Bulldogs Host Arkansas In Final Home Series
State Embarks On Final Homestand Of 2003 Campaign
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State Softball team (30-22, 10-13 SEC) will begin its final homestand of the season this weekend as the Bulldogs host SEC Western Divison foe Arkansas (20-29, 4-17) in a key conference series at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
The Bulldogs and Lady Razorbacks will renew their rivalry on Friday with a doubleheader slated for 5 p.m. and will close out their series on Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday's contest will be preceded by Senior Day festivities to honor Brooke Best, Courtney Frank and Jennifer Nelson. Admission to all 2003 Mississippi State Softball home games is free of charge.
Arkansas will roll into Starkville on the heels of a doubleheader split with Kansas on Wednesday evening in Lawrence, Kan. Staff ace Heather Schlichtman limited the Jayhawk lineup to just one hit in a 5-1 victory in the opener, but Kansas responded in the nightcap, winning 1-0 despite a two-hitter by UA starter Blaire Woodward. Mississippi State is fresh off a 2-6 roadtrip, despite posting a 7-3 upset at then-17th ranked Alabama on Sunday. The Bulldogs dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Georgia Tech on Sunday.
"It was a horrible road trip for us," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We didn't get the job done on the mound and defensively we slipped. We have been playing pretty good defense all year, but we didn't play well last week, especially in the Alabama series. I thought that we cost ourselves two of the ballgames defensively there with a lot of unearned runs.
"Offensively, we hit the ball okay, but when we had runners in scoring position, we didn?t get kids to step up and drive in runs. I think that we suffered because of all of those things combined."
Arkansas and Mississippi State will engage in the 26th meeting of a series closely contested between the two squads. Mississippi State owns a 15-10 series lead, but the Lady 'Backs took all three meetings of last season's series in Fayetteville, Ark., including a 7-0 blanking of the Bulldogs to celebrate UA's Senior Day festivities. State has taken eight of 11 meetings in Starkville, including a series sweep in the 2001 series. The Bulldogs have not lost to Arkansas in Starkville since March 29, 1997.
The Lady 'Backs will bring a .241 team batting clip into Starkville, led by senior Kim Eiben's .328 (45-for-137) average and 13 extra-base hits. Senior Julie Young headlines the RBI column, driving in 22 runs on the strength of a .291 (39-for-134) clip and four home runs. Arkansas has swiped just 48 bases this season on 65 attempts (.738).
The contest will feature the conference's ninth and 10th ranked pitching staffs, with the Lady 'Backs bringing in a 3.10 team ERA, led by Schlichtman's 9-15 record and 2.54 ERA. Sophomore Valanna Lyons (9-11, 3.37 ERA) is Arkansas' other regular starter.
"We've got three great seniors," said Miller of Saturday's Senior Day festivities. "Brooke, Courtney and Jennifer have all given us great leadership both on and off the field. I have been really pleased with the way that they have stepped up, especially the last couple of weeks in terms of keeping people focused and together when we struggle. That's what you need from your leaders. That is going to help us down the road and as we get into the stretch run in these last few weeks."