Bulldogs Take On Iowa In NCAA First Round
Mississippi State To Face Hawkeyes Squad For Third Time In History
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Having secured its third consecutive bid to the NCAA postseason, the Mississippi State softball team will open up play in the NCAA Region 5 Tournament at Lincoln, Neb., Thursday afternoon when the fourth-seeded Bulldogs suit up to play No. 5 seed Iowa in the region's third game at 3 p.m.
Although lacking familiarity with each other, both squads will make their second-straight appearance in Lincoln. Mississippi State defeated Florida International in the first round of last year's postseason gala, but dropped consecutive decisions to the top two seeds in Lincoln to make an early exit. The Hawkeyes won three games in Lincoln last season before falling to Washington in the championship game.
Mississippi State and Iowa have faced each other twice since the initial inception of softball into the MSU athletic program in 1982, winning in both the 1983 and 1998 seasons. The Hawkeyes have triumphed at neutral sites both times.
Both teams will enter the NCAA postseason on losing skids, despite a preceding surge that likely locked up both for the spots they are in now. After winning 16 of its previous 18 outings, State will bring a two-game losing skid into Lincoln while Iowa, who had won 20 of 24, rolls into Bowlin Stadium on a three-game slide.
Live statistics for every game of the NCAA Region 5 Tournament can be followed via a link at the official Internet home for Mississippi State Athletics, www.MStateAthletics.com.