Wednesday, February 18
Starkville
4 p.m.
Mississippi State
vs
Memphis
State Welcomes Memphis For Midweek Matchup
February 17, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE – No. 14/18 Mississippi State continues its season-long 12-game homestand on Wednesday when the Bulldogs welcome Memphis to Nusz Park at 4 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.
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The Bulldogs checked in with their highest ranking in school history in two of the four major polls this week. State has won its first 10 games for just the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2016. That performance has been driven largely by an elite pitching staff two weeks into the season.
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Mississippi State leads the nation in fielding independent pitching (1.04), but the defense has been exceptional as well, ranking second nationally in fielding percentage (.996). Bulldog pitchers are among the top five nationally in ERA, strikeouts, strikeouts looking, strikeout-to-walk ratio, strikeouts per seven innings and shutouts.
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Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by Morgan Stiles' .515 average and 14-game reached-base streak dating back to last season. She ranks 26th nationally in hits this year. Meanwhile, Anna Carder is among the top 40 players in the country with a .630 on-base percentage.
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Bullpen Bullets: The Bulldogs are one of nine teams nationally allowing less than 2.00 runs per game, and their mark of 1.30 runs allowed per game is third behind only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 8 Alabama. State also leads the nation in fielding independent pitching (1.04) and ranks fourth in ERA (1.20).
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High Water Mark: State checks in at No. 14 in this week's NFCA Coaches' Poll, which is its highest ranking in that poll in program history. Previously, the Bulldogs had climbed as high as No. 15 in 2008. State's highest ranking in any poll was at No. 11 in the Softball America poll in 2024.
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Strong Start: The Bulldogs are one of eight remaining undefeated teams nationally. State's 10-0 start is the program's best since 2016 and just the fifth season-opening 10-game win streak in school history.
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A+ For AG: Abby Grace Richardson has been the early breakout performer. After just six at-bats last year, she is leading the team in slugging percentage (.810) with six of her seven hits going for extra bases. She is third on the team with seven RBIs.
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Keep It Clean: State's .996 fielding percentage ranks second nationally, and the Bulldogs have made just one error. MSU's .971 team fielding percentage in 2025 was its third-highest in program history.
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Round Trippers: MSU has homered in all but two games this season and scored 25 of its 74 runs via the long ball (33.8 percent). Eight different players have already homered this season.
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The Magic Number: The Bulldogs have scored five or more runs in all but one game this year, and they are 160-20 under Samantha Ricketts.
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Weekly Winner: Kinley Keller was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after hitting .667 (8-for-12) with four doubles last week. She scored seven times in six games.
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Head Coach: Trena Prater | Record at MEM: 22-41 (2nd Year) | Career Record: 246-323-1 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .274 | Runs Per Game: 5.38 | Hits Per Game: 6.75 | Slugging Pct: .462
ERA: 6.69 | K/7: 4.15 | K/BB Ratio: 0.78 | Opp. Batting Avg: .294
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Current Streak: Won 14 | Last Meeting: April 16, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 16, MEM 1 [5 inn.])
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win in its last game against Evansville. The Tigers include a pair of national team players as Paris Brienesse competes for
Sweden, and Taylor Caton is a member of the 18U Canadian National Team. Memphis leads the American Athletic
Conference in stolen bases per game (1.25) and sacrifice bunts (11). The Tigers have stolen 10 bases, and speed has been a factor as they've also picked up six triples. Nineteen of the Tigers' 54 hits (35.2 percent) have gone for extra bases.
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State's action begins at 12:30 p.m. on Friday against Belmont in a matchup of the top two pitching staffs nationally in strikeouts. MSU then hosts Samford at 3 p.m. All MSU games in the tournament will air on SEC Network+.
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The Bulldogs checked in with their highest ranking in school history in two of the four major polls this week. State has won its first 10 games for just the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2016. That performance has been driven largely by an elite pitching staff two weeks into the season.
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Mississippi State leads the nation in fielding independent pitching (1.04), but the defense has been exceptional as well, ranking second nationally in fielding percentage (.996). Bulldog pitchers are among the top five nationally in ERA, strikeouts, strikeouts looking, strikeout-to-walk ratio, strikeouts per seven innings and shutouts.
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Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by Morgan Stiles' .515 average and 14-game reached-base streak dating back to last season. She ranks 26th nationally in hits this year. Meanwhile, Anna Carder is among the top 40 players in the country with a .630 on-base percentage.
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Leading Off
From The Top: Morgan Stiles is riding a 14-game reached-base streak dating back to last season that has seen her hit .543 with a 1.313 OPS. She has reached safely in nine of 16 innings she has led off and has reached to open the ballgame in seven of 10 games.Â
Bullpen Bullets: The Bulldogs are one of nine teams nationally allowing less than 2.00 runs per game, and their mark of 1.30 runs allowed per game is third behind only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 8 Alabama. State also leads the nation in fielding independent pitching (1.04) and ranks fourth in ERA (1.20).
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High Water Mark: State checks in at No. 14 in this week's NFCA Coaches' Poll, which is its highest ranking in that poll in program history. Previously, the Bulldogs had climbed as high as No. 15 in 2008. State's highest ranking in any poll was at No. 11 in the Softball America poll in 2024.
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Strong Start: The Bulldogs are one of eight remaining undefeated teams nationally. State's 10-0 start is the program's best since 2016 and just the fifth season-opening 10-game win streak in school history.
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A+ For AG: Abby Grace Richardson has been the early breakout performer. After just six at-bats last year, she is leading the team in slugging percentage (.810) with six of her seven hits going for extra bases. She is third on the team with seven RBIs.
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Keep It Clean: State's .996 fielding percentage ranks second nationally, and the Bulldogs have made just one error. MSU's .971 team fielding percentage in 2025 was its third-highest in program history.
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Round Trippers: MSU has homered in all but two games this season and scored 25 of its 74 runs via the long ball (33.8 percent). Eight different players have already homered this season.
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The Magic Number: The Bulldogs have scored five or more runs in all but one game this year, and they are 160-20 under Samantha Ricketts.
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Weekly Winner: Kinley Keller was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after hitting .667 (8-for-12) with four doubles last week. She scored seven times in six games.
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About Memphis (3-5, 0-0 American)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NRHead Coach: Trena Prater | Record at MEM: 22-41 (2nd Year) | Career Record: 246-323-1 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .274 | Runs Per Game: 5.38 | Hits Per Game: 6.75 | Slugging Pct: .462
ERA: 6.69 | K/7: 4.15 | K/BB Ratio: 0.78 | Opp. Batting Avg: .294
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Series History
Overall: 14-0 | Home: 8-0 | Away: 4-0 | Neutral: 2-0Current Streak: Won 14 | Last Meeting: April 16, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 16, MEM 1 [5 inn.])
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Notables
Memphis' 901 Classic saw the Tigers' final two games rained out last weekend; however, Memphis did pick up a one-runwin in its last game against Evansville. The Tigers include a pair of national team players as Paris Brienesse competes for
Sweden, and Taylor Caton is a member of the 18U Canadian National Team. Memphis leads the American Athletic
Conference in stolen bases per game (1.25) and sacrifice bunts (11). The Tigers have stolen 10 bases, and speed has been a factor as they've also picked up six triples. Nineteen of the Tigers' 54 hits (35.2 percent) have gone for extra bases.
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On Deck
Mississippi State will host the Bulldog Invitational presented by Mizuno on Feb. 20-22. Belmont, Samford and Delaware State will be in town as the Bulldogs play five games over the weekend.Â
State's action begins at 12:30 p.m. on Friday against Belmont in a matchup of the top two pitching staffs nationally in strikeouts. MSU then hosts Samford at 3 p.m. All MSU games in the tournament will air on SEC Network+.
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Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Â
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Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
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