State Set For Regular-Season Finale At Nusz Park

STARKVILLE – Nusz Park is set to host a battle of the Bulldogs to close the regular season. No. 20/19 Mississippi State will host No. 14/12 Georgia for three games beginning Friday afternoon.

With a busy weekend in store in Starkville, all three games are set for earlier times than normal. Friday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, and Saturday will begin at noon. Both of those games will air on SEC Network+. Sunday's regular-season finale will begin at 11 a.m. and be broadcast nationally by the SEC Network.

Friday night is Bark in the Park and the only day of the year that pets are allowed in Nusz Park. Dog owners must sign a waiver upon arrival and must remain on the outfield deck. A small fenced in dog park area will be available in the outfield as well. Friday night will also see the senior members of State's support staff recognized prior to the game.

Saturday is Senior Day with a graduation ceremony beginning at 11:10 a.m. The traditional senior recognitions for student-athletes will begin at 11:35 a.m. Sunday closes the weekend with Samoan Heritage Day in honor of senior Matalasi Faapito as well as teammates Leilani Pulemau and Kiarra Sells and head coach Samantha Ricketts.

There's plenty to play for as the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament and its double bye are not yet mathematically out of reach for State. The Bulldogs would need to sweep the series and get help from South Carolina and Ole Miss against Missouri and Arkansas, respectively, to climb into fourth.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

How Sweep It Could Be: With help along the way, the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament is still in play for MSU. The Bulldogs would need to sweep and see both Arkansas get swept and Missouri lose its series. With two wins, State would have a .500 record in league play for the first time since 2007.

Phenomenal Freshmen: Kylee Edwards is leading the team with seven RBIs and a .308 over the last 10 games. Meanwhile, Ella Wesolowski (.342; 2nd) and Salen Hawkins (.303; 5th) give State two of the top five freshmen in the SEC in batting average.

SEC Sluggers: Madisyn Kennedy has tied the single-season school record for homers in SEC games with eight this year, joining Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua (2019). Nadia Barbary has broken the SEC-only record for doubles with 11. Kennedy needs two RBIs to match Caroline Seitz's record 28 set in 2017.

Spread The Nusz: State has broken its single-season attendance record, welcoming 19,409 fans this year. The previous record was 19,302 in 2016 when Nusz Park opened.

Two Outs, So What?: State scored every run in its win at then-No. 14 Missouri while down to its final out. The Bulldogs have collected 118 two-out RBIs, which is fourth in the SEC and second in school history.

Record Rates: The Bulldogs' current .419 on-base percentage and 90.7 percent stolen base percentage would be school records. Their .313 batting average and .492 slugging percentage are among the top three in MSU history.

Magic Number: MSU is 74-6 since the start of 2022 when scoring five or more runs. State has done so in 26 of its 31 wins this year.

Madi Mashing: Madisyn Kennedy's .832 slugging percentage is just off the school record set by Mia Davidson in 2019 (.882). Kennedy is 13 RBIs shy of Kellie Wilkerson's school record (65) set in 1999.

All Out Aspen: Aspen Wesley has set career highs with 106 strikeouts and 12 wins this year, and her 101.2 innings trails only 2022's 103.0 innings. She entered the season with just two career SEC victories and already has seven in 2024. Her nine career SEC victories are tied for fifth in MSU history.

About Georgia (35-17, 11-10 SEC)

Series History

About the Bulldogs

State and Georgia played just two games last year as weather shortened the series. State's strength and conditioning coach Shelby Suplee played at Georgia from 2018-21 and made two trips to the Women's College World Series. Sara Mosley ranks third in the SEC with 56 RBIs, which ranks 15th nationally. She has 12 multi-RBI games this year. Jayda Kearney has been a power presence at the plate with 17 homers, which leads the SEC. For the second week in a row, State will face a national leader out of the bullpen. Lilli Backes ranks 10th in the nation with six saves. She leads the SEC with 35 appearances this year.

On Deck

The SEC Tournament begins on Tuesday, May 7 with the Nos. 12 and 13 seeds meeting in Auburn, Alabama. State would currently hold the No. 8 seed if the season ended today and would be slated to meet No. 9-seed Alabama on the evening of Wednesday, May 8. If the Bulldogs were to climb into the No. 4 position, State would have a double bye and begin the tournament on Thursday, May 9.

Follow the Bulldogs

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

State Set For Regular-Season Finale At Nusz Park

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Kylee Edwards

Matalasi Faapito

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Leilani Pulemau

Kiarra Sells

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Set For Regular-Season Finale At Nusz Park

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Kylee Edwards

Matalasi Faapito

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Leilani Pulemau

Kiarra Sells

Aspen Wesley

Ella Wesolowski

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