No. 21 State Set To Host No. 18 Auburn For SEC Opening Weekend

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball opens conference play this weekend as the No. 21/22 Bulldogs host No. 18/17 Auburn for the SEC's showcase Saturday-Monday series.

State enters the game having won its SEC opener in each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs have won their SEC home opener in two of the past three years. Head coach Samantha Ricketts will be mic'd up for the series finale on SEC Network on Monday night.

Offensively, the Bulldog bats have been on a tear of late, hitting at least three homers in five of its last seven games. State (19-3) has won every game that it has scored in this season, and it has scored five or more runs in 14 games. Sierra Sacco has gotten off to a strong start, leading the team in nearly every offensive category. She is among the top 25 in the nation in on-base percentage, runs scored, doubles, total bases and walks per game. Her .602 on-base percentage would be a school record.

In the circle, the story has been Raelin Chaffin who already has 10 wins, which ranks third in the nation, along with an SEC-leading seven complete games. She is second in the conference and 10th nationally with 78 strikeouts, including 20 strikeouts looking.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Right Out Of The Gate: State has outscored opponents, 32-8, in the first inning. The Bulldogs have hit 10 of their 34 homers in the first inning alone. MSU is batting .374 in the first inning and .404 in the second inning. State has scored 43.4 percent of its runs this season in the first two innings.

We Love Free Bases: Kiarra Sells ranks ninth nationally with seven hit-by-pitches, and State's 90 walks rank 13th nationally. The Bulldogs have earned 100 free bases between walks and HBPs. By comparison, they have 179 hits and only 53 strikeouts.

Record Pace: MSU's team on-base percentage (.431) and sluging percentage (.601) would both be single-season school records. Sierra Sacco's .476 average this season would be third in MSU single-season history, and Her .602 on-base percentage this year would break the school record.

Sierra Sets The Table: Sierra Sacco is riding a career-long 20-game reached-base streak that has seen her bat .509 with a 1.583 OPS in that span. That streak is the second-longest active streak in the nation and third-longest this year. MSU is 46-7 when scores a run since she arrived in 2024.

Call The Bomb Squad: MSU has scored 68 runs off homers this year. That amounts to 42.2 percent of State's scoring this season and 46.9 percent of its RBIs. MSU has hit at least three homers in five of the last seven games.

Home Cooking: State's batting average is 119 points higher at home, and its slugging percentage is 344 points higher than when away from home. Seventy-five percent (109-of-145) of MSU's RBIs have come at home this year.

Magic Number: The Bulldogs have scored five or more runs in 65 of State's 81 wins (80.2 percent) over the past three seasons, and they are 135-15 under Samantha Ricketts when scoring at least five.

Everyone's Chasing Chaffin: Raelin Chaffin is among the top 25 in the nation in complete games (7; 6th), starts (10; 15th), wins (10; 3rd), innings pitched (61.2; 25th) and strikeouts (78; 10th). She is among the top three in the SEC in all five categories.

Monday Night Spotlight: The Bulldogs will play in SEC Network's Monday night showcase game at home for the first time since 2017 when State secured the series against Arkansas with a 4-3 win in the rubber match.

About Auburn (20-1, 0-0 SEC)

Series History

Notables

With 30 home runs in 21 games, Auburn has already matched 66.7 percent of its total from a year ago. The Tigers started 11-0, their best start since 2018. Auburn checks in with the No. 1 RPI in the nation this week. Nelia Peralta collected her 150th hit last week, becoming the 16th Tiger to record 150 hits and 100 career RBIs. SJ Guerin leads the nation with a 13-0 record in the circle. She also has a nation-best four saves. Last year, Auburn scored 10 or more runs just twice, but the Tigers have done so six times already this year.

On Deck

Mississippi State closes its 11-game homestand with on Wednesday, March 12 against Middle Tennessee. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

No. 21 State Set To Host No. 18 Auburn For SEC Opening Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Raelin Chaffin

Sierra Sacco

Kiarra Sells

Mississippi State University Athletics

No. 21 State Set To Host No. 18 Auburn For SEC Opening Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Raelin Chaffin

Sierra Sacco

Kiarra Sells

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