Saturday, March 13
Oxford, Miss.
5:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
Ole Miss
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
No. 23 Softball Opens Conference Play With In-State Rivals
March 12, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – For the first time in 679 days, Mississippi State softball will play a Southeastern Conference game. The No. 23 Bulldogs travel to Ole Miss on March 13-15 for their first SEC series since 2019.
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The in-state rivalry will be showcased on national television with all three games being broadcast on the SEC Network. The Magnolia State battle will take center stage on the SEC Network's Monday night broadcast window.
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The Bulldogs (15-5, 0-0 SEC) and Rebels (15-7, 0-0 SEC) come into the series with similar records, and both have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. Both programs played then-No. 7/7 Texas, then-No. 23/21 Baylor and Texas State in the Lone Star State Invitational earlier this year. The Bulldogs went 1-3 in those matchups, while the Rebels went 1-2.
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Both programs are also among the national leaders in hit-by-pitches. Ole Miss leads the way with 34 batters hit this season, while MSU is second with 24 batters wearing a pitch this year. Four of the top six most-hit individuals nationally will step to the plate in the series between the Rebel's Paige Smith and Mikayla Allee and MSU's Chloe Malau'ulu and Anna Kate Segars.
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Game 2 – March 14 at 4 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – March 15 at 6 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
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10s On The Board: MSU has already scored double-digit runs in seven of its 20 games after doing so just four times in 28 games last season. The Bulldogs did so just eight times in all of 2019.
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Down Not Out: The Bulldogs have four comeback victories this season, including two on walk-off home runs. State has made up as large as a five-run deficit and outscored opponents 29-6 in the sixth inning and later.
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Shutdown In The Circle: Despite posting a 5.88 ERA in her first two starts, Emily Williams now has a 1.96 ERA thanks to six straight scoreless outings (21.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .129 batting average.
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Back On Track: Mia Davidson entered the Lone Star State Invitational batting just .217, but has hit .455 with 14 RBIs since while 10 of her 20 hits have gone for extra bases.
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Let's Go Streaking: Chloe Malau'ulu is currently riding a career-long 25-game reached base streak. Five other Bulldogs have tied or broken their career-long hitting streaks in 2021.
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Milestone Watch: Davidson needs two homers to move into a tie for eighth in SEC career history and is 13 hits away from 200 for her career. Fa Leilua needs nine hits to reach 200. Williams needs eight looking strikeouts to break the school record.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson and Leilua rank fifth among the NCAA's active career leaders with 58 home runs. The duo is the one of two pairs of teammates in the country to boast 50-plus career homers (Arizona).
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Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Jamie Trachsel | Record at OM: 15-7 (1st Year) | Career Record: 361-191-1 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .311; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.9; Slugging Pct: .492
ERA: 2.32; K/7: 6.6; K/BB Ratio: 4.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .235
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On March 20, 12 of the 13 SEC teams will participate in "All for Alex" weekend and wear teal uniforms or accents. South Carolina will participate on March 21.
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The in-state rivalry will be showcased on national television with all three games being broadcast on the SEC Network. The Magnolia State battle will take center stage on the SEC Network's Monday night broadcast window.
Â
The Bulldogs (15-5, 0-0 SEC) and Rebels (15-7, 0-0 SEC) come into the series with similar records, and both have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. Both programs played then-No. 7/7 Texas, then-No. 23/21 Baylor and Texas State in the Lone Star State Invitational earlier this year. The Bulldogs went 1-3 in those matchups, while the Rebels went 1-2.
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Both programs are also among the national leaders in hit-by-pitches. Ole Miss leads the way with 34 batters hit this season, while MSU is second with 24 batters wearing a pitch this year. Four of the top six most-hit individuals nationally will step to the plate in the series between the Rebel's Paige Smith and Mikayla Allee and MSU's Chloe Malau'ulu and Anna Kate Segars.
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Game Coverage
Game 1 – March 13 at 5 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live StatsGame 2 – March 14 at 4 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – March 15 at 6 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
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Leading Off
Long Time No See: The Bulldogs were one of three teams not to play an SEC series in 2020. State has not played a conference game since May 4, 2019 (679 days) when they took the series at Florida.Â
10s On The Board: MSU has already scored double-digit runs in seven of its 20 games after doing so just four times in 28 games last season. The Bulldogs did so just eight times in all of 2019.
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Down Not Out: The Bulldogs have four comeback victories this season, including two on walk-off home runs. State has made up as large as a five-run deficit and outscored opponents 29-6 in the sixth inning and later.
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Shutdown In The Circle: Despite posting a 5.88 ERA in her first two starts, Emily Williams now has a 1.96 ERA thanks to six straight scoreless outings (21.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .129 batting average.
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Back On Track: Mia Davidson entered the Lone Star State Invitational batting just .217, but has hit .455 with 14 RBIs since while 10 of her 20 hits have gone for extra bases.
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Let's Go Streaking: Chloe Malau'ulu is currently riding a career-long 25-game reached base streak. Five other Bulldogs have tied or broken their career-long hitting streaks in 2021.
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Milestone Watch: Davidson needs two homers to move into a tie for eighth in SEC career history and is 13 hits away from 200 for her career. Fa Leilua needs nine hits to reach 200. Williams needs eight looking strikeouts to break the school record.
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Thunder And Lightning: Davidson and Leilua rank fifth among the NCAA's active career leaders with 58 home runs. The duo is the one of two pairs of teammates in the country to boast 50-plus career homers (Arizona).
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About the Opponent
Ole MissRankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Jamie Trachsel | Record at OM: 15-7 (1st Year) | Career Record: 361-191-1 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .311; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.9; Slugging Pct: .492
ERA: 2.32; K/7: 6.6; K/BB Ratio: 4.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .235
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On Deck
The Bulldogs travel to Samford on Wednesday, March 17 for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch. Following that game, State welcomes an SEC opponent to Nusz Park for the first time since April 28, 2019, when No. 6/5 Florida comes to town for the SEC home opener. The Bulldogs and Gators will play March 19-21 with all games streaming on SEC Network+.Â
On March 20, 12 of the 13 SEC teams will participate in "All for Alex" weekend and wear teal uniforms or accents. South Carolina will participate on March 21.
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Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Â
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Players Mentioned
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OF/1B
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