Pet Day At Nusz Park Features Battle Of The Bulldogs

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will welcome another set of Bulldogs to Starkville on Saturday when it hosts Samford for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT. Both games will be available on SEC Network+.

Saturday is Pet Day at Nusz Park, and all MSU player headshots have been replaced with that player's pet. Fans are encouraged to bring pet supplies to donate that will benefit local animals in need. Requested items include soft kitten food, soft puppy food, towels, blankets and bleach.

As always, pets are not allowed in the Nusz Park seating bowl with the exception of Bark in the Park on April 23. Pets are allowed on the outfield deck at all games.

Fans in attendance will also receive free MSU softball hair scrunchies. Admission to all home softball games is always free.

Mississippi State (20-10, 4-2 SEC) is coming off a school-record six-homer game at Memphis earlier this week. The Bulldogs are among the top 30 teams in the nation in doubles, homers per game, on-base percentage, scoring and slugging percentage.

Samford (15-12, 0-0 SoCon) is playing its final non-conference weekend in Starkville and will begin SoCon play next week. Pitching and defense are Samford's strengths as the opposing Bulldogs lead their conference in ERA and fielding percentage and have turned eight double plays this year.

Leading Off

Trotting In Memphis: State hit a school-record six home runs at Memphis, and every run in the 13-3 win was scored on a home run. The previous record of five home runs was also set against Memphis on April 10, 2019.

Another Jewel in Her Crown: Mia Davidson has now hit 82 career homers, which is the most in SEC baseball or softball history and is tied for No. 12 in NCAA softball history.

A Record Rate: MSU is averaging 1.43 homers per game. With 55 regular-season games on the schedule, State is on pace for a school-record 79-homer season and its third 70-homer season on record, all under Samantha Ricketts.

Helping Her Own Cause: Matalasi Faapito has won four games as a pitcher and has homered in three of those. She is 6-for-20 (.300) in games when she pitches with seven walks, three homers and nine RBIs.

Tough Slate: State's strength of schedule is No. 9 in the latest RPI. MSU's opponents have combined for fourth-highest winning percentage (.676) in the nation.

Don't Try It: The Bulldogs are tied for 10th in the NCAA and second in the SEC with just 10 stolen bases allowed this season.

Made You Look: The Bulldog pitching staff leads the SEC with 55 looking strikeouts this season, which is tied for No. 21 nationally.

Keeping It Clean: MSU has just eight errors over its last 79 innings with a .975 fielding percentage in that span. State's fielding percentage in SEC play ranks fourth in the league.

Captain Chloe: Chloe Malau'ulu is tied for the SEC lead in hits (9) and fourth in the league in batting average (.500) in league play.

First Runs First: The Bulldogs have outscored opponents, 83-18, in the first two innings. MSU is 20-0 when leading after the second and 19-1 when scoring first this season.

About Samford (15-12, 0-0 SoCon)

Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head Coach: Kimball Cassady | Record at SAM: 15-12 (1st Year) | Career Record: 330-138-1 (12th Year)
Batting Average: .276 | Runs Per Game: 4.0 | Hits Per Game: 7.5 | Slugging Pct: .371
ERA: 3.31 | K/7: 5.3 | K/BB Ratio: 2.9 | Opp. Batting Avg: .259

Series History
Overall: 21-2 | Home: 13-1 | Away: 6-1 | Neutral: 2-0
Current Streak: Won 9 | Last Meeting: Apr. 13, 2021 in Birmingham, Ala. (MSU 8, SAM 5)

About the Bulldogs
Samford has rung up eight double plays with Timberlyn Shurbutt starting five for the Bulldogs. Shurbutt led the Bulldogs this past week against Colgate with three runs on five hits in her nine plate appearances. She registered six RBIs for a team-high of 22 on the season. MK Tedder and Shurbutt are tied for the team lead with four home runs on the season. The two players have combined for 35 runs on 57 hits. Freshman pitcher McKenzie Newcomb has started 14 games this season with 19 appearances with a record of 11-6.

On Deck

Mississippi State hits the road for a long trip next week. The Bulldogs will spend five days in the state of Tennessee beginning with a midweek matchup at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, March 30 at 6 p.m. CT. That game will air on C-USA.tv. The Bulldogs then resume conference play at No. 14 Tennessee on April 1-3.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Pet Day At Nusz Park Features Battle Of The Bulldogs

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Matalasi Faapito

Chloe Malau'ulu

Mississippi State University Athletics

Pet Day At Nusz Park Features Battle Of The Bulldogs

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Matalasi Faapito

Chloe Malau'ulu

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