No. 13 Mississippi State Travels To No. 5 Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 13 Mississippi State will head to Gainesville this weekend to meet No. 5 Florida for a three-game series. Saturday's game will be nationally televised on SEC Network at 10:30 a.m. CT.

The series will be a matchup of contrasting strengths. The Bulldogs bring in one of the nation's top pitching staffs, while the Gators boast a top-five offense nationally. State games, however, have tended to be the lowest-scoring in the SEC this year as SEC games with MSU playing in them average 5.11 runs per game combined between both teams.

State is led by reigning National Pitcher of the Week, Peja Goold, who allowed one run in 19.0 innings last week while throwing two shutouts and earning a save.

The Bulldogs have not played in Gainesville since 2022, and only one member of the team has ever played a collegiate game in Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Alyssa Faircloth pitched there three times in 2024 while playing for Troy.

Game Coverage

Friday, April 3

5 p.m. – at Florida | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

Saturday, April 4

10:30 a.m. – at Florida | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats

Sunday, April 5

12 p.m. – at Florida | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

Leading Off

Peja Pitcher Of The Week: After throwing her first career no-hitter followed by a shutout of No. 23 South Carolina and a series-clinching save against the Gamecocks, Peja Goold was named the D1Softball and NFCA National Pitcher of the Week. She struck out 27 over 19.0 innings. Last week saw her post 10.2 straight innings without a hit and 17.1 without a run.

Pop At The Top: Kiarra Sells moved into the leadoff spot last week and has been consistent, reaching safely in 13 of her last 20 plate appearances. For the season, she has reached safely in 60.0 percent (12 of 20) of her leadoff opportunities.

No Hits For You: The Bulldogs have posted their eighth season with
multiple no-hitters in program history. State's top three arms would currently land among the four best batting averages allowed by Bulldogs in MSU single-season history with all three holding opponents under .175.

Bullpen Bullies: Mississippi State leads the nation in strikeouts (359), strikeouts looking (73) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.08). The Bulldogs boast 300 more strikeouts than walks. Meanwhile only one other team in the country has even reached the 300-strikeout mark.

Down On Strikes: Alyssa Faircloth ranks third nationally in total strikeouts (163) and is looking to post the sixth 200-strikeout season in program history. She currently ranks ninth in MSU history.

Dawgs In Duels: In conference play alone, games featuring MSU average an SEC-low 5.11 combined runs between both teams so far this year. When runs are scored, they're scored late with 63.0 percent coming in the fifth inning or later and only six total runs combined in the first two frames.

Protecting The Plate: The Bulldogs have thrown out 11 runners at the plate this year, including seven when leading by one run, tied or trailing.

Paige Powers Up: Paige Ernstes opened the scoring in Monday night's rubber match with No. 23 South Carolina with a solo homer. It was her first home run in over a year dating back to March 1, 2025. It was her first extra-base hit since an opening weekend double vs. Wichita State (Feb. 6).

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

About Florida (34-4, 9-3 SEC)

Series History

Notables

Florida enters the weekend with one of the nation's most high-powered offenses. The Gators lead the country in doubles, rank second in hits and are top five in home runs, runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Taylor Shumaker leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in hits and is second in the league in batting average. However, the Gators also have some of the lowest speed-based metrics, ranking last in the conference in triples and 12th in stolen bases per game. Only one Gator has a 643Charts speed rating over 6.00 while the Bulldogs boast five players above that mark.

On Deck

The Bulldogs return home for Alumni Weekend and All For Alex day next week, hosting No. 9/6 Arkansas on April 10-12. All three games will air on SEC Network+. Saturday is the SEC's annual All For Alex day when all 15 teams will wear teal or teal accents to honor the former Bulldog's legacy and raise awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

No. 13 Mississippi State Travels To No. 5 Florida

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Players Mentioned

Paige Ernstes

Alyssa Faircloth

Peja Goold

Des Rivera

Kiarra Sells

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