State Closes Regular Season At No. 17 Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. – The final weekend of the regular season is upon us, and Mississippi State softball is headed to Auburn, Alabama for a crucial series to close the SEC slate.

The Bulldogs (27-22, 6-14 SEC) will meet the No. 17 Tigers (37-15, 13-8 SEC) with critical seeding in next week's SEC Tournament on the line for both squads. State can avoid the Tuesday night play-in game as long as the Bulldogs win more games than Ole Miss. There's a chance for MSU to climb as high as the No. 9 seed with a sweep and favorable results around the league. Meanwhile, Auburn could finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 and currently sits in the hunt for a first-round bye in third place.

MSU swept No. 20 Kentucky over the weekend, averaging eight runs per game and hitting 10 total homers in the series. It was the latest in a trend of Bulldog rallies to close the regular season. In 2021, State won its final seven SEC games to earn the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament before winning its first matchup in the event as well. Under Samantha Ricketts, the Bulldogs are 12-5 in the final two weeks of the regular season.

State's hot hitting will run into some of the nation's top pitching. The Tigers lead the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio and are third in shutouts as a staff. Maddie Penta is among the top 10 nationally in ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, total strikeouts and wins. Shelby Lowe is third nationally in walks per seven innings and leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

It's About How You Finish: Under head coach Samantha Ricketts, MSU is 12-5 in the final two weeks of the regular season (not including the shortened 2020 campaign).

Seedings At State: MSU could climb as high as the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament with a sweep of Auburn if South Carolina and Kentucky lose their series and Ole Miss wins two or fewer games. Auburn and Arkansas could finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 based on results around the league.

Milestone Tracker: Chloe Malau'ulu is now tied for 10th in school history in doubles (36) and homers (21). With two more triples, she'd become the 13th Bulldog with double-digit triples in her career.

Paige Power: Paige Cook was named the SEC Player of the Week (5/1) for her efforts against No. 20 Kentucky. Cook posted a 2.333 slugging percentage and a .818 on-base percentage.

Kentucky Kickstart: The sweep of No. 20 Kentucky (4/28-30) provided a jumpstart to MSU's offense. State raised its season slugging percentage 23 points with those three games alone. As a team, State averaged more than eight runs per game and posted a 1.196 OPS in the series.

Dinger Derby: Mississippi State hit 10 home runs in its sweep of No. 20 Kentucky (4/28-30), which is the Bulldogs' highest total in an SEC series in school history.

Taking On Top Teams: The Bulldogs will play games Nos. 23-25 against a ranked opponent this weekend against No. 17 Auburn. State's previous regular-season record for games against ranked opponents is 24 in 2017. When including the postseason, the record is 27 set in 2004 and 2022.

Sacrificial State: MSU has tied the school record with 17 sacrifice flies this year. Paige Cook has hit four, which is tied for third in MSU history and one shy of the individual record.

About Auburn (37-15, 13-8 SEC)

Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 17 | USA Softball – 15 | D1Softball - 13 | Softball America – 14
Head Coach: Mickey Dean | Record at AUB: 200-105 (6th Year) | Career Record: 678-277 (17th Year)
Batting Average: .278 | Runs Per Game: 5.3 | Hits Per Game: 6.9 | Slugging Pct: .473
ERA: 2.06 | K/7: 8.7 | K/BB Ratio: 5.8 | Opp. Batting Avg: .197

Series History
Overall: 33-36 | Home: 19-17 | Away: 13-18 | Neutral: 1-1
Current Streak: Lost 2 | Last Meeting: April 24, 2022 in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 2, AUB 9)

About the Tigers
Auburn has been nationally ranked for 26 consecutive weeks, the third longest streak in program history. Maddie Penta's season record stands at 23-5. She is the first Auburn pitcher to record at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons since Kaylee Carlson in 2017 and 2018. Penta ranks sixth in the nation in ERA and second in strikeouts. Shelby Lowe leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.00). Auburn has hit 59 homers, which is tied for second in the SEC. Thirteen different Tigers have hit a home run this season.

On Deck

The SEC Tournament begins on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. CT with the play-in game between the Nos. 12 and 13 seeds. All games of the tournament will be broadcast on SEC Network. Wednesday features four games including all but the top four seeds who have a bye to Thursday's quarterfinals.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

State Closes Regular Season At No. 17 Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Chloe Malau'ulu

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Closes Regular Season At No. 17 Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Chloe Malau'ulu

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