State Set For SEC Network Showcase At No. 24 Texas A&M

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mississippi State will be in the national spotlight over Easter weekend as the Bulldogs are set to be the SEC's showcase series on SEC Network while visiting No. 24 Texas A&M. The series will be played from Saturday-Monday, and all three games will air on SEC Network.

Head coach Samantha Ricketts will be this week's guest on SEC Network's Mic'd Up Monday, and fans can listen in to her comments throughout the series finale.

The Bulldogs (23-13, 3-5 SEC) bring in one of the nation's best true pitching staffs, with no single individual standing out as they put together impressive team numbers. All but one Bulldog pitcher averages more than one strikeout per inning. Four MSU pitchers average more than 8.0 strikeouts per 7.0 innings, which is the most of any team in the nation.

As a team, MSU ranks second nationally in strikeouts with 297, but out of the top 10 teams in the country, only MSU and No. 1 Oklahoma have amassed their totals without having an individual strike out 100 batters.

It will be State's first trip to Texas A&M (22-13, 5-7 SEC) since 2019 when the Aggies hosted the SEC Tournament. State eliminated Texas A&M in their first game of that tournament. Their last regular-season trip to Aggieland came in 2017.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Milestone Markers: The next home run for Paige Cook and Chloe Malau'ulu will be the 20th of their careers and put them in the MSU career top 10. Malau'ulu needs another 24 hits to reach 200 for her career, and Grace Fagan is six career strikeouts shy of 200.

SEC Sluggers: Aquana Brownlee (.778) and Paige Cook (.684) are both slugging above .600 in SEC play.

A Punch Out Per Inning: All but one Bulldog pitcher averages more than one strikeout per inning. Four MSU pitchers average more than 8.0 strikeouts per 7.0 innings, which is the most of any team in the nation and one of three with at least three such individuals (Oklahoma and Tennessee).

Spreading The Load: MSU's pitching staff ranks second in the nation in strikeouts as a team (297). However, of the top 10 teams, only MSU and Oklahoma do not have an individual with 100 punch outs this year.

In The Zone: Three Bulldogs are among the nation's top 100 pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and the team's 3.45 ratio is 19th nationally. Four Bulldogs are averaging more than 8.00 strikeouts per seven innings, which has them in the top 100 nationally.

SEC Streak: Macy Graf has reached base in every SEC game this season. She's reached safely in 26 of her first 28 career games.

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.

Taking On Top Teams: This weekend's series will mark games Nos. 11-13 against NFCA-ranked opponents for MSU this year. State has played six of those games against top-10 teams.

State Of Small Ball: The Bulldogs are 14-for-19 (.737) when bunting for a hit this season. Brylie St. Clair is 10-for-12 (.833) while Kiersten Landers and Macy Graf are both 2-for-2.

About Texas A&M (22-13, 5-7 SEC)

Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 24 | USA Softball – 19 | D1Softball – 14 | Softball America – 13
Head Coach: Trisha Ford | Record at TAMU: 22-13 (1st Year) | Career Record: 419-239-1 (13th Year)
Batting Average: .284 | Runs Per Game: 5.2 | Hits Per Game: 6.8 | Slugging Pct: .471
ERA: 2.50 | K/7: 7.6 | K/BB Ratio: 3.0 | Opp. Batting Avg: .215

Series History
Overall: 11-12 | Home: 5-5 | Away: 3-6 | Neutral: 3-1
Current Streak: Lost 1 | Last Meeting: April 25, 2021, in Starkville, Miss. (MSU 1, TAMU 8)

About the Aggies
Texas A&M is led by the only first-year head coach in the SEC this season in Trisha Ford, who arrived this year after spending the last six seasons at Arizona State. The Aggies rank inside the top 50 nationally in doubles, on-base percentage, shutouts and slugging percentage. Texas A&M has scored 61 percent of its runs (111 of 181) in the first three innings of the game. The Aggies are 20-1 when scoring first this spring. Texas A&M's bench has posted a combined .359 batting average when pinch hitting, which ranks second in the SEC.

On Deck

Mississippi State returns home for Super Bulldog Weekend on April 14-16 when the Bulldogs host No. 16 Alabama for a three-game set. It will be MSU's first time playing at home on Super Bulldog Weekend since 2018. The Sunday game will be televised on SEC Network at 1 p.m. CT.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

State Set For SEC Network Showcase At No. 24 Texas A&M

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aquana Brownlee

Paige Cook

Grace Fagan

Macy Graf

Kiersten Landers

Chloe Malau'ulu

Brylie St. Clair

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Set For SEC Network Showcase At No. 24 Texas A&M

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aquana Brownlee

Paige Cook

Grace Fagan

Macy Graf

Kiersten Landers

Chloe Malau'ulu

Brylie St. Clair

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