Friday, March 26
Fayetteville, Ark.
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
#15 Arkansas
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Top-15 Opponent Awaits Mississippi State In Arkansas
March 25, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball begins its longest stretch of road games on the schedule this weekend with a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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The Bulldogs (15-11, 0-6 SEC) will meet No. 12 Arkansas for a three-game set at Bogle Park on March 26-28. Friday night's game is set for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch and will air on SEC Network+. Both Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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The Razorbacks (25-3, 6-0 SEC) boast one of the SEC's most-potent offenses. Led by Braxton Burnside and Danielle Gibson, Arkansas leads the league in home runs and is third in runs scored. Burnside leads the conference in RBIs (37) and home runs (16) and is second in hits (44).
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Arkansas is also No. 15 in both the NFCA Coaches' and USA Softball/ESPN polls and No. 14 in Softball America's rankings. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the latest USA Softball/ESPN Poll.
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MSU will play its next seven games on the road with upcoming trips to Southern Miss, North Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana. The Bulldogs are in the midst of facing an NFCA top-15 team in six straight games, the longest run of ranked opponents since playing eight straight from April 27-May 18, 2018.
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State leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 38-29, but was swept in the programs' last meeting, a 2018 trip to Arkansas. The series is tied 16-16 in Fayetteville.
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The two schools' baseball programs are also playing this weekend on the MSU campus in a meeting of the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation.
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Game 2 – March 27 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Game 3 – March 28 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
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Free Passes: Malau'ulu has been hit by seven pitches and taken two walks in the last 10 games, while Fa Leilua has walked 10 times for a team-leading .457 on-base percentage in that span.
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Favorite Frame: The sixth inning is MSU's best inning, producing its highest batting average (.354) and slugging percentage (.573) and its lowest ERA (0.67) and opponents' average (.197) of any frame.
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Who's Hot: Carter Spexarth is batting .323 (10-for-31) over the last 10 games while slugging .516 with three doubles and a home run. Paige Cook leads the team with a .355 batting average in that span. In the last five contests, that climbs to .417.
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Milestone Watch: Mia Davidson needs two homers to move into a tie for eighth in SEC career history and one run to move into a tie for sixth in school history. Emily Williams (100) needs three looking strikeouts to break the school record of 102.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson and Leilua rank eighth among the NCAA's active career leaders with 58 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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Swiping Bags: Seven Bulldogs have stolen at least three bases. Christian Quinn and Malau'ulu lead the way with five each.
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Run Of Ranked Teams: This weekend marks the first time MSU has played an NFCA Top 15 opponent in six consecutive games since doing so in eight straight from April 27-May 10, 2018. Against ranked opponents, Cook leads the team with a .333 batting average.
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Rankings: NFCA Coaches - 15 | USA Softball – 15 | Softball America - 14 | D1Softball - 12
Head Coach: Courtney Deifel | Record at ARK: 172-109 (6th Year) | Career Record: 199-136 (7th Year)
Batting Average: .290; Runs Per Game: 6.5; Hits Per Game: 8.1; Slugging Pct: .398
ERA: 2.18; K/7: 6.4; K/Bb Ratio: 3.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .207
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The Bulldogs (15-11, 0-6 SEC) will meet No. 12 Arkansas for a three-game set at Bogle Park on March 26-28. Friday night's game is set for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch and will air on SEC Network+. Both Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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The Razorbacks (25-3, 6-0 SEC) boast one of the SEC's most-potent offenses. Led by Braxton Burnside and Danielle Gibson, Arkansas leads the league in home runs and is third in runs scored. Burnside leads the conference in RBIs (37) and home runs (16) and is second in hits (44).
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Arkansas is also No. 15 in both the NFCA Coaches' and USA Softball/ESPN polls and No. 14 in Softball America's rankings. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the latest USA Softball/ESPN Poll.
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MSU will play its next seven games on the road with upcoming trips to Southern Miss, North Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana. The Bulldogs are in the midst of facing an NFCA top-15 team in six straight games, the longest run of ranked opponents since playing eight straight from April 27-May 18, 2018.
Â
State leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 38-29, but was swept in the programs' last meeting, a 2018 trip to Arkansas. The series is tied 16-16 in Fayetteville.
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The two schools' baseball programs are also playing this weekend on the MSU campus in a meeting of the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation.
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Game Coverage
Game 1 – March 26 at 6 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live StatsGame 2 – March 27 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Game 3 – March 28 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
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Leading Off
Plays At The Plate: The Bulldogs have thrown out four runners at the plate in SEC play, including three last weekend against No. 5/5 Florida. Chloe Malau'ulu has cut down three runners at home this year.Â
Free Passes: Malau'ulu has been hit by seven pitches and taken two walks in the last 10 games, while Fa Leilua has walked 10 times for a team-leading .457 on-base percentage in that span.
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Favorite Frame: The sixth inning is MSU's best inning, producing its highest batting average (.354) and slugging percentage (.573) and its lowest ERA (0.67) and opponents' average (.197) of any frame.
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Who's Hot: Carter Spexarth is batting .323 (10-for-31) over the last 10 games while slugging .516 with three doubles and a home run. Paige Cook leads the team with a .355 batting average in that span. In the last five contests, that climbs to .417.
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Milestone Watch: Mia Davidson needs two homers to move into a tie for eighth in SEC career history and one run to move into a tie for sixth in school history. Emily Williams (100) needs three looking strikeouts to break the school record of 102.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson and Leilua rank eighth among the NCAA's active career leaders with 58 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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Swiping Bags: Seven Bulldogs have stolen at least three bases. Christian Quinn and Malau'ulu lead the way with five each.
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Run Of Ranked Teams: This weekend marks the first time MSU has played an NFCA Top 15 opponent in six consecutive games since doing so in eight straight from April 27-May 10, 2018. Against ranked opponents, Cook leads the team with a .333 batting average.
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About the Opponent
ArkansasRankings: NFCA Coaches - 15 | USA Softball – 15 | Softball America - 14 | D1Softball - 12
Head Coach: Courtney Deifel | Record at ARK: 172-109 (6th Year) | Career Record: 199-136 (7th Year)
Batting Average: .290; Runs Per Game: 6.5; Hits Per Game: 8.1; Slugging Pct: .398
ERA: 2.18; K/7: 6.4; K/Bb Ratio: 3.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .207
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On Deck
State's longest road stretch of the season continues with a midweek contest at Southern Miss on Wednesday, March 31. The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles will throw out the first pitch at 6 p.m. CT in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.Â
Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Â
Players Mentioned
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