Wesley Tosses Third Shutout To Open Series With No. 14/12 Georgia

Friday, May 3

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

32-16, 11-11

#14 Georgia

37-14, 11-11

Georgia

Mississippi State

Wesley Tosses Third Shutout To Open Series With No. 14/12 Georgia

May 03, 2024 | Softball

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STARKVILLE – Aspen Wesley controlled the game from the first inning as she tossed her third shutout of the season to give No. 20/19 Mississippi State a series-opening 2-0 win against No. 14/12 Georgia.

A pair of MSU single-season records in conference play were set on Friday night. Wesley's shutout matched the school record of three in a season against league foes last accomplished by Misty Flesher in 2008. Madisyn Kennedy, meanwhile, hit her ninth home run of the conference season, breaking the record set in 2019 by Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua (8).

"I thought we did a really good job of doing the little things right, and that's kind of the message for the last week or so, just trying to get back with playing our game," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "It's not so much worrying about the scoreboard, but can we score first? Can we get a shutdown inning or extend the lead? It's just a lot of little process things that are going to add up to a win on the scoreboard. They did a really good job with not getting too big in moments. Aspen did another phenomenal job in the circle against a tough offense. She mixed speeds well all game long and really gave us a chance to get back into the dugout and put some runs on the board for her."

Kennedy's homer opened the scoring in the fourth and marked her 27th RBI in conference play, leaving her one shy of the school record in that category this year as well. Salen Hawkins added an insurance run in the fifth with a single up the middle.

Wesley struck out eight while allowing just three hits. She stranded six runners on base while throwing 106 pitches.

Quotables

Samantha on Aspen Wesley's performance over the last two weeks…
"I think it's part of her experience and part of being a fifth-year senior. She is really calm under pressure and has had big moments in games like this before, but this is definitely the most consistent she has been in those types of moments. It's really fun to see her go out this way in her last couple weeks, and we hope to continue to keep giving her the run support that she deserves when she's pitching like that. She is so focused out there. I think what her and Coach T [Taryne Mowatt-McKinney] have developed in the bullpen is really working on the mentality. When you are going to be the one and every team is going to prepare for you, how can you still throw a shutout in SEC play when they know what you have and what's coming for them? I think that grittiness and mindset is that x-factor, and it allows her to go out there and compete with anyone."

Madisyn Kennedy on her home run...
"I would be lying if I said I was not struggling recently. I think I just knew I had a lot of confidence coming from my coaches and my teammates. I knew that they were going to have my back and had a lot of confidence that we were going to get it done. Aspen did pitch a heck of a game. We were just wanting to have her back."

Aspen Wesley on her shutout against Georgia...
"The defense was amazing. Whatever coach T [Taryne Mowatt-McKinney] called, I tried to spin it as much as I could. I know that they could hit very hard, and as long as I could just get some mishits, that would be great for us. Now that I'm thinking about it, I started crying after the game because even though yes, we didn't win the series, we won a game that hurt us last year. Just the way that made me and some of the other girls feel, it just felt good to get that win. Hopefully we're taking that into tomorrow."

Quick Hitters

Kylee Edwards – Extended her hitting streak to four games, tying her career high.

Salen Hawkins – Recorded her 11th multi-hit game of the season, which is the most by a Bulldog freshman since Mia Davidson had 20 in 2018.

Madisyn Kennedy – Hit a solo home run … now holds the MSU single-season record for home runs in SEC play (9), breaking Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua's 2019 mark (8) ... ranks second in school history for RBIs (27) in SEC play and is one shy of Caroline Seitz's school record (28; 2017) … also drew a walk.

Aspen Wesley - Registered eight strikeouts, one shy of her career high ... tossed her 11th complete game of the year and the 18th of her career … boasts a career-best 13 wins this year, including eight in SEC play, which is tied for fourth in MSU single-season history … ranks third in school history with nine complete games in league play this year … recorded her third shutout of the season, all in conference play, which is tied for the MSU single-season record.

Scoring Recap

Bottom 4
With one out, Madisyn Kennedy hit a solo homer to left field.
No. 14 Georgia 0, No. 20 Mississippi State 1

Bottom 5
Kylee Edwards singled through the right side. Matalasi Faapito flied out to left, allowing Edwards to advance to second. Edwards took third when the throw back to the infield got past the second baseman. Salen Hawkins singled up the middle to score Edwards.
No. 14 Georgia 0, No. 20 Mississippi State 2

Next Up

State continues the series with Georgia on Saturday. First pitch on SEC Network+ is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. Senior Day festivities begin at 11:10 a.m. with a graduation ceremony, and the Bulldog seniors will be recognized at 11:35 a.m.

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