Friday, April 30
Columbia, S.C.
5:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
South Carolina
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs Make Final Regular-Season Road Trip To South Carolina
April 29, 2021 | Softball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Mississippi State's softball team is on the road for the final time in the 2021 regular season as the Bulldogs travel to South Carolina for three games on April 30-May 2.
Â
The Bulldogs (25-21, 1-14 SEC) have played the fewest SEC games in the conference to this point along with Tennessee (35-8, 8-7 SEC) after those two squads saw their April meeting postponed. State heads into the matchup with a chance to pick up crucial games in the conference standings two weeks before the league tournament.
Â
South Carolina (24-20, 3-15 SEC) sits in 12th in the standings, and MSU could pass the Gamecocks with a sweep or hold the tiebreaker with a series win. State will have a chance to keep climbing with five SEC games on its schedule next week.
Â
MSU brings in a pitching staff that is second in the league in strikeouts (356) on the year and fifth in league play (105) despite playing three fewer games than most teams. The Gamecocks have struck out 229 times this season, trailing only Arkansas, and have done so 107 times in SEC play, which is fourth-most in the league.
Â
Game 2 – May 1 at 2 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – May 2 at 12 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Â
Â
Fresh Face: Addison Purvis leads the Bulldog starters in batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.571) over the last 10 games. Over the last five contests, she's gone 4-for-8 with five walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Â
Who's Hot: Madisyn Kennedy leads the team with seven RBIs in the last five games and is third on the team in total bases (12). She has posted a .750 slugging percentage and .313 average in that span.
Â
Milestone Watch: Emily Williams is four strikeouts away from 400 for her career and would be the fifth Bulldog to reach the mark.
Â
Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 29 different batting orders and 15 different fielding alignments, but the Bulldogs have used the same lineup card in each of the last three games, their longest run of repeats since going four games on Feb. 26-28.
Â
SEC Sluggers: Davidson is fourth in SEC softball history with 66 career home runs and is one of 10 baseball and softball players in the history of the conference to have hit 65 home runs in her career. She needs two to pass MSU legend Rafael Palmeiro (67) for the all-time lead at MSU in either sport.
Â
Lulu Leading Off: When Chloe Malau'ulu reaches base to open the game, State is 16-5 this season. She has reached base in 34 of the 78 innings she's led off and scored in 17 of those innings.
Â
Win The Late Innings: One of Ricketts' process points this season is winning the late innings (from the fifth on). State has outscored opponents 83-57 in the late innings, including a 36-12 margin in the sixth.
Â
Rankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball – NR | Softball America - NR | D1Softball - NR
Head Coach: Beverly Smith | Record at SC: 357-241 (11th Year) | Career Record: 357-241 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .291; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.4; Slugging Pct: .440
ERA: 3.56; K/7: 3.7; K/BB Ratio: 1.0; Opp. Batting Avg: .269
Â
South Carolina ended MSU's 2018 SEC Tournament in their last meeting. The Gamecocks sit just one spot ahead of MSU in the SEC standings with a 3-15 mark in league play. SC is 198-92 at home under head coach Beverly Smith. Offensively, Mackenzie Boesel is capping her career with a run through the record books. She now holds or is closing in on SC's career records for hits, runs, doubles, home runs, total bases, RBIs and walks. In the circle, Leah Powell is one of six pitchers tied for the national lead with just one hit batter.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
The Bulldogs (25-21, 1-14 SEC) have played the fewest SEC games in the conference to this point along with Tennessee (35-8, 8-7 SEC) after those two squads saw their April meeting postponed. State heads into the matchup with a chance to pick up crucial games in the conference standings two weeks before the league tournament.
Â
South Carolina (24-20, 3-15 SEC) sits in 12th in the standings, and MSU could pass the Gamecocks with a sweep or hold the tiebreaker with a series win. State will have a chance to keep climbing with five SEC games on its schedule next week.
Â
MSU brings in a pitching staff that is second in the league in strikeouts (356) on the year and fifth in league play (105) despite playing three fewer games than most teams. The Gamecocks have struck out 229 times this season, trailing only Arkansas, and have done so 107 times in SEC play, which is fourth-most in the league.
Â
Game Coverage
Game 1 – April 30 at 5 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live StatsGame 2 – May 1 at 2 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats
Game 3 – May 2 at 12 p.m. CT | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats
Â
Leading Off
Loving The Long Ball: State's 58 homers this year trail only the 2019 campaign's 72 for the most in program history. Fa Leilua (16), Mia Davidson (14) and Carter Spexarth (10) have given MSU three individuals with 10 or more homers a season for just the third time in program history, including 2019 when Davidson and Leilua were again part of the trio.Â
Fresh Face: Addison Purvis leads the Bulldog starters in batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.571) over the last 10 games. Over the last five contests, she's gone 4-for-8 with five walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Â
Who's Hot: Madisyn Kennedy leads the team with seven RBIs in the last five games and is third on the team in total bases (12). She has posted a .750 slugging percentage and .313 average in that span.
Â
Milestone Watch: Emily Williams is four strikeouts away from 400 for her career and would be the fifth Bulldog to reach the mark.
Â
Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 29 different batting orders and 15 different fielding alignments, but the Bulldogs have used the same lineup card in each of the last three games, their longest run of repeats since going four games on Feb. 26-28.
Â
SEC Sluggers: Davidson is fourth in SEC softball history with 66 career home runs and is one of 10 baseball and softball players in the history of the conference to have hit 65 home runs in her career. She needs two to pass MSU legend Rafael Palmeiro (67) for the all-time lead at MSU in either sport.
Â
Lulu Leading Off: When Chloe Malau'ulu reaches base to open the game, State is 16-5 this season. She has reached base in 34 of the 78 innings she's led off and scored in 17 of those innings.
Â
Win The Late Innings: One of Ricketts' process points this season is winning the late innings (from the fifth on). State has outscored opponents 83-57 in the late innings, including a 36-12 margin in the sixth.
Â
About the Opponent
South CarolinaRankings: NFCA Coaches - NR | USA Softball – NR | Softball America - NR | D1Softball - NR
Head Coach: Beverly Smith | Record at SC: 357-241 (11th Year) | Career Record: 357-241 (11th Year)
Batting Average: .291; Runs Per Game: 5.6; Hits Per Game: 7.4; Slugging Pct: .440
ERA: 3.56; K/7: 3.7; K/BB Ratio: 1.0; Opp. Batting Avg: .269
Â
South Carolina ended MSU's 2018 SEC Tournament in their last meeting. The Gamecocks sit just one spot ahead of MSU in the SEC standings with a 3-15 mark in league play. SC is 198-92 at home under head coach Beverly Smith. Offensively, Mackenzie Boesel is capping her career with a run through the record books. She now holds or is closing in on SC's career records for hits, runs, doubles, home runs, total bases, RBIs and walks. In the circle, Leah Powell is one of six pitchers tied for the national lead with just one hit batter.
Â
On Deck
The Bulldogs host No. 16 Tennessee on Wednesday, May 5 for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. CT. The two contests were originally scheduled as part of the teams' series in April but were postponed to due positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Tennessee program.Â
Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."Â
Â
Players Mentioned
C/INF
/ Softball
SS/3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Raelin Chaffin ESPN2 Postgame Interview
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Friday, May 16