State Battles Southern Miss In Inaugural M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic
Bulldogs, Lady Eagles To Meet At Madison's Liberty Park On Thursday Evening
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- In the midst of a 10-game homestand, the Mississippi State softball team (27-14) will step out of conference for the third time this season as the Maroon and White head to Madison to battle Southern Miss (16-20) in the featured game of the inaugural M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic at Liberty Park.
Game time has been set for 6:30 p.m. with ESPN 930 in Jackson will provide a live radio broadcast. Southern Sports Tonight will also broadcast live from the event. General admission tickets can be purchased for $6 at the gate.
State will enter the tilt fresh off its first conference series sweep of the season against Kentucky on Saturday and Sunday. Southern Miss will enter the grudge match ripe off a doubleheader split at Arkansas on Tuesday evening in Fayetteville, Ark. The two squads will meet for the second time this season after MSU took a 3-1 decision from the Lady Eagles in the season opener for both teams on Feb. 4 in Starkville.
"We're really looking forward to going down to Madison and playing in this inaugural game," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "The folks in Madison have done a great job in terms of promoting the game, getting the facilities ready and getting the word out. We're hoping that this can be a huge event for us each and every Spring.
"We're going to do some things different in terms of allowing the fans to keep the foul balls and things like that. It should make it a fun atmosphere for people to come and watch. In the long run, it will help in terms of growing the sport of fastpitch softball in the state of Mississippi."
On opening day, the squads combined for just 10 hits, with State getting a game-deciding three-run double from Jennifer Jessup in the second inning after USM rightfielder Heather Bell lost Jessup's long fly ball in the afternoon sun. Southern Miss rallied for a run in the seventh before MSU reliever Courtney Frank came on to close the floodgates and save the 3-1 decision.
The two squads will face each other for the 28th time in a series dominated by the Maroon and White, 20-7. However, Southern Miss has taken eight of nine meetings since the 1999 season, including a doubleheader split last season in Hattiesburg.
The Lady Eagles will be led into Madison by senior outfielder Amanda Brown who paces USM with a .300 (27-for-90) clip to go along with six extra-base hits and seven RBI. Junior Sarah Boyd is tops in the power department for USM, tallying a .280 average with nine extra-base hits and 16 RBI. Auriel Jenkins is tight on her heels though, turning in a .269 batting clip with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI. Jenkins is tops on the club in the stolen base department as well, swiping 13 of 14 on the season.
USM will likely send Jessica Holaway (8-10, 1.87 ERA) to the mound to face a very stout MSU offense led by Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Co-Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week Iyhia McMichael who will ride a 21-game hitting streak into the contest, as well as a consecutive successful stolen base streak of 32. McMichael is currently hitting .458 with 23 extra-base hits and 41 RBI to lead a Mississippi State ballclub that currently ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with a .314 batting average.
"(Holaway) did a good job against us the first time," Miller said. "We didn't hit the ball very well that first game, but it was the first game for each team and I think both teams struggled a little bit. Obviously, we have gotten a few games under our belt since then and we're swinging the bats well enough now where hopefully we can continue that over in Madison."
Following Thursday evening's action, Mississippi State will return home this weekend as the Bulldogs take on SEC Western Division foe Auburn in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two will open their series on Saturday in a 5 p.m. doubleheader and will close out the set on Sunday in a regionally-televised game at 1 p.m.
Sunday's series finale has been tabbed "Pack the Park" day when the Maroon and White face Auburn on SEC-TV. The first 50 fans to the game will receive Mississippi State ball point bat pens.