 7-for-9 (.778) this year.
Let's Go Streaking: State has won 13 consecutive games, which is the fifth-longest streak in school history.
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America - NR
Head coach: Brian Levin | Record at USM: 14-7 (1st Year) | Career Record: 354-160 (10th Year)
Batting Average: .294; Runs Per Game: 7.0; Hits Per Game: 7.4; Slugging Percentage: .505
ERA: 2.30; K/7: 5.9; K/BB Ratio: 2.0; Opp. Batting Avg.: .237
Series History: 36-12; Streak: Won 6; Last Meeting: March 28, 2017 in Hattiesburg, Miss. (MSU 3, USM 2)
STARKVILLE – With a 24-3 record, Mississippi State's softball team heads to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Wednesday for a midweek contest at Southern Miss with first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT.
The Bulldogs rose to No. 21 in the NFCA Coaches' Poll this week while holding steady at Nos. 22 and 24 in the ESPN/USA Softball and Softball America polls, respectively. MSU's 24 victories are tied for second in the nation. Only No. 1/1/2 UCLA has won more games (25).
State won its fourth regular-season tournament title behind a 5-0 weekend in the Bulldog Slamboree last week. The Bulldogs outscored their opponents, 25-4, while posting three shutouts. That brought their season total to 11 shutouts, which is third in the nation.
Annie Willis and Emily Williams have sparked a turnaround in the circle for the Bulldogs. Both currently rank among the top 10 in the nation in ERA. Willis' 9.75 strikeout-walk ratio ranks fifth in the nation, and Williams has held opponents to just 2.30 hits per seven innings, which is second in the country.
Game Coverage
Watch on C-USA TV ($)Live Stats
Leading Off
The Big Five-Oh: Mia Davidson became the 23rd player in SEC history to hit 50 career home runs in the win against UT Martin (3/2). Fa Leilua hit her 50th career home run against MVSU (3/6), but only 31 have come as an SEC player at MSU. Only 12 active players across the country have hit 50 career home runs.Rolling Under Ricketts: Samantha Ricketts became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 career wins, doing so in just 23 games. Ricketts is also the first Bulldog head coach to see her squad ranked in her first season.
Pitching Turn Around: MSU is currently fourth in the nation with a 1.34 ERA and second in the SEC with 237 strikeouts and a .160 opponent's batting average. Last season, MSU finished with a 3.36 ERA that ranked second-to-last in the league.
Offensive Outbursts: State has scored double digit runs in four contests this year, including a season high in a 20-3 victory against MVSU (3/7). The Bulldogs also have two 16-run games against Alabama State (2/12) and UAB (2/28).
Making The Most Of Mistakes: MSU batters have reached base on error an SEC-leading 30 times. Brylie St. Clair's speed has allowed her to reach on errors three times this year in just nine at-bats. If those counted as hits, she'd be 7-for-9 (.778) this year.
Let's Go Streaking: State has won 13 consecutive games, which is the fifth-longest streak in school history.
About the Opponent
Southern Miss (14-7, 0-0 C-USA)Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America - NR
Head coach: Brian Levin | Record at USM: 14-7 (1st Year) | Career Record: 354-160 (10th Year)
Batting Average: .294; Runs Per Game: 7.0; Hits Per Game: 7.4; Slugging Percentage: .505
ERA: 2.30; K/7: 5.9; K/BB Ratio: 2.0; Opp. Batting Avg.: .237
Series History: 36-12; Streak: Won 6; Last Meeting: March 28, 2017 in Hattiesburg, Miss. (MSU 3, USM 2)
Weather Forecast
March 11 – Cloudy, High of 78, Low of 60On Deck
MSU opens conference play hosting consensus No. 11 Kentucky (18-4, 2-1 SEC) at Nusz Park on March 13-15. First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m. CT. On Saturday afternoon, the teams will meet at 12:30 p.m., and the rubber match will begin at noon on Sunday.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
C/INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Raelin Chaffin ESPN2 Postgame Interview
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Friday, May 16