Softball Set to Host #21 Mississippi State on Wednesday

Live Stream: C-USA TV
Live Stats: SIDEARM Sports
Radio: 92.7 The Score FM

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss softball team (14-7) will host #21 Mississippi State (24-3) in a single-game midweek matchup on Wednesday night (March 11) at 6:00 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex in Hattiesburg.

The Last Time on the Diamond
Southern Miss hosted Jacksonville State (11-9) in a three-game series this past weekend, and won the series, 2-1.

The Golden Eagles opened the series with a 2-1 win against the Gamecocks on Friday night, and then followed it up with a 4-3 series-clinching victory in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. In game two of the doubleheader, Southern Miss fell to Jacksonville State, 3-0.

Noteworthy Moments in the Jacksonville State Series
Game 1 (March 6)

Freshman catcher Hannah Borden registered multiple hits in the contest, marking her sixth multi-hit game of the season.
Sophomore left fielder Madison Rayner notched her sixth triple of the season which currently marks a team best.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Kaylan Ladner earned her first save of the season.
Ladner's save also marked the first save for any Southern Miss pitcher this season.

Game 2 (March 7)

Borden belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, marking her third home run of the season.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Borden delivered a walk-off single through the left side, leading the Golden Eagles to a 4-3 series-clinching victory.
Borden registered her seventh multi-hit game of the season, and is now tied with Rayner for the most multi-hit games on the Golden Eagles' squad.
Borden tallied four RBIs in the contest, tying her single-game Southern Miss career-high.
Borden posted her seventh multi-RBI game of the season, marking the most multi-RBI games recorded by any Southern Miss player in 2020.
Junior third baseman Alyssa "Tata" Davis drew two walks, marking the most walks that she has drawn in a game this season.
Senior shortstop Lacey Sumerlin drew a personal single-game season high three walks in the game.
Sophomore pitcher Makenna Pierce notched her second win of the week (fifth of the season), marking the second consecutive week that she has posted multiple wins.
Pierce's five wins are the most wins recorded by anyone on the Southern Miss pitching staff this season.

Game 3 (March 7)

Borden and Davis each recorded a hit in the contest.
Brown drew two walks, marking the first time this season that she has drawn multiple walks in a game.
Ladner tossed her fifth complete game of the season.

Southern Miss in the NCAA Division I Softball Top 25 Team Statistical Rankings
2^nd – Walks (112)
4^th – Triples per Game (0.67)
12^th (tied) – Runs per Game (7.00)
14^th – On-Base Percentage (.425)
17^th – Doubles per Game (1.81)

Golden Eagles in the NCAA Division I Softball Top 25 Individual Statistical Rankings
2^nd (tied) – Triples (6), Madison Rayner
3^rd – Triples per Game (0.29), Madison Rayner
6^th – Hits Allowed per Seven Innings (3.03), Makenna Pierce
11^th – Walks per Game (0.90), Lacey Sumerlin
16^th – On-Base Percentage (.568), Lacey Sumerlin
19^th (tied) – Doubles (9), Lacey Sumerlin
23^rd – Runs per Game (1.14), Madison Rayner
25^th (tied) – Doubles per Game (0.43), Lacey Sumerlin

Breaking Down the All-Time Record
Mississippi State leads the all-time series, 35-13. Southern Miss is 2-18 when hosting Mississippi State at home in Hattiesburg, 8-14 in contests played on the road in Starkville, and 3-3 in neutral site matchups.

The Last Meeting
The last meeting between the Southern Miss and Mississippi State softball programs took place on March 28, 2017 at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. Mississippi State won the game by a final score of 3-2.

The Opponent
Mississippi State is led by Head Coach Samantha Ricketts, who is currently in her first season at the helm of the Bulldogs' softball program. Ricketts has been on the Mississippi State coaching staff since 2015, and has served as an assistant coach (2015-18) and an associate head coach (2018-19).

A former University of Oklahoma standout herself, Ricketts comes from one of the most decorated collegiate softball families. Her younger sisters Stephanie and Keilani were both All-American pitchers. Stephanie played for the University of Hawaii and graduated in 2012 and Keilani played for the University of Oklahoma and was named the 2012 and 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Keilani also played professional for the USSSA Pride of the NPF.

Mississippi State hosted the Bulldog Slamboree this past weekend and posted a 5-0 record in the tournament. Mississippi State opened the tournament with a 5-1 win over Bryant (4-11) and a 6-0 win over Mississippi Valley State (3-16) on Friday. On Saturday, Mississippi State defeated Southeast Missouri State (12-5), 2-0 and Mississippi Valley State, 20-3 (five innings). Mississippi State ended the tournament with a 2-0 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday.

Game Promotions
Wednesday night's contest against Mississippi State will be a GOLD OUT, and will also feature a t-shirt giveaway, Bingo Night, and post-game autographs.

GOLD OUT – Fans are encouraged to wear their best gold Southern Miss gear to the game.

T-shirt Giveaway – FREE Southern Miss t-shirts will be given away at the main gate while supplies last.

Bingo Night – Fans of all ages can grab a bingo card upon entering the stadium if they wish to participate, and multiple winners will take home a prize.
*Bingo Night will take place during every home midweek game*

Post-game Autographs – Student-athletes from the Southern Miss softball team will be signing autographs for fans after the game.

Game Info
Southern Miss' game versus Mississippi State will be live streamed on C-USA TV and SIDEARM Sports live stats will also be provided. The Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, will be on the call for the Southern Miss Sports Network from Learfield IMG College on 92.7 The Score FM. Mackenzie Hamilton will provide color commentary for the broadcast. After the game, a full recap will be posted to SouthernMiss.com along with final stats.

Ticket Info
Fans can purchase tickets to all home Southern Miss softball games by visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office Monday-Friday from the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., by calling (800) 844-TICK (8425), online at SouthernMissTickets.com, or at the main gate of the Southern Miss Softball Complex on game day one hour prior to the first pitch.

*All times are listed in Central Time (CT)*

For all of the latest Southern Miss softball news, fans can follow the official Southern Miss softball Twitter account (@SouthernMissSB), Instagram account (@southernmisssb) and Facebook account (Southern Miss Softball).

Softball Set to Host #21 Mississippi State on Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hannah Borden

Kaylan Ladner

Makenna Pierce

Madison Rayner

Lacey Sumerlin

Softball Set to Host #21 Mississippi State on Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hannah Borden

Kaylan Ladner

Makenna Pierce

Madison Rayner

Lacey Sumerlin

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