Wesley Tosses Record-Setting Shutout To Open NCAA Tournament

Friday, May 17

Stanford, Calif.

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

34-18

Cal State Fullerton

36-18

Cal State Fullerton

Mississippi State

Wesley Tosses Record-Setting Shutout To Open NCAA Tournament

May 17, 2024 | Softball

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By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

STANFORD, Calif. – Aspen Wesley became the first pitcher in program history to record multiple shutouts in the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon, lifting No. 18/20 Mississippi State to a 1-0 win to open the Stanford Regional.

Wesley shut down a Cal State Fullerton team that scattered six hits but never saw a runner advance past second base. She struck out four on her way to her 35th career win, which is 10th in MSU history.

"Aspen's just such a warrior. She just loves to compete, especially on this stage," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "She's done it time and time again for this program. Whether we can give her a big lead or one run, she's under control and she's going to compete. I thought she did a great job of attacking out there today."

Sierra Sacco and Matalasi Faapito provided the offense in a tightly-contested pitchers' duel. Sacco led off the fourth inning with a single back up the middle and would later score on Faapito's two-out double down the right-field line.

The Bulldogs have now driven in 124 two-out RBIs, which accounts for 43 percent of their total RBIs this season. Defensively, Ella Wesolowski caught a runner stealing from her knees to end the first inning.

Quotables

Samantha Ricketts on Matalasi Faapito being ready for the big moment…
"She's just so locked in, and I think it's a fifth-year senior wanting to do everything she can for this team and this program. She came up huge for us when we needed a two-out RBI, and it's really fun to see her being successful along with Aspen and up-and-down the lineup a lot of people having good at-bats for us."

Aspen Wesley on stranding eight runners throughout the game…
"Honestly, I put all the trust in my defense. We've worked on this for so long, and this is a time when we all have to come through together. Putting myself in that mental state, I think we've practiced that plenty of times in the bullpen. It's just making sure that they don't get more free bases."

Aspen Wesley on the team throwing 24 complete games this year…
"Me and Josey [Marron], this summer, had each other's backs. We were going to make sure that what happened to us last year didn't happen again. She works very hard, and she pushes me. I push her, and all the other pitchers as well. We work on each other mentally and physically, so I'm just really glad to have a teammate like her that I can lean on."

Quick Hitters

Matalasi Faapito – Drove an RBI double … also drew a walk … now batting .375 (6-for-16) with three extra-base hits and four RBIs in her NCAA Tournament career … boasts a career .813 slugging percentage in the tournament, which is third in school history.

Sierra Sacco – Extended her hitting streak to four games … batting .400 (4-for-10) during the streak … State is 30-6 when she scores.

Aspen Wesley – Now holds sole possession of the school record for career shutouts in the NCAA Tournament … has now thrown a career-high 13 complete games and four shutouts … now has more shutouts this year than in her entire career entering the season … now 10th in MSU career history with 35 wins … struck out four.

Ella Wesolowski – Recorded her second caught stealing of the year.

Scoring Recap

Bottom 4
Sierra Sacco led off with a single up the middle. With two outs, Matalasi Faapito doubled past the diving right fielder, and Sacco raced home to score.
Cal State Fullerton 0, No. 18 Mississippi State 1

Next Up

Mississippi State will play the winner of No. 8 Stanford and Saint Mary's at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday on the ESPN family of networks. The exact network for Saturday's games is still to be determined. With a win, State would advance to Sunday's regional final, and a loss would set them up for a second game on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT.

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