State Hits The Road For Midweek Matchup With UT Martin

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State faces a midweek test at a neutral site on Wednesday in Lexington, Tennessee. The Bulldogs (5-6) will face UT Martin (5-3) at 5:30 p.m. CT.

The two teams will meet at Henderson County Sportsplex. Live stats will be available.

Over the past week, Riley Hull has emerged going 7-for-14 at the plate with three extra-base hits. The Bulldog offense has been impressive in MSU's wins with three run-rule victories already. State is averaging 8.8 runs per game in games it has won.

MSU will run into a Skyhawk team that also has three run-rule victories under its belt. UT Martin has been kept off the scoreboard just twice in a 1-0 loss to Northwestern State and a run-rule defeat at the hands of North Dakota State.

The teams last met in a midweek contest during the 2020 season that saw MSU claim a 6-0 victory. The Bulldogs have won all seven meetings with UT Martin.

Leading Off

Scoring In Bunches: State has claimed three of its five wins via run-rule and is averaging 8.8 runs per game in its victories.

In A Pinch: The Bulldogs are 6-for-1 (.545) when pinch hitting this season. State sent four pinch hitters to the plate in Game 2 against Alabama State (Feb. 16) and went 4-for-4 with three of the hits going for extra bases.

In The Zone: MSU's pitchers are leading the SEC with 23 looking strikeouts this season. Kenley Hawk ranks eighth nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (12.3).

Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts used 33 different batting orders and 17 different fielding alignments in her starting lineups in 2021. She has used a unique card in every game this season, with 11 different batting orders and nine defensive alignments.

New Look For Kenley: Hawk adopted a facemask this season and has looked like a different pitcher since. She's currently pitching to a 1.02 ERA, allowing just two earned runs, in 13.2 innings across five appearances this season.

Record Watch: Mia Davidson broke the SEC career home run record this weekend with her 72nd long ball. She surpassed Florida's Lauren Haeger (71) in just 214 games, while Haeger set the record in 261.

Hello Hull: Freshman Riley Hull batted .500 (7-for-14) last week with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs, including a career-high three-RBI game against Georgia Tech (Feb. 19).

Our Saviors: Annie Willis and Matalasi Faapito have both recorded one save in State's three wins already this year.

About the Opponent

UT Martin (5-3, 0-0 SWAC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - RV | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Brian Dunn | Record at UTM: 44-32 (3rd Year) | Career Record: 493-140-2 (12th Year)
Batting Average: .335 | Runs Per Game: 6.1 | Hits Per Game: 9.1 | Slugging Pct: .537
ERA: 3.57 | K/7: 6.9 | K/BB Ratio: 2.9 | Opp. Batting Avg: .198

The Bulldogs will once again face UT Martin on a neutral field as State has never played the Skyhawks in Martin. This will be the second meeting in the series in the state of Tennessee, with MSU defeating UT Martin, 6-5, in nine innings in Chattanooga in 2007. In their last game, both Anna Hazlewood and Kallie Pickens collected three RBIs as the Skyhawks claimed a 12-4 victory at Georgia Southern. UT Martin hit 10 extra-base hits in that contest.

On Deck

Mississippi State will host The Snowman at Nusz Park on Feb. 25-27. Longwood, Belmont and South Alabama will be in attendance.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

State Hits The Road For Midweek Matchup With UT Martin

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Matalasi Faapito

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Annie Willis

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Hits The Road For Midweek Matchup With UT Martin

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Matalasi Faapito

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Annie Willis

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