Dawgs Dealing

STARKVILLE – Josey Marron and Aspen Wesley have been on fire in the circle in the first two games of No. 16 Mississippi State's series victory over No. 22 South Carolina.

The pair tossed back-to-back shutouts and recorded 16 strikeouts on the first two days of the series. Marron and Wesley's contributions in the circle have helped State record 10 top-25 victories this season.

"I think we have a lot of confidence in Aspen, and a lot of our pitching staff on the mound," head coach Samantha Ricketts said following Wesley's second SEC shutout of her collegiate career. "It just helps us feel like we're in control and we have the momentum. We want to be able to hit for a while and get more insurance runs every time she's out there dealing for us."

Marron kicked off the weekend series against the Gamecocks by twirling her third complete-shutout game of the season. She recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just three hits in the 6-0 victory.

It was a bright spot for the sophomore pitcher who was forced to exit her last start against No. 10 Florida after being hit by a batted ball. She has been a spark for MSU's pitching staff when she steps into the circle.

"Josey really commanded all of her pitches well," Ricketts said. "She was spinning the ball in different zones and different speeds. Even when she got behind, she had no problem attacking right back, getting soft contact and feeding her infield. I thought it was a really complete game by her."

The Grimes, Iowa, native credited her teammate's performance for having her back at the plate and in the field.

"We put runs on the board early and that kind of helped settle in on defense," Marron said. "Our defense is lockdown day-in and day-out, and I trust every single one of them. They will make any play when called upon."

With Marron's impressive opener behind them, Wesley stepped into the circle on Saturday with the same vision in mind.

In State's 4-0 victory, Wesley tied her career high with nine strikeouts and only allowed two hits. She retired the final 11 batters in order to end Game 2, which secured the series win for the Bulldogs.

"In the first inning, I was kind of speeding myself up a bit, and my teammates could tell because it didn't feel like me," Wesley said. "It didn't look like me up there. After they told me to calm down – and of course Mata [Faapito] is really good at doing that and telling me to breathe – I finally started settling in. I guess it helps too when we score up on the scoreboard. That really got me settled and then I trusted my pitches and didn't try too much."

Mississippi State University Athletics

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Josey Marron

Aspen Wesley

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