Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament Tuesday Against Missouri

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mississippi State will begin the postseason this week in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs will be the No. 12 seed and are scheduled to play No. 13-seed Missouri at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 9. Tuesday-Thursday games of the tournament will be broadcast on SEC Network with the broadcasts switching to ESPN2 on Friday and Saturday.

State and Missouri have met just once before in the tournament in the 2015 bracket in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The teams did not meet this season, but the Bulldogs took two out of three games in the 2022 series in Starkville.

MSU has won its opening game in four consecutive SEC Tournaments, including every year under head coach Samantha Ricketts. With a win, State would advance to face No. 5-seed Alabama at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The next game on the docket if the Bulldogs advance is against host, No. 4-seed Arkansas at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

It's About How You Finish: Under head coach Samantha Ricketts, MSU is 13-7 in the final two weeks of the regular season (not including the shortened 2020 campaign). State has also won at least one SEC Tournament game in every year of her tenure.

What Have You Done Lately?: Madisyn Kennedy has gotten hot over the last two weeks, leading the team in batting average and OPS. She is hitting .389 with a 1.111 slugging percentage thanks to four homers and a double. Kennedy has driven in a team-high seven runs in that span, and she leads the team with a 1.500 OPS.

On A Roll: Chloe Malau'ulu is 12-for-28 over her current nine game reached-base streak with four walks and six extra-base hits in that span. She has a 1.087 OPS over the last two weeks.

Milestone Tracker: Chloe Malau'ulu is now ninth in school history in doubles (37) and 11th in homers (21). With two more triples, she'd become the 13th Bulldog with double-digit triples in her career. Malau'ulu is also 11 hits away from 200 for her career.

Sacrificial State: State has tied the school record with 17 sacrifice flies this year. The Bulldogs also have 18 sacrifice bunts, including a squeeze that scored a run against Memphis (4/19).

Phenomenal Freshman: Josey Marron has struck out 93 batters this year. That's the fifth-most by a freshman in MSU history. Her 8.42 K/7 ranks ninth among freshmen nationally.

Taking On Top Teams: The Bulldogs played a program record 25 games against ranked opponents in the regular season. 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.

Going The Distance: Josey Marron (3), Aspen Wesley (3), Reis Beuerlein (1) and Matalasi Faapito (1) have combined for eight complete games through 52 contests this season. MSU had 11 complete games in in 64 contests in 2022.

On Deck

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 14. The 64-team bracket will be revealed live on ESPN2.

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament Tuesday Against Missouri

Players Mentioned

Reis Beuerlein

Matalasi Faapito

Madisyn Kennedy

Chloe Malau'ulu

Josey Marron

Aspen Wesley

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