No. 17 State Hosts No. 20 LSU In Final Regular-Season Home Series

Friday, April 24

Starkville

5 p.m.

Mississippi State

#20 LSU

Tickets From $5 - $10

STARKVILLE, MS - January 09, 2026 - Mississippi State Catcher Des Rivera (#23) during 2025-2026 Softball Production Day at the Holliman Athletic Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS. Photo By Ivy Rose Ball

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 17 State Hosts No. 20 LSU In Final Regular-Season Home Series

April 23, 2026 | Softball

Game Notes

By: Brian Ogden, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The final three regular-season games at Nusz Park are on tap for No. 17 Mississippi State this weekend as the Bulldogs host No. 20 LSU on Super Bulldog Weekend.

It will be State's seventh consecutive series against a ranked opponent, and six of those have seen an opponent ranked inside the top 15 in at least one poll.

Senior weekend festivities are planned throughout the series. Friday night will see the Bulldogs honored with a pregame graduation ceremony for those completing their degrees this year. Saturday is Senior Day with pregame recognitions beginning approximately 20 minutes before first pitch.

Sunday will be MSU's annual Samoan Heritage Day, honoring head coach Samantha Ricketts and players Kiarra Sells and Kalani Sells along with graduate assistant Matalasi Faapito. The Bulldogs have had at least one Samoan player on the roster in every season over the past decade with as many as four at one time in 2023.

Game Coverage

Friday, April 24

5 p.m. – LSU | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Listen on HailState.com | Buy Tickets

Saturday, April 125

2 p.m. – LSU | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Listen on HailState.com | Buy Tickets

Sunday, April 19

11 a.m. – LSU | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Listen on HailState.com | Buy Tickets

Leading Off

Senior Superlatives: Nadia Barbary enters senior weekend among the top 10 in MSU career history in home runs, doubles and total bases. She is fifth in program history for career doubles in SEC games. Kiarra Sells is among the top five in MSU career history in slugging, on-base percentage and OPS.

Delayed Delainey: Veteran arm Delainey Everett missed the first 16 games of the year with injury, but has returned to throw 8.2 innings this year, all in relief, without a run charged against her. She has pitched in four of State's last six outings.

Finding Any Way On: Kiarra Sells is riding a 17-game reached base streak, which is the longest of her career. She has been walked in six straight games and has been walked or hit by a pitch 18 times in the last 17 games.

Keep It Up Kinley: Kinley Keller posted her second three-hit game of the year last time out, raising her average above .300 once again. The true freshman has played every game, and if she had enough plate appearances to qualify, she would be among the top five on the team in average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

Going Grand: Xiane Romero hits Mississippi State's third grand slam of the year on Sunday at No. 12 Texas A&M. It was the first of her career and part of a career-high five RBIs on the day for her.

Down On Strikes: Alyssa Faircloth enters the weekend needing just five more strikeouts to record the sixth 200-strikeout season in MSU history.

Rough Road: Mississippi State boasts the nation's No. 14 strength of schedule. Every SEC series so far has been against a ranked opponent with six of the seven being a top-15 team in at least one poll. Every MSU loss has come against a top-50 team in the RPI.

Defensive Dawgs: State boasts a .983 fielding percentage, which ranks sixth in the nation. The school record is .977 set in 2009 with just 34 total errors. That's the fewest errors in a season except for the shortened 2020 season when State made just 24. MSU has only 21 this season.

Sacrificial State: Des Rivera has tied the MSU single-season record with five sacrifice flies. As a team, the Bulldogs boast 20, which ranks is just one shy from the school record.

About LSU (32-14, 9-9 SEC)

Series History

Overall: 12-66 | Home: 9-31 | Away: 2-32 | Neutral: 1-3
Current Streak: Lost 4 | Last Meeting: May 7, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (MSU 0, LSU 5)

Notables

LSU is coming off a sweep of Ole Miss that saw Paytn Monticelli earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors after claiming all three wins while tossing 7.0 shutout innings. LSU has won nine of its last 11 games and three of its last four SEC series. The Tigers lead the SEC with 18 triples, which is 10th nationally, and rank fourth in the league with 21 double plays and 52 stolen bases. Outfielder Jalia Lassiter leads the team with a .343 batting average, 48 hits and 50 runs. The Tigers have played a top-10 strength of schedule every year under Beth Torina, and currently has the No. 7 toughest schedule in the country.

On Deck

The Bulldogs will close the regular season at Ole Miss next weekend. The series begins on Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. CT. Friday night's game is also at 6 p.m. with the series finale televised nationally on SEC Network at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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