Softball Travels To Samford, Hosts Southern Miss In Midweek Action

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's softball team will play two midweek games this week before resuming SEC play. State is set to travel to Samford on Tuesday (April 13) before hosting in-state foe Southern Miss on Wednesday (April 14) in a nationally-televised game.

First pitch in both games is set for 6 p.m. CT. Tuesday night's game in Birmingham, Alabama, will stream on ESPN+ and is a makeup of a game that was rained out on March 17. The final game in the season series with Southern Miss will be broadcast on SEC Network.

The Bulldogs (20-16, 0-9 SEC) are in the middle of a 15-game stretch that will see them play 13 games away from Nusz Park. When MSU returns to its home field on Wednesday, it will mark just its second home game in the last dozen contests.

MSU is 20-2 all-time against Samford (14-19, 4-5 SoCon) and last made the trip to Birmingham in 2018. State won that contest, 11-1, in five innings to extend its current winning streak in the series to eight games. The Bulldogs are 5-1 all-time in Birmingham.

State won the first meeting this season with the Golden Eagles, claiming a 2-1 victory in extra innings in a trip to Hattiesburg to close the month of March. That ran MSU's winning streak to eight games against Southern Miss (20-18, 2-6 C-USA). The Bulldogs have won four of their last five meetings in with their in-state foe in Starkville.

Game Coverage

Tuesday, April 13
6 p.m. – at Samford | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats

Wednesday, April 14
6 p.m. – Southern Miss | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats

Leading Off

Willis' No-Hitter: Annie Willis threw the 23rd no-hitter in program history and the second of her Bulldog career at Louisiana Tech on Saturday. She is one of seven Bulldogs with multiple no-hitters in her career and the first to throw multiple 7.0 inning no-hitters.

Who's Hot: Carter Spexarth and Fa Leilua lead the team with five RBIs each in the last five games. Both have gone 5-for-13 with a pair of homers in that span.

Lulu In The Leadoff: Hitting at the top of the order, Chloe Malau'ulu has reached on 25-of-57 leadoff opportunities. In the 25 times she's reached to open a frame, she has scored 14 runs. The Bulldogs are 12-4 when Malau'ulu reaches base to open the ballgame.

A Tough Go: MSU's strength of schedule is No. 11 in the latest RPI calculations, and nine of MSU's losses have come to top-10 teams.

SEC Sluggers: Mia Davidson is sixth in SEC softball history with 62 career home runs. Rafael Palmeiro (67) is the only Bulldog student-athlete to have hit more in a baseball or softball career.

Going Back To Back: Davidson and Leilua hit back-to-back homers for the fifth time in their careers on Wednesday. MSU is 4-1 when they go back-to-back. The have homered in the same game 15 times, and MSU is 13-2 in such contests.

Making Them Miss: The Bulldog pitching staff ranks third in the SEC with 272 strikeouts and second in looking strikeouts (72). State has struck out 61 batters over nine SEC games.

Hitting The Road: MSU will play its 10th road game in its last 11 games on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a stretch that will see them play 13 of 15 games away from Nusz Park. State has not played a conference game since March 28 at Arkansas.

About the Opponents

Samford (14-19, 4-5 SoCon)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Mandy Burford | at SAM: 223-277 (10th Year) | Career: 223-277 (10th Year)
Batting Average: .261; Runs Per Game: 3.4; Hits Per Game: 7.0; Slugging Percentage: .384
ERA: 3.88; K/7: 5.0; K/BB Ratio: 1.9; Opp. Batting Avg: .272

Southern Miss (20-18, 2-6 C-USA)
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball - NR | Softball America – NR | D1Softball - NR
Head coach: Brian Levin | at USM: 34-26 (2nd Year) | Career: 374-179 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .246; Runs Per Game: 3.9; Hits Per Game: 6.4; Slugging Percentage: .389
ERA: 2.51; K/7: 7.3; K/BB Ratio: 2.4; Opp. Batting Avg: .238

On Deck

The Bulldogs will play their first SEC games since March 28, when they travel to No. 15 Missouri on April 16-18. Friday night's game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ while the final two games of the series will be nationally televised on SEC Network.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Softball Travels To Samford, Hosts Southern Miss In Midweek Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Fa Leilua

Chloe Malau'ulu

Carter Spexarth

Annie Willis

Mississippi State University Athletics

Softball Travels To Samford, Hosts Southern Miss In Midweek Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mia Davidson

Fa Leilua

Chloe Malau'ulu

Carter Spexarth

Annie Willis

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