Closely-Matched Series Awaits State At No. 18 Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This weekend's SEC series pits two very similar teams against each other as No. 20/20 Mississippi State hits the road to face No. 18/17 Arkansas.

The two squads are Nos. 17 and 18 in the D1Softball and Softball America polls as well, leading to what should be one of the tightest matchups in the SEC so far this year. Both teams also bring in an extremely hot hitter that has recently won awards. Mississippi State is led offensively by NFCA and NCAA National Player of the Week Madisyn Kennedy, while Arkansas has seen Bri Ellis named SEC Player of the Week each of the last two weeks.

State (22-6, 3-3 SEC) and Arkansas each have six losses on the year, with the Razorbacks having played one extra game. However, three of MSU's losses have come in conference play, while Arkansas is 2-1 in the league. MSU has a slight edge statistically, posting a batting average that's 20 points higher and a slugging percentage that is 30 points higher than the Hogs.

In the circle, Arkansas has the edge in ERA, but the teams are separated by just half a strikeout per seven innings and opposing teams' batting averages against the two staffs differ by just five points.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Nation Taking Note: Madisyn Kennedy was named the NFCA and NCAA National Player of the Week on March 19. She leads the SEC with a 1.105 slugging percentage that ranks third nationally. Her 1.612 OPS this season is second nationally and leading the conference.

March Madi-Ness: Madisyn Kennedy has posted a 1.357 slugging percentage in March with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 13 games. Ten of her 12 hits have gone for extra bases this month with eight leaving the park.

Fearless Freshmen: Ella Wesolowski and Salen Hawkins give State two of the top eight freshmen in the SEC in batting average.

Magic Number: MSU is 67-4 since the start of 2022 when scoring five or more runs. State scored at least five in 25 of its 27 wins of 2023 and has done so in 19 of 22 wins in 2024.

Marron Leaves Her Mark: Josey Marron's 136 career strikeouts through her first two years rank 13th in school history. Should she reach 200 this season, she'd become just the ninth Bulldog to record 200 strikeouts before the end of her sophomore season.

Speedy State: MSU has already matched its 2023 season total with 29 stolen bases. Sierra Sacco leads the team, going 12-for-12 on steal attempts, which is fifth in the SEC..

Take A Walk: The Bulldogs are third the nation, drawing 137 walks this year. Sierra Sacco and Jessie Blaine are both among the top 10 in the SEC with walks in more than 20 percent of their plate appearances.

Making The Sacrifice: Paige Cook has already has four sacrifice flies again this year, which is one shy of the school record, and her 10 career sacrifice flies are tied for second in school history. As a team, State's 15 sacrifice flies rank third nationally and are two shy of last year's school record. In 2023, MSU averaged 0.32 per game, and its now averaging 0.54.

What's Cookin': Paige Cook now has 55 career two-out RBIs, which is sixth in MSU history. She is tied for 10th in program history with 123 RBIs.

Going The Distance: As a team, MSU has tossed 12 complete games already this year after throwing just eight last season. Josey Marron and Aspen Wesley have accounted for nine complete games.

About Arkansas (23-6, 2-1 SEC)

Series History

About the Razorbacks

Arkansas has turned an SEC-leading 17 double plays, and its .980 fielding percentage is second in the conference. The Razorbacks' transfer class this summer was tabbed the No. 2 transfer group in the nation by D1Softball.com. First baseman Bri Ellis has been named SEC Player of the Week in each of the last two weeks. Bogle Park was home to the third-highest single-season attendance total in the nation last year and has already set an Arkansas record with 3,549 fans at a game earlier this year. Courtney Deifel is Arkansas' all-time wins leader and recorded her 300th victory at Arkansas against Auburn last week.

On Deck

Mississippi State returns home for a Thursday-Saturday series with No. 10/10 Florida next week. The Bulldogs host the Gators on national TV on Thursday night at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Friday's first pitch is set for 4 p.m., and the series finale will be played at noon on Saturday. The final two games will air on SEC Network+.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

Closely-Matched Series Awaits State At No. 18 Arkansas

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessie Blaine

Paige Cook

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Josey Marron

Sierra Sacco

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

Mississippi State University Athletics

Closely-Matched Series Awaits State At No. 18 Arkansas

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessie Blaine

Paige Cook

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Josey Marron

Sierra Sacco

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

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