State Set For Final Non-Conference Game Of The Regular Season

STARKVILLE – No. 18/18 Mississippi State softball will make the short drive to Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday to meet Samford in its final non-conference game of the regular season. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

State (30-13, 9-9 SEC) enters the game with an 8-3 record on the road. With one victory this week, the Bulldogs will match 2021 for their highest road win total under head coach Samantha Ricketts. With two more wins, they'll reach double-digit wins in true road games for the second time in the last 10 years.

This will be the second time that this pair of Bulldogs meet this year. State won the first meeting, 11-1, in five innings at the Bulldog Invitational in March. That was one of MSU's school-record 15 run-rule victories this season.

Meanwhile, Samford has been much improved of late, winning four straight conference series after being swept on the opening weekend of Southern Conference play. They have played three SEC teams this year, adding midweek games with No. 17/17 Alabama and Auburn.

Leading Off

Road Dawgs: The Bulldogs won three road SEC series for the first time since the shift to a 24-game conference schedule. MSU's three road losses would currently rank as the fewest in the program's modern era (since 1997). In the regular-season alone, State has the chance to reach 17 combined road and neutral victories, which would be its highest total since 2014 (19).

Steady Improvement: The Bulldogs could record their highest total of regular-season wins under Samantha Ricketts this week. State needs to win three games to match the 2022 season with 33 wins before the postseason.

SEC Sluggers: Madisyn Kennedy has tied the single-season school record for homers in SEC games with eight this year, joining Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua (2019). Nadia Barbary has tied the SEC-only record for doubles with 10, joining Courtney Bures (2005) and Iyhia McMichael (2004). Kennedy needs two RBIs to match Caroline Seitz's record 28 set in 2017.

Two Outs, So What?: State has collected 114 two-out RBIs, which is fourth in the SEC and second in school history (since 2002). 41.5 percent of MSU's RBIs (114 of 275) this year have come with two outs.

Taking Down Top Teams: State has already won a school-record 11 games against ranked teams. MSU also has eight wins against RPI top-25 teams, which is tied for ninth nationally.

Record Rates: The Bulldogs' current .326 batting average, .434 on-base percentage and 90.7 percent stolen base percentage would be school records. State's .518 slugging percentage is currently second in program history behind only the shortened 2020 season.

Magic Number: MSU is 74-6 since the start of 2022 when scoring five or more runs. State has done so in 26 of its 30 wins this year.

Madi Mashing: Madisyn Kennedy's .937 slugging percentage leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally. It would also break the school record set by Mia Davidson in 2019 (.882). Kennedy is 13 RBIs shy of Kellie Wilkerson's school record (65) set in 1999.

All Out Aspen: Aspen Wesley has set career highs with 94 strikeouts and 11 wins this year, and her 88.2 innings trails only 2022's 103.0 innings, of which 24 came in the postseason leaving her with 79.0 in the regular season.

About Samford (16-27, 9-6 SoCon)

Series History

Overall: 24-2 | Home: 16-1 | Away: 6-1 | Neutral: 2-0
Current Streak: Won 12 | Last Meeting: March 3, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 11, SAM 1 [5 inn.])

Notables

Samford won its fourth straight SoCon series last week at ETSU. The Bulldogs are 0-3 against SEC teams this year. They are led in the circle by Jordyn Partain who has tossed 120.1 innings. McKenzie Newcomb was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week last week and boasts a team-best 4.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Freshman Katie Campbell leads the Samford offense with a .958 OPS, .576 slugging percentage, 11 homers and 41 RBIs. McKayla Cothran leads the team with a .352 batting average, and Logan Champion is right behind her, hitting .331 while slugging .507.

On Deck

State is gearing up for its annual Saturday-Monday series in conference play and will be the showcase series on the SEC Network this weekend. The Bulldogs travel to No. 14/14 Missouri on Friday afternoon and will play the Tigers on April 27-29. State enters the series looking to win all four of its road series in conference play for the first time on record, and doing so would add to the Bulldogs' school-record 11 wins against ranked teams this year.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

State Set For Final Non-Conference Game Of The Regular Season

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Madisyn Kennedy

Aspen Wesley

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Set For Final Non-Conference Game Of The Regular Season

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Madisyn Kennedy

Aspen Wesley

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