Tuesday, February 13
Starkville
4:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
#23 Louisiana
Bulldogs Welcome Louisiana For Ranked Midweek Matchup
February 12, 2024 | Softball
STARKVILLE – After posting a perfect Opening Weekend, highlighted by two no-hitters, Mississippi State softball will face its first significant test of the season on Tuesday, hosting No. 21/21 Louisiana.
The Bulldogs will play four teams that were ranked in the preseason polls in February, beginning with the Ragin' Cajuns. Three of those games are set for this week, as State meets No. 13/16 Utah and No. 5/7 Clemson in Mexico over the weekend.
MSU is among the top 10 teams in the nation in batting average (5th), on-base percentage (6th), slugging percentage (7th) and ERA (9th). The Bulldogs were one of just two teams in the nation not to walk a batter on Opening Weekend, and they recorded 30 of their 66 outs via the strikeout.
Tickets are now required for all events at Nusz Park. Tickets for Tuesday will grant admission to both games and can be purchased at HailState.com/Tickets. Fans in attendance will be able to enter into two midweek raffles to win a prize at the game.
Game 2 – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Home Sweet Home: State has now won 11 consecutive home openers while throwing shutouts in six of those games. The Bulldogs have outscored those opponents, 100-19, in that span. They are now 168-68 at home since Nusz Park opened in 2016.
What's Cookin': Paige Cook is riding a six-game hitting streak that has seen her go 7-for-9 at the plate with four homer and a pair of doubles. Her career-long streak is eight games, and she has reached base in 11 straight, one shy of her career best.
The Taryne Treatment: New pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney has the Bulldogs ranked ninth nationally in ERA (0.32), and the Bulldogs were one of only two teams not to walk a batter on Opening Weekend. State has struck out 30 of the 66 batters the Bulldogs have retired.
Welcome To The Show: State's freshman class was the No. 10 class in the nation when they signed in the fall of 2022. Five of State's six freshmen were Extra Inning Softball Top 100 recruits. Those freshman are a combined 8-for-27 (.296) with three doubles, two homers and eight RBIs.
Magic Number: MSU is 53-2 over the last two years when scoring five or more runs. State scored at least five in 25 of its 27 wins of 2023 and has done so in all four games of 2024.
Taking On Top Teams: The Bulldogs played a program-record 25 games against 11 ranked opponents in the 2023 regular season. This year's schedule features 19 games against eight teams ranked in the NFCA Preseason Coaches' Poll. State will face four of those teams in February alone.
Similar Slugger Storylines: Madisyn Kennedy and Paige Cook rank ninth and 10th in school history, respectively, in career home runs. They've had very similar offseasons as both missed fall practice while rehabbing from offseason surgeries. Both homered in their first weekend back on the field and are separated by just one blast in the record books.
Head Coach: Gerry Glasco | Record at UL: 259-70 (7th Year) | Career Record: Same
Batting Average: .361 | Runs Per Game: 9.0 | Hits Per Game: 8.8 | Slugging Pct: .549
ERA: 1.35 | K/7: 5.9 | K/BB Ratio: 4.3 | Opp. Batting Avg: .244
Current Streak: Lost 6 | Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2023 in Starkville, Miss. (UL 9, MSU 1 [6 inn.])
The Bulldogs will play four teams that were ranked in the preseason polls in February, beginning with the Ragin' Cajuns. Three of those games are set for this week, as State meets No. 13/16 Utah and No. 5/7 Clemson in Mexico over the weekend.
MSU is among the top 10 teams in the nation in batting average (5th), on-base percentage (6th), slugging percentage (7th) and ERA (9th). The Bulldogs were one of just two teams in the nation not to walk a batter on Opening Weekend, and they recorded 30 of their 66 outs via the strikeout.
Tickets are now required for all events at Nusz Park. Tickets for Tuesday will grant admission to both games and can be purchased at HailState.com/Tickets. Fans in attendance will be able to enter into two midweek raffles to win a prize at the game.
Game Coverage
Game 1 – 4 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Buy TicketsGame 2 – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Leading Off
Hits Hard To Come By: State threw the first pair of back-to-back no-hitters in school history against IUPUI on Feb. 9-10. Josey Marron tossed the 24th in program history and her first, while Matalasi Faapito threw the 25th and her second, dating back to her time at New Mexico State. Louisiana also saw Sam Landry throw a no-hitter over the weekend against California.Home Sweet Home: State has now won 11 consecutive home openers while throwing shutouts in six of those games. The Bulldogs have outscored those opponents, 100-19, in that span. They are now 168-68 at home since Nusz Park opened in 2016.
What's Cookin': Paige Cook is riding a six-game hitting streak that has seen her go 7-for-9 at the plate with four homer and a pair of doubles. Her career-long streak is eight games, and she has reached base in 11 straight, one shy of her career best.
The Taryne Treatment: New pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney has the Bulldogs ranked ninth nationally in ERA (0.32), and the Bulldogs were one of only two teams not to walk a batter on Opening Weekend. State has struck out 30 of the 66 batters the Bulldogs have retired.
Welcome To The Show: State's freshman class was the No. 10 class in the nation when they signed in the fall of 2022. Five of State's six freshmen were Extra Inning Softball Top 100 recruits. Those freshman are a combined 8-for-27 (.296) with three doubles, two homers and eight RBIs.
Magic Number: MSU is 53-2 over the last two years when scoring five or more runs. State scored at least five in 25 of its 27 wins of 2023 and has done so in all four games of 2024.
Taking On Top Teams: The Bulldogs played a program-record 25 games against 11 ranked opponents in the 2023 regular season. This year's schedule features 19 games against eight teams ranked in the NFCA Preseason Coaches' Poll. State will face four of those teams in February alone.
Similar Slugger Storylines: Madisyn Kennedy and Paige Cook rank ninth and 10th in school history, respectively, in career home runs. They've had very similar offseasons as both missed fall practice while rehabbing from offseason surgeries. Both homered in their first weekend back on the field and are separated by just one blast in the record books.
About Louisiana (4-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 21 | USA Softball – 21 | D1Softball – 21 | Softball America – 23Head Coach: Gerry Glasco | Record at UL: 259-70 (7th Year) | Career Record: Same
Batting Average: .361 | Runs Per Game: 9.0 | Hits Per Game: 8.8 | Slugging Pct: .549
ERA: 1.35 | K/7: 5.9 | K/BB Ratio: 4.3 | Opp. Batting Avg: .244
Series History
Overall: 3-12 | Home: 1-5 | Away: 2-5 | Neutral: 0-2Current Streak: Lost 6 | Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2023 in Starkville, Miss. (UL 9, MSU 1 [6 inn.])
Noteworthy
Sam Landry threw a no-hitter in the Ragin' Cajuns' second game of the year. She opened the season with 10.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Louisiana scored 67 percent of its runs (30 of 45) with two outs. Brooke Ellestad and Sophie Piskos led the way offensively with identical .438 batting averages (7-for-16) and 11 combined RBIs. Mihyia Davis was the 2023 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and was picked as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. She led the nation with 52 stolen bases in 2023. Fourteen of Louisiana's 45 runs have been scored in the first inning this year.On Deck
State heads south of the border as the Bulldogs travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this week. MSU will play in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge for the first time since 2019, meeting UC Davis and UC San Diego on Feb. 16 before playing No. 13/16 Utah and No. 5/7 Clemson on Feb. 17.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
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