Bulldogs Welcome No. 10 Arkansas To Nusz Park

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will welcome the reigning SEC champion, No. 10 Arkansas, to Nusz Park this weekend for a three-game set on March 31-April 2.

The Bulldogs (23-10, 3-2 SEC) have won three of their last five meetings with top-10 teams, including a 6-3 victory over then-No. 10 Arizona earlier this year.

This weekend's matchup features two of the conference's brightest young arms in Josey Marron and Arkansas' Robyn Herron. Marron is among the top-25 pitchers nationally in advanced metrics such as strikeout-to-walk ratio, fielding-independent pitching and WHIP. Herron, meanwhile, leads all SEC freshman with 87 strikeouts, just nine more than Marron, who ranks ninth overall in the league.

Arkansas (24-9, 5-4 SEC) dropped its opening SEC series to Texas A&M after winning the opener. The Razorbacks then claimed 2-1 series wins against Alabama and Florida. State swept its opening SEC series against South Carolina before dropping two games at then-No. 17 Georgia last weekend.

It's Alumni Weekend at Nusz Park, with a special alumni recognition planned for Saturday afternoon. Saturday is also the Bulldogs' annual Breast Cancer Awareness game sponsored by OCH Regional Medical Center, and Sunday is Kids' Day at the park with the opportunity to run the bases postgame.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Nicer At Nusz: The Bulldogs have defeated Arkansas 21 times at home. That's their second-highest win total against an SEC opponent in Starkville, trailing only Ole Miss (26).

Top-10 Test: MSU defeated then-No. 10 Arizona, 6-3, at the Clearwater Invitational (2/17) earlier this year. MSU has won five of its last 12 matchups with ranked teams and three of its last five against top-10 teams.

Spreading The Load: MSU's pitching staff ranks second in the nation in strikeouts as a team (276). However, of the top 10 teams, only MSU and Oklahoma do not have an individual with 100 punch outs this year.

Staying Grounded: Three of the SEC's top six pitchers in ground ball rate are Bulldogs. Matalasi Faapito (65.0 percent) ranks third in the conference, and Kenley Hawk (61.2 percent) and Josey Marron (61.0 percent) are fifth and sixth.

In The Zone: Four Bulldogs are among the nation's top 100 pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and the team's 3.63 ratio is 16th nationally.

Magic Number: State has scored at least five in 20 of its 23 wins of 2023 and is 20-1 when doing so. Over the last two years, MSU is 44-2 when scoring at least five.

Disciplined Dawgs: The Bulldog hitters are averaging just 3.36 strikeouts per game, which leads the SEC. Riley Hull and Paige Cook have both struck out in less than five percent of their plate appearances.

Sec Streak: Macy Graf has reached base in every SEC game this season. She's reached safely in 23 of her first 25 career games.

Josey Just Wins: Josey Marron won each of her first six career starts and is now 7-1 with the lone loss coming to No. 1 Oklahoma. In her 10 starts this year, MSU is 9-1.

About Arkansas (24-9, 5-4 SEC)

Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 10 | USA Softball – 11 | D1Softball – 12 | Softball America – 12
Head Coach: Courtney Deifel | Record at ARK: 262-137 (8th Year) | Career Record: 289-164 (9th Year)
Batting Average: .279 | Runs Per Game: 6.1 | Hits Per Game: 7.1 | Slugging Pct: .483
ERA: 2.30 | K/7: 7.8 | K/BB Ratio: 2.4 | Opp. Batting Avg: .199

Series History
Overall: 38-32 | Home: 21-11 | Away: 16-19 | Neutral: 1-2
Current Streak: Lost 6 | Last Meeting: March 28, 2021 in Fayetteville, Ark. (MSU 0, ARK 2)

About the Razorbacks
The Razorbacks have won their last two series against Florida and Alabama. Arkansas has won nine consecutive road series in conference play, dating back to 2020. Freshman Robyn Herron leads all SEC freshman in strikeouts (87), which ranks sixth overall in the league. Chenise Delce has thrown nine complete games this season and nine of her 13 wins have come against ranked teams. The Razorbacks have drawn 128 walks, which ranks ninth nationally. Their 31 home runs are tied for 19th in the nation.

On Deck

Mississippi State will head to Bryan-College Station, Texas, next weekend for a Saturday-Monday series with the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies. All three games will be broadcast on the SEC Network as the league's showcase series that weekend. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The Monday night meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Bulldogs Welcome No. 10 Arkansas To Nusz Park

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Matalasi Faapito

Macy Graf

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Josey Marron

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Welcome No. 10 Arkansas To Nusz Park

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Matalasi Faapito

Macy Graf

Kenley Hawk

Riley Hull

Josey Marron

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