'Dogs Open SEC Play With No. 24 South Carolina
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State softball team (17-10, 0-0 SEC), unranked for the first time in nearly a month, will look to get back on track this weekend as the Bulldogs open Southeastern Conference play at home in a three-game series against 24th-ranked South Carolina (17-7, 2-1).
The series move to Starkville will mark the first meeting at the Mississippi State Softball Field since the two teams split a doubleheader on March 26, 1999. South Carolina holds a slight 8-6 advantage in the series, prevailing in three of the last five contests, but Mississippi State will take an eight-game SEC home winning streak into the weekend.
"It is going to be wonderful to play on our home field again," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "It seems like we have been on the road forever. We recognize that South Carolina is going to be a challenge for us this weekend, but it is going to be great to play in front of the home crowd."
The series has been tightly contested as evidenced by six of the 14 meetings between two two squads being decided by two runs or less. South Carolina holds a 3-1 edge in Starkville, with State drawing even with the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C., (series tied, 2-2) and at neutral sites.
Much of State's success this weekend will lie in the ability to solve the pitching riddles of two-time all-SEC pitcher Megan Matthews, who has tallied a 5-1 record and a 1.14 ERA in 43.1 innings pitched against the Bulldogs with 39 strikeouts and just five walks. Her only loss against Mississippi State came during her freshman campaign in 1999, but she has since rebounded to take four-straight from the Bulldogs, including a one-hit shutout in the last meeting in Columbia. Matthews is 10-2 with an 0.60 ERA so far this season.
"Without a doubt, Megan Matthews is one of the top pitchers in the SEC," Arendsen said. "But, if we can stay disciplined and get some runs across the plate, we have a great chance at success against them. They are a well-coached and very disciplined team and they will be ready for us."
Mississippi State will bring plenty of capable bats into the contest, including three-time all-American Kellie Wilkerson who ranks second on the club this season with a .388 clip to go along with six home runs and 16 RBI. Junior Jennifer Nelson, who has missed the last five games due to nagging injuries, paces the club with a .442 average (3 RBIs), with second team all-SEC phenom Iyhia McMichael sparking the club in the RBI column (.349, 24 RBI).
Although surrendering runs in spurts this past weekend at the Speedline Invitational in Plant City, Fla., State will bring pitching consistency into the weekend as well while currently maintaining a 1.61 team ERA. The club continues to be led by Kasey Whitehead (9-6, 1.84 ERA), but has gotten a surge from freshman Melissa Massey (3-4, 1.08) who has allowed just eight earned runs in 51.2 innings this season, including throwing her first no-no against Nicholls State on Friday.
"We were very pleased with Melissa Massey's performance last weekend," Arendsen said. "She stepped up and threw some very strong innings for us and gave us the chance to win every ballgame. Kasey struggled a bit, but she has since recovered and we expect that she will be on her game this weekend against South Carolina."
The two will open the three-game tilt with a Saturday doubleheader at 12 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Saturday's opener will likely pit Whitehead against Matthews, with the second game of the twinbill featuring Massey against South Carolina freshman Aleca Johnson (3-1, 1.88). Sunday's final game will likely feature another Whitehead/Matthews matchup.