No. 12 State Hosts UT Martin For Final Midweek

Wednesday, March 25

Starkville

5 p.m.

Mississippi State

UT Martin

Tickets From $5

STARKVILLE, MS - January 09, 2026 - Mississippi State Infielder Carson Smith (#6) during 2025-2026 Softball Production Day at the Holliman Athletic Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS. Photo By Ivy Rose Ball

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 12 State Hosts UT Martin For Final Midweek

March 24, 2026 | Softball

Game Notes

By: Brian Ogden, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 12/14 Mississippi State will host UT Martin on Wednesday night for its final midweek game of the season. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs (29-6, 2-4 SEC) are looking to secure their third straight 30-win season while also reaching that milestone faster than any MSU team before them.

Speed may be a theme of the night as UT Martin brings one of the most aggressive baserunning games in the country into play. The Skyhawks lead the OVC in runs and stolen bases, having already swiped 62 bags, which is among the top 20 totals in the nation.

Mississippi State, meanwhile, continues to get the job done with pitching and defense. The Bulldogs are one of just four teams nationally allowing fewer than 2.00 runs per game, and their fielding percentage ranks among the top five in the country.

Leading Off

First To Thirty: With a win, State improves to 30-6, marking the fewest number of games needed to reach 30 wins in a season in school history. The bulldogs did so in 38 contests last spring. March 25 would also be the earliest date of State's 30th win in a season, bettering March 30, 2008.

Stiles' Streak: Morgan Stiles has reached base safely in six straight games and has reached base safely in all but four games this season.

Sells Snaps Out Of It: After going six games without a hit, Kiarra Sells collected three in the series at Georgia and was walked in all three plate appearances on Sunday, Sells hit the game-tying home run on Saturday.

Down On Strikes: Alyssa Faircloth ranks third nationally in total strikeouts (152) and is looking to post the sixth 200- strikeout season in program history. She only needs nine to crack the MSU single-season top 10.

State's Staff Stats: Mississippi State leads the nation in strikeouts (320), strikeouts looking (63) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.04). The Bulldogs are just 24 looking strikeouts away and 90 total strikeouts away from top-five marks in program history.

Bullpen Bullets: As good as State's pitching staff has been, the arms are even better in relief. Bulldog starters boast a 1.39 ERA and a .158 batting average against. Those marks are better when those pitchers come out of the 'pen. MSU relievers have a 1.34 ERA and a .146 batting average.

Big Fish: Redshirt Freshman Taylor Troutman leads the bulldogs with five RBIs and a .706 slugging percentage in SEC play.

Sacrificial State: Des Rivera has tied the MSU single-season record with five sacrifice flies, which is fifth nationally. As a team, the Bulldogs boast 19, which ranks sixth and is just two away from the school record.

Barbary Two-Bags: Nadia Barbary ranks eight all-time at MSU with 42 career doubles. Twenty of those have come in SEC play, which is sixth-most by a Bulldog.

In A Pinch: Taylor Troutman has been MSU's most-common pinch hitter and is batting .500 (5-for-10) in such situations with three extra-base hits and two RBIs. Equally impressive, Anna Carder is 2-for-4 with a walk, and Abigail Stevens is 3-for-8 with two doubles and three RBIs.

About UT Martin (19-13, 7-2 OVC)

Series History

Overall: 8-0 | Home: 5-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 3-0
Current Streak: Won 8 | Last Meeting: April 20, 2022, in Lexington, Tenn. (MSU 3, UTM 2)

Notables

UT Martin currently sits in second place in the OVC standings after sweeping Tennessee State this past weekend. The Skyhawks have won six straight OVC games. UT Martin is 0-3 against SEC teams with losses to Missouri and Ole Miss this year. They are 3-1 against common opponents that State has already played this year. The Bulldogs were 4-0 against the same teams. The Skyhawks lead the OVC in runs and stolen bases, having swiped 62, which ranks No. 18 nationally. Three UT Martin players have already reached double-digit stolen bases and five have scored at least 20 runs each.

On Deck

MSU will host No. 23 South Carolina for its annual Monday night series this weekend. The series begins on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. CT. Sunday and Monday night's games will air nationally on SEC Network with both starting at 6 p.m.

Saturday is the Bulldogs' annual Think Pink game, and Sunday will be MSU's Faculty/Staff Appreciation game. Mississippi State University faculty and staff can purchase tickets for Monday night's game at discounted rates using the promo code sent to their campus email address.

Follow the Bulldogs

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