Softball Destined For Opening Day In Boca Raton

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will open its 32nd season of softball on Thursday when the Bulldogs travel to Boca Raton, Florida, for the Paradise Classic.

State will play five games in the tournament on Feb. 9-11 with the season opener set for 5 p.m. CT on Thursday against the host Florida Atlantic Owls. That game will be available to stream on C-USA.tv.

The remainder of the tournament will be available to stream with a subscription to FloSports. State plays Loyola Chicago at 10:30 a.m. and Bethune-Cookman at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The weekend wraps up with two games Saturday. MSU and Iowa will play at 8 a.m., immediately followed by a game against Stony Brook at 10:30 a.m.

State's last trip to Boca Raton came in 2014 when the Bulldogs went 5-0 in the FAU Strikeout Cancer Tournament. The Bulldogs are 3-3 against the Owls, with their last meetings coming in that 2014 tournament.

MSU has never met Loyola Chicago or Bethune-Cookman but is 4-2 all-time against Iowa. State swept Iowa in a three-game series in 2014. The Bulldogs defeated Stony Brook, 8-3, in their only meeting back in 2008.

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.

Chasing the Century: Samantha Ricketts is in line to become the fastest Bulldog head softball coach to win 100 games. If State can start 3-0, Ricketts will reach the mark in just 155 games. That trails only seven other coaches in all of Mississippi State's sports history and only one among MSU's women's teams.

Big Year For The Big Ten: State will play four different Big Ten opponents beginning with Iowa on Opening Weekend. MSU has never played more than three members of the Big Ten before in a single season.

Captain Chloe: For the second year in a row, Chloe Malau'ulu has been elected as the team's captain. She is joined by a leadership council made up of Madisyn Kennedy, Aspen Wesley and Kat Wallace. Malau'ulu is the team's active career leader in games played with 175 contests under he belt.

Chloe's Countdown: Malau'ulu needs eight outfield assists to tie Bulldog legend and two-time SEC Player of the Year Iyhia McMichael's MSU career record (23).

Magic Number: MSU was 24-1 last season when the Bulldogs scored more than five runs and 35-14 when allowing five or fewer. But State was 2-13 when allowing more than five.

National Team Notes: Mississippi State is the only program in the nation that can boast multiple active Team USA players on its coaching staff. Volunteer assistant Zac Shaw won bronze at the WBSC World Cup with the Men's National Team, and graduate student coach Mia Davidson-Smith won gold at the Pan American Championships with the Women's National Team.

Settling New Territory: Ricketts has expanded the Bulldogs' recruiting reach in recent years. Four current student-athletes are the first Bulldog from their state: Grace Fagan (New Jersey), Kenley Hawk (Arkansas), Riley Hull (Kentucky) and Kiersten Landers (West Virginia).

About the Opponents

Florida Atlantic (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Jordan Clark | at FAU: 0-0 (1st Year) | Career: 0-0 (1st Year)
2022 Batting Average: .238; Runs Per Game: 3.5; Hits Per Game: 5.9; Slugging Percentage: .349
2022 ERA: 3.51; K/7: 5.1; K/BB Ratio: 1.3; Opp. Batting Avg: .238

Loyola Chicago (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Alicia Abbott | at LOY: 42-68 (4th Year) | Career: 42-68 (4th Year)
2022 Batting Average: .284; Runs Per Game: 3.0; Hits Per Game: 5.5; Slugging Percentage: .304
2022 ERA: 4.03; K/7: 5.4; K/BB Ratio: 1.9; Opp. Batting Avg: .294

Bethune-Cookman (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Laura Watten | at BCU: 472-409 (16th Year) | Career: 760-638 (25th Year)
2022 Batting Average: .242; Runs Per Game: 2.8; Hits Per Game: 6.1; Slugging Percentage: .270
2022 ERA: 3.49; K/7: 5.2; K/BB Ratio: 2.4; Opp. Batting Avg: .257

Iowa (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Renee Gillispie | at IOWA: 672-180-1 (16th Year) | Career: 672-180-1 (16th Year)
2022 Batting Average: .258; Runs Per Game: 3.9; Hits Per Game: 6.6; Slugging Percentage: .367
2022 ERA: 5.03; K/7: 4.2; K/BB Ratio: 1.4; Opp. Batting Avg: .293

Stony Brook (0-0, 0-0 Colonial)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Megan Bryant | at SBU: 83-86 (5th Year) | Career: 912-665-3 (29th Year)
2022 Batting Average: .272; Runs Per Game: 2.9; Hits Per Game: 5.2; Slugging Percentage: .409
2022 ERA: 2.40; K/7: 9.0; K/BB Ratio: 3.6; Opp. Batting Avg: .212

Admission

Tickets to the FAU Softball Stadium are available for purchase online or in person beginning one hour prior to first pitch. A three-day tournament pass is available for $20. Day passes are available for $10.

On Deck

The Bulldogs return to Florida next week for the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational hosted by ESPN Events. State is set to play Indiana, No. 12 Arizona, Michigan, South Florida and No. 18 UCF, and all games will be available on ESPN platforms.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Softball Destined For Opening Day In Boca Raton

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Grace Fagan

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Madisyn Kennedy

Kiersten Landers

Chloe Malau'ulu

Kat Wallace

Aspen Wesley

Mississippi State University Athletics

Softball Destined For Opening Day In Boca Raton

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Grace Fagan

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Madisyn Kennedy

Kiersten Landers

Chloe Malau'ulu

Kat Wallace

Aspen Wesley

Related Videos