Wednesday, April 3
Birmingham, Ala.
5:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
UAB
Bulldogs’ Four-Game Road Trip Begins In Birmingham Wednesday
April 02, 2024 | Softball
STARKVILLE – A rematch is on-tap for No. 16/16 Mississippi State softball this week as the Bulldogs open a four-game road trip at UAB on Wednesday night. First pitch from Mary Bowers Field is set for 5 p.m. CT, and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
State (25-9, 6-6 SEC) is coming off a hard-fought series with No. 10/10 Florida that saw two games decided by just one run. Impressed by the Bulldogs' efforts, the national polls have raised MSU to the doorstep of its highest national ranking in school history. The Bulldogs were tabbed No. 15 in both the NFCA and USA Softball rankings in 2008.
MSU and UAB met on Opening Weekend in Starkville where State won by scores of 11-0 in five innings and 6-2.
The Bulldogs have seen impressive performances from both their veterans and their rookies this year. Fifth-year infielder Madisyn Kennedy was tabbed the top first baseman in the country for the month of March by Softball America on Tuesday. Meanwhile, two of the top five freshmen in the SEC in terms of batting average call Starkville home in Ella Wesolowski (.397; 2nd) and Salen Hawkins (.337; 5th).
March Madi-Ness: Madisyn Kennedy was named the top first baseman in the nation in March by Softball America after posting a 1.133 slugging percentage with 10 homers and 34 RBIs in 19 games.
Making The Sacrifice: State has broken the school record already with 18 sacrifice flies this season, which ranks sixth nationally.
Two Outs, So What?: As a team, State is hitting .333 with two outs, which is third in the SEC, and has 94 two-out RBIs, which ranks fourth in the league. MSU has recorded 100 just eight times since 2002. In that span, this year's average of 2.76 per game is the highest on record.
About Last Season: MSU is well on its way to putting last year behind it. The Bulldogs have already won 25 games after winning just 27 a year ago. State has surpassed last year's season totals in sacrifice flies, stolen bases, doubles, double plays turned and complete games.
Magic Number: MSU is 70-6 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 22 of 25 wins in 2024.
Rewriting Record Books: Paige Cook now has 57 career two-out RBIs, which is sixth in MSU history. She is 11th in program history with 126 RBIs. Madisyn Kennedy is tied for ninth in program history with 133 RBIs and is fourth with 59 two-out RBIs.
Miss Consistency: Sierra Sacco has started 149 consecutive games, dating back to her time at Louisiana Tech, which is the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.
Looking For 300: With her next strikeout, Aspen Wesley will become the ninth Bulldog pitcher in school history to record 300 in her career.
Crowds Climbing: With 1,302 fans in attendance on Saturday against Florida, State posted the 13th-largest crowd in program history in its first season of selling tickets. The weekend total of 3,053 was the largest for a three-day series since 2018.
Head Coach: AJ Daugherty | Record at UAB: 43-45 (2nd Year) | Career Record: Same
Batting Average: .258 | Runs Per Game: 4.15 | Hits Per Game: 6.32 | Slugging Pct: .351
ERA: 4.05 | K/7: 3.34 | K/BB Ratio: 1.18 | Opp. Batting Avg: .299
Current Streak: Won 6 | Last Series: Feb. 9-10, 2024, MSU swept in Starkville, Miss. (G1: MSU 11-0 [5 inn.] | G2: MSU, 6-2)
State (25-9, 6-6 SEC) is coming off a hard-fought series with No. 10/10 Florida that saw two games decided by just one run. Impressed by the Bulldogs' efforts, the national polls have raised MSU to the doorstep of its highest national ranking in school history. The Bulldogs were tabbed No. 15 in both the NFCA and USA Softball rankings in 2008.
MSU and UAB met on Opening Weekend in Starkville where State won by scores of 11-0 in five innings and 6-2.
The Bulldogs have seen impressive performances from both their veterans and their rookies this year. Fifth-year infielder Madisyn Kennedy was tabbed the top first baseman in the country for the month of March by Softball America on Tuesday. Meanwhile, two of the top five freshmen in the SEC in terms of batting average call Starkville home in Ella Wesolowski (.397; 2nd) and Salen Hawkins (.337; 5th).
Leading Off
In The Polls: In both the NFCA and USA Softball polls, State is currently just one spot in away from matching its highest ranking in school history when the Bulldogs were No. 15 in Week 5 of 2008.March Madi-Ness: Madisyn Kennedy was named the top first baseman in the nation in March by Softball America after posting a 1.133 slugging percentage with 10 homers and 34 RBIs in 19 games.
Making The Sacrifice: State has broken the school record already with 18 sacrifice flies this season, which ranks sixth nationally.
Two Outs, So What?: As a team, State is hitting .333 with two outs, which is third in the SEC, and has 94 two-out RBIs, which ranks fourth in the league. MSU has recorded 100 just eight times since 2002. In that span, this year's average of 2.76 per game is the highest on record.
About Last Season: MSU is well on its way to putting last year behind it. The Bulldogs have already won 25 games after winning just 27 a year ago. State has surpassed last year's season totals in sacrifice flies, stolen bases, doubles, double plays turned and complete games.
Magic Number: MSU is 70-6 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 22 of 25 wins in 2024.
Rewriting Record Books: Paige Cook now has 57 career two-out RBIs, which is sixth in MSU history. She is 11th in program history with 126 RBIs. Madisyn Kennedy is tied for ninth in program history with 133 RBIs and is fourth with 59 two-out RBIs.
Miss Consistency: Sierra Sacco has started 149 consecutive games, dating back to her time at Louisiana Tech, which is the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.
Looking For 300: With her next strikeout, Aspen Wesley will become the ninth Bulldog pitcher in school history to record 300 in her career.
Crowds Climbing: With 1,302 fans in attendance on Saturday against Florida, State posted the 13th-largest crowd in program history in its first season of selling tickets. The weekend total of 3,053 was the largest for a three-day series since 2018.
About UAB (14-20, 5-7 AAC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NRHead Coach: AJ Daugherty | Record at UAB: 43-45 (2nd Year) | Career Record: Same
Batting Average: .258 | Runs Per Game: 4.15 | Hits Per Game: 6.32 | Slugging Pct: .351
ERA: 4.05 | K/7: 3.34 | K/BB Ratio: 1.18 | Opp. Batting Avg: .299
Series History
Overall: 20-6 | Home: 13-4 | Away: 6-2 | Neutral: 1-0Current Streak: Won 6 | Last Series: Feb. 9-10, 2024, MSU swept in Starkville, Miss. (G1: MSU 11-0 [5 inn.] | G2: MSU, 6-2)
Notables
UAB is coming off of being swept by Tulsa over the weekend, losing in walk-off fashion on the opening day of the series before dropping a pair of two-run contests to close it out. The Blazers have already played seven games against SEC teams, going 1-6 in those matchups. They took No. 13 Alabama to the wire two weeks ago before the Tide scored the game-winning run in the sixth, and the Blazers defeated Ole Miss, 6-4, in Oxford on March 1. State and UAB share five common opponents so far this year. UAB is 3-3 against those squads, while State is 5-1. UAB's Bella Wiggins leads the nation with six triples this year.On Deck
State will stay on the road, heading directly to Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday following the game. The Bulldogs will face No. 22/25 South Carolina on April 5-7 with the Saturday game airing on SEC Network at 1 p.m. CT.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
UTL
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INF
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OF
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C/OF
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