Friday, April 16
Columbia, Mo.
6:30 PM
Mississippi State
at
#18 Missouri
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Mississippi State Resumes SEC Play At No. 17 Missouri
April 15, 2021 | Softball
COLUMBIA, Mo.– For the first time since March 28, Mississippi State's softball team will play a conference game. The Bulldogs are set to meet No. 17 Missouri on the road on April 16-18. Two of the three games will be televised nationally on SEC Network, with the series opener on SEC Network+.
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MSU (22-16, 0-9) is seeking its first conference win of the season, after dropping series to Ole Miss, then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 15 Arkansas. More than half of the Bulldogs' losses have come to ranked teams.
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Missouri (29-10, 7-5 SEC) is fourth in the conference, and two games back of Arkansas in the race for the regular-season title. Following this weekend, MSU will have played each of the SEC's top four teams at least once this season.
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The Bulldogs are winners of seven of their last 10, including two walk-off victories and a no-hitter. State has hit 16 home runs in the last 10 games and is averaging 4.4 runs in that span. MSU's pitchers have settled down to the tune of a 2.47 team ERA since their last SEC game.
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Game 2 – April 17 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – April 18 at 3 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
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Hitting The Road: 10 of State's last 12 games have come away from Starkville. This weekend marks MSU's third road SEC series, while the Bulldogs have hosted just one. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a stretch that will see them play 13 of 15 games away from Nusz Park.
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A Tough Go: MSU's strength of schedule is No. 10 in the latest RPI calculations, and nine of MSU's losses have come to top-10 teams.
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Walk It Off: State won in walk-off fashion for the sixth time and fourth time in extra innings this season against Southern Miss on Wednesday. Paige Cook has scored or driven in the winning run in three of those walk-off victories.
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Who's Hot: Carter Spexarth and Fa Leilua lead the team with six hits and two homers each in the last five games. Leilua has a 1.386 OPS, and Spexarth's OPS is 1.271.
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Willis' No-Hitter: Annie Willis threw the 23rd no-hitter in program history and the second of her Bulldog career at Louisiana Tech last weekend. She is one of seven Bulldogs with multiple no-hitters in her career and the first to throw multiple 7.0 inning no-hitters.
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Chasing Palmeiro: Mia Davidson is sixth in SEC softball history with 62 career home runs. Rafael Palmeiro (67) is the only Bulldog student-athlete to have hit more in a baseball or softball career.
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Making Them Miss: The Bulldog pitching staff is tied for second in the SEC with 288 strikeouts. State has struck out 61 batters over nine SEC games.
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Rankings: NFCA Coaches - 18 | USA Softball – 19 | Softball America - 17 | D1Softball - 17
Head Coach: Larissa Anderson | Record at MIZ: 83-42 (3rd Year) | Career Record: 213-115-1 (7th Year)
Batting Average: .340; Runs Per Game: 7.3; Hits Per Game: 9.3; Slugging Pct: .573
ERA: 3.27; K/7: 5.9; K/Bb Ratio: 2.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .258
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The Tigers are coming off a 4-3 midweek loss to Kansas on Tuesday night after allowing three runs in the fifth. Missouri boasts six top-25 victories this year, and their bats have played a big part. Mizzou's 55 home runs rank 16th nationally and fourth in the SEC. The Tigers are second in the nation in doubles with 72. Brooke Wilmes and Jenna Laird are both among the top 10 nationally in hits with 53 and 50, respectively. Despite Missouri only joining the conference in 2012, this will be the seventh time State has played the Tigers in a series.
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MSU (22-16, 0-9) is seeking its first conference win of the season, after dropping series to Ole Miss, then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 15 Arkansas. More than half of the Bulldogs' losses have come to ranked teams.
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Missouri (29-10, 7-5 SEC) is fourth in the conference, and two games back of Arkansas in the race for the regular-season title. Following this weekend, MSU will have played each of the SEC's top four teams at least once this season.
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The Bulldogs are winners of seven of their last 10, including two walk-off victories and a no-hitter. State has hit 16 home runs in the last 10 games and is averaging 4.4 runs in that span. MSU's pitchers have settled down to the tune of a 2.47 team ERA since their last SEC game.
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Game Coverage
Game 1 – April 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live StatsGame 2 – April 17 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – April 18 at 3 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
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Leading Off
Continuing Conference Play: Between its originally-scheduled SEC bye week and the postponement of the Tennessee series, State has not played a conference game since March 28 at Arkansas.Â
Hitting The Road: 10 of State's last 12 games have come away from Starkville. This weekend marks MSU's third road SEC series, while the Bulldogs have hosted just one. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a stretch that will see them play 13 of 15 games away from Nusz Park.
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A Tough Go: MSU's strength of schedule is No. 10 in the latest RPI calculations, and nine of MSU's losses have come to top-10 teams.
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Walk It Off: State won in walk-off fashion for the sixth time and fourth time in extra innings this season against Southern Miss on Wednesday. Paige Cook has scored or driven in the winning run in three of those walk-off victories.
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Who's Hot: Carter Spexarth and Fa Leilua lead the team with six hits and two homers each in the last five games. Leilua has a 1.386 OPS, and Spexarth's OPS is 1.271.
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Willis' No-Hitter: Annie Willis threw the 23rd no-hitter in program history and the second of her Bulldog career at Louisiana Tech last weekend. She is one of seven Bulldogs with multiple no-hitters in her career and the first to throw multiple 7.0 inning no-hitters.
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Chasing Palmeiro: Mia Davidson is sixth in SEC softball history with 62 career home runs. Rafael Palmeiro (67) is the only Bulldog student-athlete to have hit more in a baseball or softball career.
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Making Them Miss: The Bulldog pitching staff is tied for second in the SEC with 288 strikeouts. State has struck out 61 batters over nine SEC games.
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About the Opponent
MissouriRankings: NFCA Coaches - 18 | USA Softball – 19 | Softball America - 17 | D1Softball - 17
Head Coach: Larissa Anderson | Record at MIZ: 83-42 (3rd Year) | Career Record: 213-115-1 (7th Year)
Batting Average: .340; Runs Per Game: 7.3; Hits Per Game: 9.3; Slugging Pct: .573
ERA: 3.27; K/7: 5.9; K/Bb Ratio: 2.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .258
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The Tigers are coming off a 4-3 midweek loss to Kansas on Tuesday night after allowing three runs in the fifth. Missouri boasts six top-25 victories this year, and their bats have played a big part. Mizzou's 55 home runs rank 16th nationally and fourth in the SEC. The Tigers are second in the nation in doubles with 72. Brooke Wilmes and Jenna Laird are both among the top 10 nationally in hits with 53 and 50, respectively. Despite Missouri only joining the conference in 2012, this will be the seventh time State has played the Tigers in a series.
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On Deck
The Bulldogs host Jackson State for a doubleheader on April 20. Game 1 will begin at 4 p.m. CT, with the second game scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Both will air 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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