Challenging Opening Weekend Features Pair of Ranked Opponents

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will open its 31st season of softball on Friday when the Bulldogs travel to Irvine, California, for the Mark Campbell Invitational.

State will play three games in the tournament on Feb. 11-12 before wrapping up the weekend with a trip across town to Los Angeles to meet Loyola Marymount on Sunday. All three games of the Mark Campbell Invitational will be broadcasted by FloSports.

"This is always a month full of anticipation," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "It's about the time where we're tired of facing each other at practice, especially with the added excitement of a big opening weekend for us. We know that we're going into an immediate challenge, and that's by design for this team."

Following a season opener against LMU at 3 p.m. CT, the Bulldogs meet defending national champion and consensus No. 1 Oklahoma at 8:30 p.m. Ricketts will meet her former head coach, Patty Gasso, for the second time at the helm of the MSU program. No former Gasso player has ever beaten the Sooners as a head coach. It will be the 14th time the Bulldogs have played the nation's top-ranked team.

On Saturday, State will face another stiff test in No. 3 UCLA. The Bruins played in the Women's College World Series a year ago, and MSU has not faced the program since a pair of neutral site meetings in Lakewood, California, in 2006. State has never met the Bruins when they were ranked outside the top five.

State closes the weekend with a second meeting with LMU on the Lions' campus. That matchup will be available to stream on YouTube.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

California Connections: There will be plenty of familiar foes for the Bulldogs this weekend. Head coach Samantha Ricketts, an Oklahoma alum, will square off with her former head coach, Patty Gasso for the second time in her tenure. Meanwhile Chloe Malau'ulu's sister, Thessa, plays for UCLA, and Shea Moreno spent one semester with the Bruins out of high school. In total, six Bulldog players, coaches or staff members hail from the state of California.

Ready For A Challenge: The Bulldogs are set to play 28 of their 55 games against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in either the NFCA Coaches' Poll or the ESPN/USA Softball Poll. 20 of those games will be on the road or at neutral sites, beginning with this weekend's games against No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 UCLA.

Starting Strong: State has won its season opener every year since 2014 and holds a 20-10 record all-time in season openers.

Record Watch: Mia Davidson enters her final season with 69 career home runs, just two long balls shy of the SEC career record set by Florida's Lauren Haeger (71).

New Territory: Three current student-athletes are the first Bulldog from their state: Riley Hull (Kentucky), Kenley Hawk (Arkansas) and Grace Fagan (New Jersey).

Lineup Log: Ricketts used 33 different batting orders and 17 different fielding alignments in her starting lineups in 2021.

Lulu Leading Off: Chloe Malau'ulu batted leadoff in all 60 games of 2021. State was 21-6 when Malau'ulu reached base to open a game last year.

Wonderful Willis: Annie Willis is one of seven Bulldogs to throw multiple career no-hitters and the first to toss multiple 7.0 inning no-hitters. MSU has a no-hitter in every season since 2015.

About the Opponents

Loyola Marymount (0-0, 0-0 WCC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Tairia Flowers | at LMU: 22-21 (2nd Year) | Career: 281-284 (12th Year)
2021 Batting Average: .245; Runs Per Game: 3.3; Hits Per Game: 6.2; Slugging Percentage: .353
2021 ERA: 3.58; K/7: 4.7; K/BB Ratio: 2.2; Opp. Batting Avg: .264

Oklahoma (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - 1 | USA Softball - 1 | Softball America – 1 | D1Softball - 1
Head coach: Patty Gasso | at OU: 1336-341-2 (28th Year) | Career: 1336-341-2 (28th Year)
2021 Batting Average: .405; Runs Per Game: 10.6; Hits Per Game: 11.1; Slugging Percentage: .778
2021 ERA: 2.50; K/7: 8.4; K/BB Ratio: 3.7; Opp. Batting Avg: .184

UCLA (0-0, 0-0 Pac 12)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - 3 | USA Softball - 3 | Softball America – 4 | D1Softball - 4
Head coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez | at UCLA: 672-180-1 (16th Year) | Career: 672-180-1 (16th Year)
2021 Batting Average: .314; Runs Per Game: 6.0; Hits Per Game: 8.0; Slugging Percentage: .548
2021 ERA: 1.43; K/7: 8.7; K/BB Ratio: 6.2; Opp. Batting Avg: .175

Admission/Attendance Guidelines

Tickets for the three games of the Mark Campbell Invitational will be available at the gate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets for Sunday's game at Loyola Marymount must be claimed in advance online at LMULions.com. LMU requires a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination for admittance, and all fans must also complete the required health check.

On Deck

The Bulldogs return to Starkville for their home opener on Feb. 16 with a doubleheader against Alabama State. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, and the games will air on SEC Network+.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Challenging Opening Weekend Features Pair of Ranked Opponents

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Grace Fagan

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Chloe Malau'ulu

Shea Moreno

Annie Willis

Mississippi State University Athletics

Challenging Opening Weekend Features Pair of Ranked Opponents

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Grace Fagan

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Chloe Malau'ulu

Shea Moreno

Annie Willis

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