Friday, May 15
Eugene, Ore.
6:30 p.m.
Mississippi State
vs
Saint Mary's (CA)
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs Open NCAA Tournament Friday At Eugene Regional
May 14, 2026 | Softball
EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 20 Mississippi State softball team will open the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 15 at the Eugene Regional, facing Saint Mary's at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs (38-18, 9-15 SEC) will play the Gaels (40-14, 15-3 WCC) for the first time ever in the NCAA Tournament and first time since 1997. Both teams were in the 2024 Palo Alto Regional hosted by Stanford, but they did not meet that year.
State traveled to Eugene in 2012 for a regional but did not play host Oregon. The Bulldogs last played Idaho State in 1982 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in their only meeting on record.
Five Bulldogs were named to NFCA All-Region teams on Thursday. State is led by First Team selection Peja Goold and Second Team selection Alyssa Faircloth in the circle. The duo each took home SEC Newcomer of the Year honors from different outlets. Offensively, State's top three hitters in Kiarra Sells (Second Team), Nadia Barbary (Third Team) and Morgan Stiles (Third Team) each picked up regional recognition.
Barbary and Stiles are some of the best postseason hitters in program history. Barbary tied the program record for runs scored in a single NCAA Tournament last year, and she is just two shy of the MSU career NCAA Tournament record. She needs just one hit to become the 13th player to record 200 career hits at MSU. Stiles is the program's active career leader in NCAA Tournament hits, average and slugging percentage.
Game 2: Idaho State vs. No. 12 Oregon – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN2 | Live Stats
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Game 7: If Necessary – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Postseason Prowess: Morgan Stiles is MSU's active career leader in NCAA Tournament hits (8), batting average (.615), slugging percentage (.615) and on-base percentage (.643). Meanwhile, Des Rivera has the most career NCAA Tournament games played from her run to the 2022 Women's College World Series with Oregon State.
Keller Kicks Off Postseason: Kinley Keller batted .750 in the SEC Tournament in her first career postseason play. She doubled twice and drew a walk to reach in four of five plate appearances.
Rewriting Records: MSU's pitching staff has tied the program's single-season record with 468 strikeouts and broke the school record for strikeouts in SEC play with 179. State is looking to record just the eighth 500-strikeout season by an SEC team since 2016. In fact, since 2013, there have been just 25 500-strikeout seasons across the nation.
Watching The Win Column: MSU enters the NCAA Tournament with 38 wins, chasing both its highest win total in a season under Samantha Ricketts (39) and its first 40-win season since 2008.
Newcomers Of The Year: Alyssa Faircloth and Peja Goold were both named SEC Newcomer of the Year. Faircloth earned the honor from the league's coaches, while Goold was selected by a panel of USA Today Sports' writers. ROMERO ON A ROLL: Over the last 10 games, Xiane Romero leads the team with a .346 batting average, .731 slugging percentage and .452 on-base percentage. Those games accounted for half of her season RBI total.
Goold As Gold: Peja Goold was selected by the Oklahoma City Spark in the AUSL Draft. In three years at MSU, Taryne Mowatt-McKinney has graduated three pitchers to the professional ranks, one in each season.
Down On Strikes: Alyssa Faircloth ranks sixth nationally and third in school history in strikeouts (235) and has broken the MSU single-season record for strikeouts looking (58). Both marks lead the SEC.
In Extra Innings: 1-2 | One-Run Games: 7-9
Tournament Record By Opponent: Oregon, 0-0; Saint Mary's, 0-0; Idaho State, 0-0
Tournament Record By Conference: Big Ten, 3-0; West Coast, 0-1; Big Sky, 1-0
Head Coach: Melyssa Lombardi | Record at UO: 279-128 (8th Year) | Career Record: 279-128 (8th Year)
Batting Average: .331 | Runs Per Game: 6.85 | Hits Per Game: 8.85 | Slugging Pct: .554
ERA: 3.55 | K/7: 7.35 | K/BB Ratio: 2.86 | Opp. Batting Avg: .231
Series History: 1-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 1-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2020, in Cathedral City, Calif. (ORE 7, MSU 2)
Head Coach: Sonja Garnett | Record at SMC: 168-200-1 (8th Year) | Career Record: 278-303-2 (12th Year)
Batting Average: .313 | Runs Per Game: 5.57 | Hits Per Game: 8.24 | Slugging Pct: .470
ERA: 3.45 | K/7: 5.17 | K/BB Ratio: 1.96 | Opp. Batting Avg: .262
Series History: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: March 14, 1997, in San Jose, Calif. (SMC 2, MSU 1)
Head Coach: Andrew Rich | Record at ISU: 144-117 (5th Year) | Career Record: 144-117 (5th Year)
Batting Average: .329 | Runs Per Game: 6.67 | Hits Per Game: 8.51 | Slugging Pct: .575
ERA: 4.10 | K/7: 4.83 | K/BB Ratio: 1.48 | Opp. Batting Avg: .279
Series History: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: March 27, 1982, in Bartlesville, Okla. (ISU 8, MSU 0)
The Bulldogs (38-18, 9-15 SEC) will play the Gaels (40-14, 15-3 WCC) for the first time ever in the NCAA Tournament and first time since 1997. Both teams were in the 2024 Palo Alto Regional hosted by Stanford, but they did not meet that year.
State traveled to Eugene in 2012 for a regional but did not play host Oregon. The Bulldogs last played Idaho State in 1982 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in their only meeting on record.
Five Bulldogs were named to NFCA All-Region teams on Thursday. State is led by First Team selection Peja Goold and Second Team selection Alyssa Faircloth in the circle. The duo each took home SEC Newcomer of the Year honors from different outlets. Offensively, State's top three hitters in Kiarra Sells (Second Team), Nadia Barbary (Third Team) and Morgan Stiles (Third Team) each picked up regional recognition.
Barbary and Stiles are some of the best postseason hitters in program history. Barbary tied the program record for runs scored in a single NCAA Tournament last year, and she is just two shy of the MSU career NCAA Tournament record. She needs just one hit to become the 13th player to record 200 career hits at MSU. Stiles is the program's active career leader in NCAA Tournament hits, average and slugging percentage.
Game Coverage
Friday, May 15
Game 1: Saint Mary's vs. No. 20 Mississippi State – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on ESPN+ | Live StatsGame 2: Idaho State vs. No. 12 Oregon – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN2 | Live Stats
Saturday, May 16
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 4 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live StatsGame 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Sunday, May 17
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 6:30 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live StatsGame 7: If Necessary – 9 p.m. | Watch on ESPN platforms | Live Stats
Leading Off
Oregon Trail: MSU will play in Eugene, for the second time in school history and the first time since going 0-2 at the 2012 Eugene Regional.Postseason Prowess: Morgan Stiles is MSU's active career leader in NCAA Tournament hits (8), batting average (.615), slugging percentage (.615) and on-base percentage (.643). Meanwhile, Des Rivera has the most career NCAA Tournament games played from her run to the 2022 Women's College World Series with Oregon State.
Keller Kicks Off Postseason: Kinley Keller batted .750 in the SEC Tournament in her first career postseason play. She doubled twice and drew a walk to reach in four of five plate appearances.
Rewriting Records: MSU's pitching staff has tied the program's single-season record with 468 strikeouts and broke the school record for strikeouts in SEC play with 179. State is looking to record just the eighth 500-strikeout season by an SEC team since 2016. In fact, since 2013, there have been just 25 500-strikeout seasons across the nation.
Watching The Win Column: MSU enters the NCAA Tournament with 38 wins, chasing both its highest win total in a season under Samantha Ricketts (39) and its first 40-win season since 2008.
Newcomers Of The Year: Alyssa Faircloth and Peja Goold were both named SEC Newcomer of the Year. Faircloth earned the honor from the league's coaches, while Goold was selected by a panel of USA Today Sports' writers. ROMERO ON A ROLL: Over the last 10 games, Xiane Romero leads the team with a .346 batting average, .731 slugging percentage and .452 on-base percentage. Those games accounted for half of her season RBI total.
Goold As Gold: Peja Goold was selected by the Oklahoma City Spark in the AUSL Draft. In three years at MSU, Taryne Mowatt-McKinney has graduated three pitchers to the professional ranks, one in each season.
Down On Strikes: Alyssa Faircloth ranks sixth nationally and third in school history in strikeouts (235) and has broken the MSU single-season record for strikeouts looking (58). Both marks lead the SEC.
NCAA Tournament History
Appearances: 20 | Overall: 25-39 | vs. Ranked Teams: 2-26 | In Eugene: 0-2In Extra Innings: 1-2 | One-Run Games: 7-9
Tournament Record By Opponent: Oregon, 0-0; Saint Mary's, 0-0; Idaho State, 0-0
Tournament Record By Conference: Big Ten, 3-0; West Coast, 0-1; Big Sky, 1-0
About the Opponents
No. 14-seed Oregon (40-12, 20-4 B1G)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 12 | USA Softball – 13 | D1Softball – 10 | Softball America – 9Head Coach: Melyssa Lombardi | Record at UO: 279-128 (8th Year) | Career Record: 279-128 (8th Year)
Batting Average: .331 | Runs Per Game: 6.85 | Hits Per Game: 8.85 | Slugging Pct: .554
ERA: 3.55 | K/7: 7.35 | K/BB Ratio: 2.86 | Opp. Batting Avg: .231
Series History: 1-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 1-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2020, in Cathedral City, Calif. (ORE 7, MSU 2)
Saint Mary's (CA) (40-14, 15-3 WCC)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NRHead Coach: Sonja Garnett | Record at SMC: 168-200-1 (8th Year) | Career Record: 278-303-2 (12th Year)
Batting Average: .313 | Runs Per Game: 5.57 | Hits Per Game: 8.24 | Slugging Pct: .470
ERA: 3.45 | K/7: 5.17 | K/BB Ratio: 1.96 | Opp. Batting Avg: .262
Series History: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: March 14, 1997, in San Jose, Calif. (SMC 2, MSU 1)
Idaho State (37-18, 10-5 Big Sky)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches – NR | USA Softball – NR | D1Softball – NR | Softball America – NRHead Coach: Andrew Rich | Record at ISU: 144-117 (5th Year) | Career Record: 144-117 (5th Year)
Batting Average: .329 | Runs Per Game: 6.67 | Hits Per Game: 8.51 | Slugging Pct: .575
ERA: 4.10 | K/7: 4.83 | K/BB Ratio: 1.48 | Opp. Batting Avg: .279
Series History: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-1 | Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: March 27, 1982, in Bartlesville, Okla. (ISU 8, MSU 0)
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