Softball Takes National Spotlight At TaxAct Clearwater Invitational

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will play on a national stage with a pair of postseason rematches on tap at TaxAct Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 17-19. All games will be available on one of ESPN's platforms with two being televised nationally. Three of MSU's five opponents are ranked in this week's NFCA Coaches' Poll.

The Bulldogs open the tournament with a nationally-televised contest against Indiana at 11:30 a.m. CT on SEC Network before a Super Regional rematch with No. 10/15 Arizona at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Saturday will see State play just one game, meeting No. 25/RV Michigan for the first time since 2012 at 4 p.m. on ESPN+. The Wolverines will be MSU's third Big Ten opponent this season, matching the most from that conference the Bulldogs have ever played in a season.

MSU's second postseason matchup comes on Sunday. The Bulldogs will play South Florida at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The teams last met in the 2022 Tallahassee Regional, and split a pair of games with State eliminating the Bulls from the tournament.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Road Dawgs: The Bulldogs will open the season with 15 consecutive road games while construction continues on their new indoor facility. The road trip is necessary while bullpens are completed for game use.

Starting With Number One: Freshman Macy Graf hit safely in her first five at-bats, becoming the first MSU freshman to start her career 5-for-5 since Mia Davidson (2018). The Aledo, Texas, native has five hits as a leadoff hitter this year, which is second in the SEC, and has reached base in six leadoff chances, which is tied for second in the conference. Her .636 batting average is No. 24 nationally, and her .714 on-base percentage is No. 21.

Big Year For The Big Ten: State will play four different Big Ten opponents including Indiana and No. 25/RV Michigan this weekend. MSU has never played more than three members of the Big Ten before in a single season.

Keep The Streak: Brylie St. Clair is riding a career-long eight game hitting streak, dating back to 2022. She is hitting .360 (9-for-25) over the streak.

No Easy Outs: The Bulldogs have struck out seven times in five games. That's the third-lowest total among SEC teams behind only Kentucky and Alabama, which have both played only three games.

Bullpen Bullets: The Bulldog pitchers have just a 0.82 ERA as a team, which is third in the conference, and have allowed only three extra-base hits despite pitching the second-most innings in the SEC.

Twin Killings: Mississippi State has turned three double plays through five games, which puts MSU on an early pace for 32 this season, which would tie the school record set in 2000. The Bulldogs are currently tied for second in the SEC in double plays and No. 23 nationally. Last year, State turned just 13 double plays in 64 games.

Magic Number: MSU was 24-1 last season when the Bulldogs scored more than five runs and 13-26 when scoring less than five. State has scored at least five in every win of 2023.

About the Opponents

Indiana (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NR
Head coach: Shonda Stanton | at IU: 129-102 (6th Year) | Career: 716-557-2 (25th Year)
Batting Average: .277; Runs Per Game: 6.8; Hits Per Game: 6.5; Slugging Percentage: .415
ERA: 3.77; K/7: 5.9; K/BB Ratio: 3.1; Opp. Batting Avg: .257

Arizona (5-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 10 | USA Softball – 15 | D1Softball – 18 | Softball America – 13
Head coach: Caitlin Lowe | at ARIZ: 44-22 (2nd Year) | Career: 44-22 (2nd Year)
Batting Average: .520; Runs Per Game: 12.6; Hits Per Game: 13.2; Slugging Percentage: .677
ERA: 1.68; K/7: 7.0; K/BB Ratio: 6.3; Opp. Batting Avg: .169

Michigan (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 25 | USA Softball – RV | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NR
Head coach: Bonnie Tholl | at MICH: 4-1 (1st Year) | Career: 4-1 (1st Year)
Batting Average: .296; Runs Per Game: 6.0; Hits Per Game: 8.0; Slugging Percentage: .378
ERA: 0.61; K/7: 8.2; K/BB Ratio: 3.1; Opp. Batting Avg: .145

South Florida (2-3, 0-0 AAC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NR
Head coach: Ken Eriksen | at USF: 1053-540-1 (26th Year) | Career: 1053-540-1 (26th Year)
Batting Average: .188; Runs Per Game: 2.4; Hits Per Game: 4.8; Slugging Percentage: .250
ERA: 2.08; K/7: 5.9; K/BB Ratio: 3.1; Opp. Batting Avg: .221

UCF (3-1, 0-0 AAC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 20 | USA Softball – 20 | D1Softball – 19 | Softball America – 18
Head coach: Cindy Ball-Malone | at UCF: 148-61-2 (5th Year) | Career: 247-177-2 (9th Year)
Batting Average: .346; Runs Per Game: 4.8; Hits Per Game: 9.3; Slugging Percentage: .523
ERA: 2.25; K/7: 9.0; K/BB Ratio: 2.0; Opp. Batting Avg: .179

Admission

Tickets for the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational are sold out, but some may be available on the secondary market. Fans should check the official Clearwater Invitational website for more information.

On Deck

Mississippi State heads to Mobile, Alabama, next weekend for the South Alabama Invitational. State will play Tulsa and South Alabama on Friday, Feb. 24. On Saturday, the Bulldogs match up with Louisiana Tech and Furman before closing the tournament with a rematch against Furman on Sunday.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Softball Takes National Spotlight At TaxAct Clearwater Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Macy Graf

Brylie St. Clair

Mississippi State University Athletics

Softball Takes National Spotlight At TaxAct Clearwater Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Macy Graf

Brylie St. Clair

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