Bulldogs Open Conference Play Against In-State Rival

STARKVILLE – The No. 24/23 Mississippi State softball team will open conference play against in-state rival Ole Miss this weekend in Oxford. The three-game series will begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday night before 3 p.m. first pitches on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's game is set to be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

The Bulldogs (17-3) are coming off a 6-0 weekend at the Bulldog Invitational presented by C Spire that saw them claim five run-rule victories. State has now won 10 games via run-rule, which is tied for the fifth-most in a season in school history. Along the way, MSU picked up three more wins against in-state teams, improving to 25-4 against teams from Mississippi under head coach Samantha Ricketts.

State enters the weekend among the top 15 teams nationally in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, RBIs, sacrifice flies, ERA, FIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio, WHIP, walks – both pitching and hitting – and walk rate in the circle.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss did not play in 2023, but the Bulldogs swept the 2022 series and won the postseason meeting in 2021 at the SEC Tournament.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Blaine Burning Up: Jessie Blaine leads the team in average (.388), slugging percentage (.755), RBIs (21) and homers (5). She is currently batting .800 with a 1.600 slugging percentage and .909 on-base percentage over her active four-game hitting streak.

Making The Sacrifice: Paige Cook hit four sacrifice flies last year, which was one shy of the school record. She already has three this year, and her nine career sac flies are tied for second in school history. As a team, State's 12 sacrifice flies rank third nationally.

Speedy State: MSU already has 27 stolen bases after swiping just 29 all of last year. Sierra Sacco leads the team, going 12-for-12 on steal attempts, which is tied for second in the SEC.

What's Cookin': Paige Cook has led the team in two-out RBIs each of the last two years, and is doing so again this year. She now has 54 for her career, which is sixth in MSU history.

Twin Killings: State has turned 10 double plays, which is third in the SEC. Last year, State turned 15 all season.

Magic Number: MSU is 63-2 since the start of 2022 when scoring five or more runs. State scored at least five in 25 of its 27 wins of 2023 and has done so in 14 of 17 wins in 2024.

Fewest Free Passes: Bulldog pitchers have walked just 3.3 percent of the batters they've faced, which leads the nation. State's 16 total walks are the second-fewest in the country.

Blowout Bats: State has scored eight runs an inning four times this year and sent 14 batters to the plate in a frame twice against Alcorn State (Mar. 3) and Troy (Mar. 2). MSU has 10 run-rule victories on the year, which is tied for fifth-most in school history.

Our State: The Bulldogs are 25-4 against teams from the state of Mississippi under Samantha Ricketts. MSU has outscored in-state foes, 224-65, in her tenure.

Last Time Out: State claimed five run-rule victories at the Bulldog Invitational and posted an .800 team slugging percentage and .576 team on-base percentage while turning in a 1.09 ERA.

About Ole Miss (15-5, 0-0 SEC)

Series History

Notables

Ole Miss is off to its second-best start under head coach Jamie Trachsel at 15-5. Makenna Kliethermes leads the Rebel staff with a 7-1 record and 48 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched. Paige Smith is now second in Ole Miss history with 149 career RBIs. The Rebels have 10 or more hits in eight games this season. They have thrown six shutouts as a team. Assistant coach DJ Sanders was previously State's volunteer assistant coach in 2022 when the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. This weekend will mark the second weekend of play on the Rebels' new playing surface and only their second home weekend of the season.

On Deck

State will be busy over spring break. The Bulldogs are set to host Memphis for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 12, before hosting ULM the following day at 6 p.m. After a day off, the Bulldogs host No. 17/19 Texas A&M for a three-game series on March 15-17 at Nusz Park.

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Bulldogs Open Conference Play Against In-State Rival

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessie Blaine

Paige Cook

Sierra Sacco

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Open Conference Play Against In-State Rival

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessie Blaine

Paige Cook

Sierra Sacco

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