No. 12 State Wraps Up Longest Road Stretch At Jaguar Classic

Friday, March 6

Mobile, Ala.

10 a.m.

Mississippi State

New Mexico

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 12 State Wraps Up Longest Road Stretch At Jaguar Classic

March 05, 2026 | Softball

By: Brian Ogden, Director/Communications

MOBILE, Ala. – No. 12 Mississippi State wraps up its longest road stretch of the season at the Jaguar Classic in Mobile, Alabama, this weekend. Play begins at 10 a.m. CT on Friday with MSU playing twice on Friday and Saturday before closing the event against host South Alabama at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Bulldogs have three rematches on tap in their five-game slate. State will play New Mexico twice after defeating the Lobos, 8-1, on Opening Weekend at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas. On Saturday, MSU meets Samford again after a 6-2 victory at Nusz Park two weeks ago at the Bulldog Invitational.

Only the two games against South Alabama on Friday and Sunday afternoons will be broadcast, and those games will air on ESPN+.

The Bulldogs are looking to enter SEC play with their best pre-conference record in program history. State enters the weekend at 19-2 (.905), which would currently tie the best record entering SEC play set by the 2014 team. Including this weekend, MSU has seven games remaining prior to welcoming No. 1 Tennessee to Nusz Park to open conference play on March 13.

Game Coverage

Friday, March 6

10 a.m. – vs. New Mexico | Live Stats
3 p.m. – at South Alabama | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, March 7

10 a.m. – vs. New Mexico | Live Stats
12:30 p.m. – vs. Samford | Live Stats

Sunday, March 8

12:30 p.m. – at South Alabama | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats

Leading Off

High Water Mark: MSU has recorded its highest rankings in program history in both the NFCA (No. 12) and D1Softball (No. 13) polls this year. State has reached a new high in at least one poll in three straight weeks.

Barbary Blasts Off: Nadia Barbary recorded the second multi-homer game of her career on Wednesday at UAB. She now leads the team in RBIs (20) and is second in home runs (5) and total bases (40).

Ki Is Key: Kiarra Sells is riding a nine-game hitting streak that dates back to State's first game against Samford this year. During the streak, she has an extra-base hit in eight games with six doubles and three homers.

Topping The Charts: State's bullpen leads the nation in strikeouts looking (43) and is second in total strikeouts (188). As a team, MSU's whiff rate (36.6 percent) and called strike plus whiff rate (37.0 percent) also lead the nation. State is one of four teams nationally allowing 1.50 runs per game or less this year.

Pitching Points: The Bulldogs are the only team with multiple pitchers among the top 10 nationally in fielding independent pitching. Alyssa Faircloth is sixth (0.88), while Leila Ammon is seventh (0.95) and Peja Goold is ninth (0.98).

Top-Ranked Trio: Three Bulldogs appear in Softball America's March Position Rankings. Peja Goold is the No. 8 pitcher. Morgan Stiles is the No. 10 shortstop nationally, and Kiarra Sells is No. 11 among all outfielders.

Double Trouble: MSU has hit a double in all but two games and already boasts 39. Last year, State broke the school record with 90 doubles. This year, the Bulldogs are on pace for 100 in the regular season alone.

Dawgs' Depth: Depth is a hallmark of State this year. A dozen Bulldogs have hit a home run, and seven different players have rotated through the outfield. In the circle, MSU has used three different starters with no pitcher throwing more than 47.0 innings.

About New Mexico (10-9, 0-0 Mountain West)

Series History

Overall: 5-0 | Home: 2-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 3-0
Current Streak: Won 5 | Last Meeting: Feb. 7, 2026, in Waco, Texas (MSU 8, UNM 1)

About South Alabama (14-7, 0-0 Sun Belt)

Series History

Overall: 6-7 | Home: 3-5 | Away: 3-2 | Neutral: 0-0
Current Streak: Lost 1 | Last Meeting: Apr. 17, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 0, USA 2)

About Samford (8-13, 0-0 SoCon)

Series History

Overall: 26-3 | Home: 18-1 | Away: 6-2 | Neutral: 2-0
Current Streak: Won 2 | Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2026, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 6, SAM 2)

On Deck

The Bulldogs return home host Southeast Missouri for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 10 with first pitches scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. CT. MSU then welcomes No. 1 Tennessee for its SEC opener on Friday, March 13.

Follow the Bulldogs

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