Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament As No. 6 Seed

AUBURN, Ala. – Behind NCAA Pitcher of the Week Aspen Wesley, No. 17/17 Mississippi State will open the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night at Jane B. Moore Stadium.

State (33-17, 12-12 SEC) earned the No. 6 seed, its highest finish since the shift to the current 24-game schedule, and will play No. 11-seed South Carolina at approximately 7 p.m. CT. The game will start 35 minutes after the conclusion of the prior game.

Wesley has tossed four complete games in four straight outings over the past 11 days while striking out 28 and walking just two. For her efforts she was recognized as the final SEC Pitcher of the Week and NCAA Pitcher of the Week of the regular season, claiming her second of both honors this year.

The Bulldogs' 12-12 finish in conference play is their highest win total since 2012 and their first .500 record since 2007. MSU was never swept in the regular season and won three series on the road.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

All Out Aspen: Aspen Wesley became the first Bulldog pitcher to be named SEC Pitcher of the Week twice in one season. She has recorded career highs in innings pitched (115.2), strikeouts (122), wins (14), complete games (12) and shutouts (3) this year. Her nine wins in conference play

Aspen's SEC Statement: Aspen Wesley's nine wins in conference play tied the single-season school record, and she is the only pitcher in program history to hold opponents below a .200 batting average in conference play. In the final two weeks of the regular season, she tossed four complete games with 28 strikeouts and two walks while winning three contests.

Banner Year: After being picked to finish last in the SEC Preseason Poll, State finished with a .500 record in SEC play for the first time since 2007 and earned the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament. Along the way, MSU collected 33 wins, its highest total in the regular season under Samantha Ricketts.

Phenomenal Freshmen: State boasts three of the top five freshmen in batting average in the SEC among those with at least 100 at-bats. Ella Wesolowski (.331) is second while Salen Hawkins (.305) and Kylee Edwards (.291) are fourth and fifth.

SEC Sluggers: Madisyn Kennedy led the SEC in slugging percentage (.800) and home runs (9) in conference play. Her home runs were an MSU single-season record for league play. Nadia Barbary led the conference with 11 doubles in league play, which was also an MSU record.

Don't Sweep Us Under The Rug: MSU was never swept this season, marking the first time that's been true since 2003.

Spread The Nusz: State broke its single-season attendance record, welcoming 22,349 fans this year.

Two Outs, So What?: The Bulldogs have collected 120 two-out RBIs, which is second in school history (since 2002). 42.3 percent of MSU's RBIs (120 of 284) this year have come with two outs.

Taking Down Top Teams: State has already won a school-record 14 games against ranked teams. MSU also has 11 wins against RPI top-25 teams, which is tied for seventh nationally.

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 33 wins this year.

SEC Tournament History

Overall: 15-29 | First Game: 7-14 | vs. Ranked Teams: 4-21 | In Auburn: 0-1
In Extra Innings: 1-4 | One-Run Games: 6-10
By Opponent: Alabama, 1-7; Arkansas, 1-2; Auburn, 1-1; Florida, 3-2; Georgia, 1-3; Kentucky, 0-1; LSU, 1-2; Missouri, 0-2; Ole Miss, 1-2; South Carolina, 3-4; Tennessee, 1-3; Texas A&M, 2-0

Tournament Notables

State has won at least one SEC Tournament game in two of its three appearances under Samantha Ricketts and four of the last five tournaments. State has only won multiple games in the tournament twice (1999 and 1998) and those came during the double-elimination era. In 2022, Mississippi State and No. 13 Tennessee played the longest game in tournament history, going 13 innings in an eventually 1-0 win for the Lady Vols. That same year, MSU also claimed a 7-4 win against No. 20 LSU in nine innings. Both games were the first of the day and delayed the remainder of the tournament significantly each day.

On Deck

The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday, May 12 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament As No. 6 Seed

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Kylee Edwards

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament As No. 6 Seed

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Kylee Edwards

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

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