Wednesday, March 9
Starkville
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
North Alabama
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Nation’s Top Offenses Meet In Starkville Wednesday
March 08, 2022 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Two of the nation's top offenses will meet in Starkville on Wednesday, March 9, at 6 p.m. CT. Mississippi State, one of the NCAA's top power and scoring teams, will play host to a North Alabama team that is collecting hits at an impressive rate.
North Alabama (18-3) moved to Division I in 2018 following its 2016 D-II National Championship and is not yet eligible for statistical rankings. However, the Lions' 214 hits have already matched their 2021 season total and would rank second in the nation. UNA is off to its most successful start since moving to Division I, and a win would tie its entire 2021 season total.
State (14-8) ranks fifth in the nation in home runs (33) and ninth in home runs per game (1.50). In fact, at their current rate, the Bulldogs are on pace to break the MSU single-season homer record by more than 10 long balls in the regular season alone. MSU is averaging 6.1 runs per game, but that number rises to 8.8 in games it's won. With nine run-rule victories already under their belt, the Bulldogs are chasing the school record of 13 set in 2008.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-1 weekend in the Bulldog Invitational that saw them outscore opponents 38-9 over the weekend. Defensively, State has had just two errors in its last 29 innings of play, with only one leading to an unearned run.
Wednesday night is Boyband Night at Nusz Park, and MSU will play hit music between each inning. Two Bluetooth karaoke microphones will be raffled off during the game. Admission to MSU softball games is always free.
Record Watch: In addition to her SEC career home run record (79), Mia Davidson now holds MSU career records in RBIs (196) and total bases (531) after breaking both records last weekend.
SEC Sluggers: Davidson's 79 home runs trail only LSU's Eddy Furniss (80) for the most in SEC baseball and softball history. She has done so in 228 career games, while Furniss hit his in 265 games.
Keeping It Clean: MSU has committed just two errors over its last 29.0 innings (87 outs) defensively, and only one of those errors has allowed a run to score unearned.
In The Zone: Kenley Hawk's 0.65 ERA is No. 12 nationally. She has allowed just three earned runs in 32.1 innings.
Launching Pad: MSU is fifth in the nation with 33 home runs and is averaging 1.50 homers per game. With 55 regular-season games on the schedule, State is on pace for a school-record 82.5-homer season. The Bulldogs have hit at least one home run in every game they've won this season.
Big Bookends: The Bulldogs play their best ball early and late in the game. MSU has outscored opponents, 79-20, across the first, second, sixth and seventh innings, and once MSU holds a lead at the end of an inning, the Bulldogs are undefeated.
Have Mercy: Nine of MSU's 14 wins have come via run-rule, which is tied for the fifth-most in a season in school history and the most since 2018 (11).
Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has reused a lineup card in just one game this season. In 22 games, she's used 21 different batting orders and 13 defensive alignments. Last year, she used 33 different batting orders and 16 different fielding alignments.
Head Coach: Ashley Cozart | Record at UNA: 293-115 (9th Year) | Career Record: 293-115 (9th Year)
Batting Average: .347 | Runs Per Game: 7.2 | Hits Per Game: 10.2 | Slugging Pct: .501
ERA: 3.08 | K/7: 6.5 | K/BB Ratio: 2.5 | Opp. Batting Avg: .244
Series History
Overall: 4-0 | Home: 2-0 | Away: 2-0 | Neutral: 0-0
Current Streak: Won 4 | Last Meeting: Apr. 3, 2021 in Florence, Ala. (MSU 9, UNA 1 [5])
About the Lions
At 18-3, the Lions are off to their best start to a season since making the move to Division I in 2018. UNA was very successful at the D-II level, winning the 2016 national championship. With a win, UNA will tie its win total from all of last season. The Lions have already tied their 2021 season total with 214 hits. That total would rank second in the nation if UNA was eligible for the statistical rankings. Over the weekend, Harley Stokes hit her fourth career grand slam. UNA has trailed at some point in 11 of 18 wins this year.
North Alabama (18-3) moved to Division I in 2018 following its 2016 D-II National Championship and is not yet eligible for statistical rankings. However, the Lions' 214 hits have already matched their 2021 season total and would rank second in the nation. UNA is off to its most successful start since moving to Division I, and a win would tie its entire 2021 season total.
State (14-8) ranks fifth in the nation in home runs (33) and ninth in home runs per game (1.50). In fact, at their current rate, the Bulldogs are on pace to break the MSU single-season homer record by more than 10 long balls in the regular season alone. MSU is averaging 6.1 runs per game, but that number rises to 8.8 in games it's won. With nine run-rule victories already under their belt, the Bulldogs are chasing the school record of 13 set in 2008.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-1 weekend in the Bulldog Invitational that saw them outscore opponents 38-9 over the weekend. Defensively, State has had just two errors in its last 29 innings of play, with only one leading to an unearned run.
Wednesday night is Boyband Night at Nusz Park, and MSU will play hit music between each inning. Two Bluetooth karaoke microphones will be raffled off during the game. Admission to MSU softball games is always free.
Leading Off
Schedule Strength: MSU's past and future opponents have combined for a .706 winning percentage this season, which ranks fourth in the nation. 28 of its 55 games are against teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the preseason polls.Record Watch: In addition to her SEC career home run record (79), Mia Davidson now holds MSU career records in RBIs (196) and total bases (531) after breaking both records last weekend.
SEC Sluggers: Davidson's 79 home runs trail only LSU's Eddy Furniss (80) for the most in SEC baseball and softball history. She has done so in 228 career games, while Furniss hit his in 265 games.
Keeping It Clean: MSU has committed just two errors over its last 29.0 innings (87 outs) defensively, and only one of those errors has allowed a run to score unearned.
In The Zone: Kenley Hawk's 0.65 ERA is No. 12 nationally. She has allowed just three earned runs in 32.1 innings.
Launching Pad: MSU is fifth in the nation with 33 home runs and is averaging 1.50 homers per game. With 55 regular-season games on the schedule, State is on pace for a school-record 82.5-homer season. The Bulldogs have hit at least one home run in every game they've won this season.
Big Bookends: The Bulldogs play their best ball early and late in the game. MSU has outscored opponents, 79-20, across the first, second, sixth and seventh innings, and once MSU holds a lead at the end of an inning, the Bulldogs are undefeated.
Have Mercy: Nine of MSU's 14 wins have come via run-rule, which is tied for the fifth-most in a season in school history and the most since 2018 (11).
Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has reused a lineup card in just one game this season. In 22 games, she's used 21 different batting orders and 13 defensive alignments. Last year, she used 33 different batting orders and 16 different fielding alignments.
About North Alabama (18-3, 0-0 ASUN)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - RV | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NRHead Coach: Ashley Cozart | Record at UNA: 293-115 (9th Year) | Career Record: 293-115 (9th Year)
Batting Average: .347 | Runs Per Game: 7.2 | Hits Per Game: 10.2 | Slugging Pct: .501
ERA: 3.08 | K/7: 6.5 | K/BB Ratio: 2.5 | Opp. Batting Avg: .244
Series History
Overall: 4-0 | Home: 2-0 | Away: 2-0 | Neutral: 0-0
Current Streak: Won 4 | Last Meeting: Apr. 3, 2021 in Florence, Ala. (MSU 9, UNA 1 [5])
About the Lions
At 18-3, the Lions are off to their best start to a season since making the move to Division I in 2018. UNA was very successful at the D-II level, winning the 2016 national championship. With a win, UNA will tie its win total from all of last season. The Lions have already tied their 2021 season total with 214 hits. That total would rank second in the nation if UNA was eligible for the statistical rankings. Over the weekend, Harley Stokes hit her fourth career grand slam. UNA has trailed at some point in 11 of 18 wins this year.
On Deck
Mississippi State opens conference play this weekend at No. 3 Florida. The Bulldogs and Gators will play in the SEC's showcase Saturday-Monday series with all three games airing on SEC Network. The series opens at 11 a.m. CT on March 12. Saturday's game will be played at 3 p.m., and the Monday night finale is set for 6 p.m.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Players Mentioned
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