Wednesday, February 25
Atlanta, Ga.
5 p.m.
Mississippi State
at
Georgia Tech
No. 12 State Hits The Road To ACC Country
February 24, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE – No. 12/19 Mississippi State embarks on an 11-game road swing this week beginning with a midweek game at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs (14-1) have their best 15-game start since 2014 along with their highest ranking ever in the NFCA Coaches' Poll as they prepare to make their first regular-season appearances at an ACC ballpark since 2019.
Wednesday evening's game has been moved to ACC Network Xtra, but first pitch remains set for 5 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will face a high-powered offense as the Yellow Jackets are first or second in their conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, homers and RBIs.
Following the midweek contest, State remains on the road and continues the drive over to Clemson, South Carolina, for this weekend's Tiger Invitational.
Dawg Defense: State's .992 fielding percentage leads the nation, and the Bulldogs have made just three errors in 15 games. Nadia Barbary and Morgan Stiles were jointly named Softball America's Defender of the Week on Tuesday.
Starts With Stiles: Morgan Stiles has solidified the leadoff spot in the order, reaching base safely in all but one game this year. She has reached to open the MSU half of the first inning in 11 of 15 games and as scored in the first inning nine times this year. MSU is outscoring opponents 29-1 in the first.
Down On Strikes: Mississippi State leads the nation with 137 strikeouts this year. The Bulldogs have caught 33 batters looking, which ranks second and is two off the national lead.
Double Trouble: MSU has hit a double in all but two games, and ranks No. 17 nationally with 30. Last year, State broke the school record with 90 doubles in a season. This year, the Bulldogs are on pace for 108 in the regular season alone.
Home Runs For Everyone: Eleven different Bulldogs have hit a home run this season, including three for their first career hit. State has seen at least 10 players homer in each of the last four years.
Run It Up: MSU has five run-rule wins so far this season, and the Bulldogs' 19-1 win over Delaware State (Feb. 21) was the second-largest margin of victory in program history behind a 23-0 win over Cal State Fullerton in 2012.
Long Time No ACC: MSU will play its first regular-season true road contest at an ACC park since 2019 on Wednesday night at Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs then stay on the road for a tournament at Clemson in what will be their first ever trip to McWhorter Stadium. State last played at an ACC school in the 2022 Tallahassee Regional when the Bulldogs upset No. 2 Florida State. Their last regular-season game at an ACC park was at Duke.
Head Coach: Aileen Morales | Record at GT: 226-188 (9th Year) | Career Record: 339-293 (13th Year)
Batting Average: .365 | Runs Per Game: 6.89 | Hits Per Game: 9.28 | Slugging Pct: .597
ERA: 3.44 | K/7: 5.06 | K/BB Ratio: 1.69 | Opp. Batting Avg: .252
Current Streak: Won 1 | Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 11, GT 3 [5 inn.])
The Bulldogs (14-1) have their best 15-game start since 2014 along with their highest ranking ever in the NFCA Coaches' Poll as they prepare to make their first regular-season appearances at an ACC ballpark since 2019.
Wednesday evening's game has been moved to ACC Network Xtra, but first pitch remains set for 5 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will face a high-powered offense as the Yellow Jackets are first or second in their conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, homers and RBIs.
Following the midweek contest, State remains on the road and continues the drive over to Clemson, South Carolina, for this weekend's Tiger Invitational.
Leading Off
High Water Mark: Mississippi State checks in at No. 12 in this week's NFCA Coaches' Poll, which is its highest ranking in that poll in program history. Last week, the team set a new record at No. 14 as well. State's highest ranking in any poll was at No. 11 in the Softball America poll in 2024.Dawg Defense: State's .992 fielding percentage leads the nation, and the Bulldogs have made just three errors in 15 games. Nadia Barbary and Morgan Stiles were jointly named Softball America's Defender of the Week on Tuesday.
Starts With Stiles: Morgan Stiles has solidified the leadoff spot in the order, reaching base safely in all but one game this year. She has reached to open the MSU half of the first inning in 11 of 15 games and as scored in the first inning nine times this year. MSU is outscoring opponents 29-1 in the first.
Down On Strikes: Mississippi State leads the nation with 137 strikeouts this year. The Bulldogs have caught 33 batters looking, which ranks second and is two off the national lead.
Double Trouble: MSU has hit a double in all but two games, and ranks No. 17 nationally with 30. Last year, State broke the school record with 90 doubles in a season. This year, the Bulldogs are on pace for 108 in the regular season alone.
Home Runs For Everyone: Eleven different Bulldogs have hit a home run this season, including three for their first career hit. State has seen at least 10 players homer in each of the last four years.
Run It Up: MSU has five run-rule wins so far this season, and the Bulldogs' 19-1 win over Delaware State (Feb. 21) was the second-largest margin of victory in program history behind a 23-0 win over Cal State Fullerton in 2012.
Long Time No ACC: MSU will play its first regular-season true road contest at an ACC park since 2019 on Wednesday night at Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs then stay on the road for a tournament at Clemson in what will be their first ever trip to McWhorter Stadium. State last played at an ACC school in the 2022 Tallahassee Regional when the Bulldogs upset No. 2 Florida State. Their last regular-season game at an ACC park was at Duke.
About Georgia Tech (12-6, 0-0 ACC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NRHead Coach: Aileen Morales | Record at GT: 226-188 (9th Year) | Career Record: 339-293 (13th Year)
Batting Average: .365 | Runs Per Game: 6.89 | Hits Per Game: 9.28 | Slugging Pct: .597
ERA: 3.44 | K/7: 5.06 | K/BB Ratio: 1.69 | Opp. Batting Avg: .252
Series History
Overall: 13-4 | Home: 9-2 | Away: 3-2 | Neutral: 1-0Current Streak: Won 1 | Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 11, GT 3 [5 inn.])
Notables
Georgia Tech's Madalyn Johnson is the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week after going 3-0 with two solo shutouts in 15.0 innings without allowing a run. She has thrown five complete games this season, which leads the ACC and ranks sixth nationally. As a team, the Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in double plays turned and in total hits. They are second in the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs and RBIs. Catcher Reese Hunter ranks fifth nationally having already caught six runners stealing. Conversely, Paige Vukadinovich is No. 13 in the nation with 11 steals.On Deck
Mississippi State will make its first ever trip to Clemson, South Carolina, and McWhorter Stadium for the Tiger Invitational beginning on Friday. The round robin tournament will see MSU play Wofford, Georgia Southern and No. 25 Clemson once each before being seeded for the final game on Sunday.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Players Mentioned
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