Stuedeman’s Squad Heads To Central Arkansas For Midweek Tilt

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Before opening up home SEC play this weekend, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (20-5, 1-2 SEC) close out a four-game roadtrip in Conway, Ark., taking on the Central Arkansas Bears (7-17, 0-3 Southland) on Wednesday night.

The midweek showdown from Farris Field is set for a 5 p.m. CT first pitch. The contest will be live streamed on the Bear Nation Network. To access the broadcast, fans will have to purchase a subscription, with one-day passes starting at $5.95. UCA will also provide live stats for Wednesday's contest.

This will be the third meeting of the year between the two clubs, with MSU having won both contests in Starkville en route to capturing the Bulldog Slamboree Championship. State leads the overall series, 4-1, with Wednesday's meeting the first in Conway.

State is coming off a 2-2 showing last week, earning a midweek victory at home against Troy and an SEC-opening win at No. 5 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 18 games.

Pitching has been the major key to State's success this season, as the Bulldog staff brings a scorching 1.07 ERA into the midweek contest, which is good for second in the SEC and sixth in the NCAA. Senior Alexis Silkwood paces MSU with a 0.73 ERA (6^th in SEC, 14^th in NCAA), with Regan Green close behind with a 0.88 ERA (8^th in SEC, 27^th in NCAA).

MSU's offense has been led by the impressive play of junior Bevia Robinson, who leads the team in an array of categories. In just 24 games, she owns a team-best .426 clip, which is 15^th in the SEC. She also leads the squad with a .500 on-base percentage, 29 hits, 18 runs and 16 stolen bases. Her 0.67 stolen bases per game average ranks fourth in the conference and 36^th nationally.

State's power game has been strong to start the 2017 campaign, as its 13 homers are four more than MSU had through the first 25 games of the 2016 season. State has also blasted three multi-home run games this year, compared to one all of last season.

The Bulldogs return home this weekend for their first SEC series at Nusz Park, hosting the 8^th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (24-2, 3-0 SEC). Game one is set for Friday, March 17 at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday's contest will also begin at 6 p.m., while Sunday's series finale is slated for a 2 p.m., first pitch. All three contests will be streamed on the SEC Network +.

Last Time Out…
MSU opened up SEC play with a 1-2 showing in College Station against the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies. The Bulldogs opened up the series with a 5-2 Friday night victory before dropping a pair of hard-fought decisions in the final two games.

Friday, March 10
Mississippi State def. No. 5 Texas A&M, 5-2 (Recap, Box Score)

Saturday, March 11 (Game finished on Sunday, March 12 due to rain)
No. 5 Texas A&M def. Mississippi State, 5-1 (Recap, Box Score)

Sunday, March 12
No. 5 Texas A&M def. Mississippi State, 3-1 (Recap, Box Score)

Series History…

Against Central Arkansas
Overall: Mississippi State, 4-1
In Conway: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Mississippi State def. Central Arkansas, 8-0(5) (Starkville)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +2

Bulldogs In The Polls…
State received votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25. The Dogs jumped up two spots to No. 23 in Fastpitch News' Top 25. With the Dogs receiving votes in the NFCA and ESPN polls, all 13 teams in the SEC are either receiving votes or ranked.

These Dogs Don't Roll Over…
Friday night's win at No. 5 Texas A&M was the 13^th win against a top five opponent in school history. Of those 13 wins, 10 have come in the Vann Stuedeman era, showcasing that Stuedeman's Dogs don't roll over no matter their opponent's ranking.

MSU With Best Start Since 2014…
With a 20-5 record so far in 2017, the Bulldogs have the best 25-game start to a season since showcasing the same start in 2014. That start included a victory against No. 8 Kentucky in the first SEC series of the year.

Highlighting MSU's impressive beginning to the 2017 campaign was its 16-game winning streak from Feb. 17 – March 10. It matched the longest winning streak in school history, when State won 16 straight from Feb. 10 – March 3, 2006.

SEC Opener Success…
Vann Stuedeman and the Dogs captured a 5-2 victory in their SEC opener on Friday, March 10 at No. 5 Texas A&M. It was the first win for Stuedeman in an SEC opener and the first for State since a 2-1 victory at home against South Carolina on March 9, 2011.

Dogs Got That Power…
The Bulldogs have tallied 13 home runs so far through the year, besting the eight they hit in the first 25 games of the 2016 season. State has put together three multi-home run contests through 25 games this season, while only having one all of last year.

Pitching Staff On Fire…
State's pitching staff has been stellar through 25 contests in 2017. The group's 1.07 ERA ranks second in the SEC and sixth in the NCAA. Alexis Silkwood (0.73 ERA) stands sixth in the SEC, 14th NCAA, while Regan Green (0.88 ERA) is eighth in the SEC, 27th in the nation.

Silk Rewriting The Record Books…
Senior lefty Alexis Silkwood continues to make her way up several career records charts in the MSU record books. She's already claimed the top spot for career strikeouts and became the first pitcher in MSU history to record 500-career strikeouts. Last weekend at No. 5 Texas A&M, she moved into first in innings pitched and complete games.

- 1^st in strikeouts (504)
- 1^st in complete games (46)
- 1^st in innings pitched (583.0)
- 2^nd in wins (53)
- 3^rd in starts (83)
- T-3^rd in shutouts (13)
- T-3^rd in saves (8)
- T-3^rd in appearances (123)

Robinson Continues To Dominate For The Dogs…
One of the highly-touted additions to the 2017 Bulldog softball squad has been JUCO transfer Bevia Robinson. Robinson comes to State via Pensacola State University, where she established herself as one of the top players in the NJCAA DI.

In just 24 games, she owns a team-best .426 clip, which is 15th in the SEC. She also leads the team with 29 hits, 18 runs and a .500 on-base percentage. She also has 16 stolen bases and averages 0.67 stolen bases per game, good for fourth in the SEC and 36th in the NCAA.

Weather…
Wednesday's Forecast (March 15) – Sunny, 48 Degrees (0%)

Live Stream…
Central Arkansas will provide a live stream of Wednesday night's game through the Bear Nation Network. Fans looking to access the game will have to purchase a subscription, with a one-day pass starting at $5.95.

Mississippi State at Central Arkansas Live Stream

Live Stats…
Central Arkansas will provide live stats for Wednesday night's game. It can be found in the link below.

Mississippi State at Central Arkansas Live Stats

Up Next…
The Bulldogs return home this weekend for their first SEC series at Nusz Park, hosting the 8^th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (24-2, 3-0 SEC). Game one is set for Friday, March 17 at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday's contest will also begin at 6 p.m., while Sunday's series finale is slated for a 2 p.m., first pitch. All three contests will be streamed on the SEC Network +.

Social Media…
For more on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap".

Stuedeman’s Squad Heads To Central Arkansas For Midweek Tilt

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Players Mentioned

Regan Green

Bevia Robinson

Alexis Silkwood

Mississippi State University Athletics