'Dogs To Battle Panthers In First Round Of NCAA Region 5 Tournament
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State To Get Tested By Very Quick And Aggressive Florida International Offense
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The fourth-seeded Mississippi State softball team (33-28) will get its first test of the postseason as the Bulldogs open up play in the NCAA Region 5 Tournament Thursday at 10 a.m. in Lincoln, Neb., against fifth-seeded Florida International (37-25) from the Sun Belt Conference.
The Maroon and White will make their second-straight trip to the NCAA postseason and play in the gala for the third time in four years when it faces the Golden Panthers on Thursday morning. The Bulldogs made their first trip to the NCAA postseason in 2000 as the national No. 16 seed, then made a return trip to the postseason last year as the No. 5 seed in Lafayette, La. MSU holds a 3-4 overall mark in NCAA Regional play.
Florida International made school history this past weekend when the Golden Panthers earned their first berth into the postseason after a stellar campaign in which they knocked off nationally-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette on a pair of occasions, as well as Alabama and Texas A&M.
"We don't know much about them," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "This will be a good test for our team and we have to be prepared both mentally and physically for what Florida International will bring to the table."
The Golden Panthers will bring a .266 team batting clip into the contest, highlighted by junior Jennifer Owens' team-leading .365 batting average which accompanies 14 extra-base hits and a team-high 37 RBI. Owens is supported by two others hitting over the .300 plateau. Seniors Nicole Dubovik (.341, 16 RBI) and Stephanie Wolter (.312, 3 HR, 19 RBI) also rank 1-2 on the team in runs scored, combining to cross the plate 86 times for FIU.
The Maroons will likely face sophomore southpaw Amanda Nealer who paces the four-arm staff with a 21-8 record and a 1.81 ERA. Nealer is holding opponents to a paltry .208 batting clip, while possessing a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 4-to-1. MSU is 2-0 against lefthanders this season.
FIU and Mississippi State will meet for just the second time in the history of the series with the Bulldogs taking a 3-2, extra-inning decision from the Panthers at last season's Speedline Invitational in Plant City, Fla.