Postseason Begins At SEC Tournament In Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mississippi State softball begins its postseason journey in Gainesville, Florida, this week at the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs will be the No. 11 seed and are set to face No. 6-seed LSU on Wednesday, May 11. First pitch is at 11 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.

State is half of one of two pairs of opening round matchups that are continuations of a weekend series. The Bulldogs and Tigers closed the regular season with a three-game set at Nusz Park. MSU (32-23, 10-14 SEC) won the finale in Starkville, and will look to take that momentum into a fourth meeting with LSU (34-20, 13-11 SEC).

The other rematch is on the opposite side of the bracket between No. 8-seed Ole Miss and No. 9-seed Georgia. Ole Miss took the series in Athens over the weekend.

State has won its opening game in three consecutive SEC Tournaments. MSU and LSU have met twice before in the postseason but not in since the 2001 bracket. The games have historically been very tight affairs. LSU claimed a one-run victory in 2001 and won in extra innings in 1999.

Should the Bulldogs win on Wednesday, they would advance to play No. 3-seed Tennessee on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Storybook Senior Day: The Bulldogs put together their largest comeback victory of the year on Senior Day, erasing a five-run deficit in a 6-5 win against LSU. Annie Willis threw a complete game, and Montana Davidson drove in two runs and scored the tying run.

Magic Number: MSU is 21-1 this season when the Bulldogs score at least five runs and 30-11 when allowing five or fewer. However, State is 2-12 when allowing more than five.

Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 38 different batting orders and 23 different defensive alignments to start the game. She used a season-high 19 players in the series finale at Kentucky.

Dawgs In The Draft: Mia Davidson was one of 13 players selected in this year's Athletes Unlimited College Draft. She is the 12th Bulldog to be selected in a professional draft. Ricketts has coached six of State's 12 draftees since she arrived as an assistant. Fa Leilua also signed a professional contract with the Smash It Sports Vipers this week, giving State its 20th and 21st pro players.

All Hail The Queen: Davidson's 90 career homers are the most in SEC baseball or softball history and fifth in NCAA softball history.

Record Watch: Davidson has tied the MSU career throw outs record (caught stealings and pickoffs) set by Sam Lenahan (54; 2011-14). Davidson has caught 42 runners stealing and picked off 12.

Multiples For Mia: Davidson holds the school record with 56 career multi-RBI games, and her 68 career multi-hit games are fourth in MSU history.

Dawg Defense: The Bulldogs have turned nine double plays in SEC play. Madisyn Kennedy leads the SEC 101 assists, and her 53 assists in conference play rank second.

Tigers In The Tourney: MSU will open the SEC Tournament on May 11, 21 years to the day since the Bulldogs last played LSU in the tournament. State lost that game by one run to No. 3 LSU. In their only other SEC Tourney meeting, they went to extra innings in 1999.

On Deck

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 15. The 64-team bracket will be revealed live on ESPN2.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Postseason Begins At SEC Tournament In Gainesville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Montana Davidson

Madisyn Kennedy

Fa Leilua

Annie Willis

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postseason Begins At SEC Tournament In Gainesville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Montana Davidson

Madisyn Kennedy

Fa Leilua

Annie Willis

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