Friday, April 23
Starkville
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Texas A&M
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Softball Welcomes Texas A&M To Nusz Park
April 22, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Fresh off a resounding doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, Mississippi State's softball team looks to carry the momentum into its weekend series with Texas A&M.
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The Bulldogs (24-19, 0-12 SEC) will host the Aggies (29-13, 6-9 SEC) on April 23-25 for three games. First pitch on Friday night is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. The series takes the national spotlight on SEC Network at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The final game will air on SEC Network+ with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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MSU defeated Jackson State by scores of 8-0 and 10-3 on Tuesday night while hitting seven total home runs and striking out 12 batters in each contest. The Aggies are coming off of a 9-1, run-rule victory over Houston, a team that State and ace Annie Willis shut out earlier this year.
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Carter Spexarth (3), Madisyn Kennedy (2) and Mia Davidson (2) all hit multiple home runs on Tuesday and have been rounding into form lately. Spexarth and Kennedy lead the team in batting average and are both slugging 1.000 or better in the last five games. Meanwhile, 10 of Davidson's last 12 hits have been homers.
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Game 2 – April 24 at 2 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – April 25 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
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Who's Hot: Kennedy leads the team in the last five games with a .462 average and 1.077 slugging percentage. She has four extra-base hits and five RBIs in that span.
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Sixth Inning Swings: The sixth inning produces MSU's highest batting average (.342) and slugging percentage (.589) and its lowest ERA (1.60) and opponents' average (.190) of any frame, and the Bulldogs hold a 33-8 edge on the scoreboard.
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SEC Sluggers: Davidson is tied for fourth in SEC softball history with 65 career home runs and is one of 10 baseball and softball players in the history of the conference to have hit 65 home runs in her career. She needs three to pass MSU legend Rafael Palmeiro (67) for the all-time lead at MSU in either sport.
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Lulu Leading Off: When Chloe Malau'ulu reaches base to open the game, State is 15-5 this season. She has reached base in 32 of the 72 innings she's led off and scored in 16 of those innings.
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Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 28 different batting orders and 15 different fielding alignments. The Bulldogs have rolled 19 different lineup combinations in their last 21 games.
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Making Them Miss: The Bulldog pitching staff is second in the SEC with 330 strikeouts. Emily Williams is currently averaging 9.09 strikeouts per seven innings, which ranks second in MSU single-season history behind Willis' 10.37 in 2020.
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Win The Late Innings: One of Ricketts' process points this season is winning the late innings (from the fifth on). State has outscored opponents 72-47 in the late innings, including a 33-8 margin in the sixth.
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Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball – NR | Softball America - NR | D1Softball - NR
Head Coach: Jo Evans | Record at TAMU: 953-464-2 (25th Year) | Career Record: 1266-674-2 (36th Year)
Batting Average: .295; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.1; Slugging Pct: .529
ERA: 2.34; K/7: 6.5; K/BB Ratio: 1.9; Opp. Batting Avg: .225
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MSU last met the Aggies in the 2019 SEC Tournament hosted in College Station where State claimed a 3-2 victory in the opening round. Senior Emily Williams earned the win with a complete-game effort that year. In 2021, the Aggies are in the top half of the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage and rank fifth in RBIs (214) and home runs (56). Texas A&M defeated Houston, 9-1, on Tuesday for its ninth run-rule victory of the year. Nine different Aggies have homered in 2021, with Haley Lee leading the way (19).
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The Bulldogs (24-19, 0-12 SEC) will host the Aggies (29-13, 6-9 SEC) on April 23-25 for three games. First pitch on Friday night is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. The series takes the national spotlight on SEC Network at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The final game will air on SEC Network+ with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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MSU defeated Jackson State by scores of 8-0 and 10-3 on Tuesday night while hitting seven total home runs and striking out 12 batters in each contest. The Aggies are coming off of a 9-1, run-rule victory over Houston, a team that State and ace Annie Willis shut out earlier this year.
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Carter Spexarth (3), Madisyn Kennedy (2) and Mia Davidson (2) all hit multiple home runs on Tuesday and have been rounding into form lately. Spexarth and Kennedy lead the team in batting average and are both slugging 1.000 or better in the last five games. Meanwhile, 10 of Davidson's last 12 hits have been homers.
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Game Coverage
Game 1 – April 23 at 6 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live StatsGame 2 – April 24 at 2 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – April 25 at 1 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
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Leading Off
Fresh Face: Addison Purvis has shone lately, playing the last five games and starting four while posting a .400 batting average. She is second on the team with a .364 average in the last 10 games.Â
Who's Hot: Kennedy leads the team in the last five games with a .462 average and 1.077 slugging percentage. She has four extra-base hits and five RBIs in that span.
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Sixth Inning Swings: The sixth inning produces MSU's highest batting average (.342) and slugging percentage (.589) and its lowest ERA (1.60) and opponents' average (.190) of any frame, and the Bulldogs hold a 33-8 edge on the scoreboard.
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SEC Sluggers: Davidson is tied for fourth in SEC softball history with 65 career home runs and is one of 10 baseball and softball players in the history of the conference to have hit 65 home runs in her career. She needs three to pass MSU legend Rafael Palmeiro (67) for the all-time lead at MSU in either sport.
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Lulu Leading Off: When Chloe Malau'ulu reaches base to open the game, State is 15-5 this season. She has reached base in 32 of the 72 innings she's led off and scored in 16 of those innings.
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Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 28 different batting orders and 15 different fielding alignments. The Bulldogs have rolled 19 different lineup combinations in their last 21 games.
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Making Them Miss: The Bulldog pitching staff is second in the SEC with 330 strikeouts. Emily Williams is currently averaging 9.09 strikeouts per seven innings, which ranks second in MSU single-season history behind Willis' 10.37 in 2020.
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Win The Late Innings: One of Ricketts' process points this season is winning the late innings (from the fifth on). State has outscored opponents 72-47 in the late innings, including a 33-8 margin in the sixth.
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About the Opponent
Texas A&MRankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball – NR | Softball America - NR | D1Softball - NR
Head Coach: Jo Evans | Record at TAMU: 953-464-2 (25th Year) | Career Record: 1266-674-2 (36th Year)
Batting Average: .295; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.1; Slugging Pct: .529
ERA: 2.34; K/7: 6.5; K/BB Ratio: 1.9; Opp. Batting Avg: .225
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MSU last met the Aggies in the 2019 SEC Tournament hosted in College Station where State claimed a 3-2 victory in the opening round. Senior Emily Williams earned the win with a complete-game effort that year. In 2021, the Aggies are in the top half of the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage and rank fifth in RBIs (214) and home runs (56). Texas A&M defeated Houston, 9-1, on Tuesday for its ninth run-rule victory of the year. Nine different Aggies have homered in 2021, with Haley Lee leading the way (19).
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On Deck
The Bulldogs have a lighter schedule next week, with no midweek contests scheduled. State will travel to South Carolina for three games beginning on April 30. The Friday and Sunday matchups will air on SEC Network+ with the Saturday game televised nationally 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
Players Mentioned
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