Wednesday, March 3
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
#3 Alabama
Tough Test Awaits No. 18 Bulldogs In Tuscaloosa On Wednesday
March 02, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – No. 18 Mississippi State plays its third, and highest, ranked opponent in its last six games on Wednesday when the Bulldogs travel to meet No. 2 Alabama. First pitch in Tuscaloosa is set for 6 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network+.
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MSU is in the middle of a six-game road trip that has seen them also play tight contests with then-No. 7 Texas and then-No. 21 Baylor. State is led offensively by the Davidson sisters and Fa Leilua. Mia Davidson and Leilua have both hit three home runs over the road stretch and five on the year, which is tied for 25th nationally. Montana Davidson leads the way in batting average (.421) and is third on the team in slugging percentage (.579).
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Alabama enters with an undefeated 14-0 mark on the year, and the Crimson Tide have won 16 straight games, which is tied for the fifth-longest streak in the nation. The Tide is coming off an undefeated weekend at the Easton Crimson Classic where its pitchers threw 21 straight scoreless innings.
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State is 12-61 all-time against Alabama, but the Bulldogs won the last meeting in an extra-innings battle in Tuscaloosa. Christian Quinn sent that game to extras with her home run-robbing catch in the bottom of the sixth in a 9-9 ballgame. Kat Moore won it with a three-run homer in the 10th inning.
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MSU is ranked No. 18 in the latest Softball America poll. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the NFCA Coaches' Poll and USA Softball/ESPN Poll.
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Let's Go Streaking: Chloe Malau'ulu is currently riding a career-long 17-game reached base streak. Three other Bulldogs have posted career-long hitting streaks in 2021.
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Two-Out Rally: MSU has driven in more than a third of its RBIs with two outs. State has hit six two-out homers, including back-to-back blasts twice.
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Aspen's Adjustment: After posting a 2.47 ERA in 11.1 innings with 13 strikeouts in 2020, Aspen Wesley leads MSU with a 1.31 ERA in 10.2 innings and has struck out 16 (10.5 K/7).
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Back On Track: Mia Davidson entered the Lone Star State Invitational batting just .217, but went 8-for-17 with five extra-base hits to raise her average to .325 (13-for-40). She had four RBIs entering the tournament and drove in seven runs over the weekend.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson (57) and Fa Leilua (55) rank fifth and seventh respectively among the NCAA's active career leaders in home runs. The duo is the one of two pairs of teammates in the country to boast 50-plus career homers (Arizona).
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Beware The Big Innings: The Bulldogs have scored five or more runs in an inning four times this year and have hit three home runs in an inning twice.
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Kennedy Returns: Madisyn Kennedy returned from injury to play four games over the weekend. She makes a huge impact defensively, allowing Mia Davidson to return to her natural position of catcher.
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Milestone Watch: Leilua needs just one home run to move into a tie for third in MSU history. Her next blast will be her 37th in the Maroon and White, tying Iyhia McMichael and Caroline Seitz. Annie Willis is two strikeouts shy of 100 as a Bulldog.
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Rankings: NFCA Coaches - 3 | USA Softball - 2 | Softball America – 4 | D1Softball - 3
Head Coach: Patrick Murphy | at ALA: 1108-311 (23rd Year) | Career: 1136-331 (24th Year)
Batting Average: .313; Runs Per Game: 6.4; Hits Per Game: 7.6; Slugging Percentage: .422
ERA: 0.91; K/7: 8.8; K/BB Ratio: 11.6; Opp. Batting Average: .126
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MSU is in the middle of a six-game road trip that has seen them also play tight contests with then-No. 7 Texas and then-No. 21 Baylor. State is led offensively by the Davidson sisters and Fa Leilua. Mia Davidson and Leilua have both hit three home runs over the road stretch and five on the year, which is tied for 25th nationally. Montana Davidson leads the way in batting average (.421) and is third on the team in slugging percentage (.579).
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Alabama enters with an undefeated 14-0 mark on the year, and the Crimson Tide have won 16 straight games, which is tied for the fifth-longest streak in the nation. The Tide is coming off an undefeated weekend at the Easton Crimson Classic where its pitchers threw 21 straight scoreless innings.
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State is 12-61 all-time against Alabama, but the Bulldogs won the last meeting in an extra-innings battle in Tuscaloosa. Christian Quinn sent that game to extras with her home run-robbing catch in the bottom of the sixth in a 9-9 ballgame. Kat Moore won it with a three-run homer in the 10th inning.
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MSU is ranked No. 18 in the latest Softball America poll. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the NFCA Coaches' Poll and USA Softball/ESPN Poll.
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Leading Off
Going Through The Gauntlet: The Bulldogs are in the midst of a six-game road trip that sees them face three ranked opponents. That marks the most ranked non-conference matchups in the regular season since playing three ranked opponents in 2017 (vs. No. 21 Fresno State, at No. 23 Ole Miss, at No. 13 Oklahoma).Â
Let's Go Streaking: Chloe Malau'ulu is currently riding a career-long 17-game reached base streak. Three other Bulldogs have posted career-long hitting streaks in 2021.
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Two-Out Rally: MSU has driven in more than a third of its RBIs with two outs. State has hit six two-out homers, including back-to-back blasts twice.
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Aspen's Adjustment: After posting a 2.47 ERA in 11.1 innings with 13 strikeouts in 2020, Aspen Wesley leads MSU with a 1.31 ERA in 10.2 innings and has struck out 16 (10.5 K/7).
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Back On Track: Mia Davidson entered the Lone Star State Invitational batting just .217, but went 8-for-17 with five extra-base hits to raise her average to .325 (13-for-40). She had four RBIs entering the tournament and drove in seven runs over the weekend.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson (57) and Fa Leilua (55) rank fifth and seventh respectively among the NCAA's active career leaders in home runs. The duo is the one of two pairs of teammates in the country to boast 50-plus career homers (Arizona).
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Beware The Big Innings: The Bulldogs have scored five or more runs in an inning four times this year and have hit three home runs in an inning twice.
Â
Kennedy Returns: Madisyn Kennedy returned from injury to play four games over the weekend. She makes a huge impact defensively, allowing Mia Davidson to return to her natural position of catcher.
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Milestone Watch: Leilua needs just one home run to move into a tie for third in MSU history. Her next blast will be her 37th in the Maroon and White, tying Iyhia McMichael and Caroline Seitz. Annie Willis is two strikeouts shy of 100 as a Bulldog.
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About the Opponent
AlabamaRankings: NFCA Coaches - 3 | USA Softball - 2 | Softball America – 4 | D1Softball - 3
Head Coach: Patrick Murphy | at ALA: 1108-311 (23rd Year) | Career: 1136-331 (24th Year)
Batting Average: .313; Runs Per Game: 6.4; Hits Per Game: 7.6; Slugging Percentage: .422
ERA: 0.91; K/7: 8.8; K/BB Ratio: 11.6; Opp. Batting Average: .126
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On Deck
The Bulldogs will return home to host the Bulldog Invitational on March 5-7 this weekend. State will play Ball State and Alcorn State on Friday and Western Kentucky on Saturday. Bracket play begins Saturday, and the championship and consolation games will be played on Sunday. All games featuring MSU will be broadcast on SEC Network+.Â
Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Â
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Players Mentioned
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