STARKVILLE — Mississippi State sophomore softball player Sarai Niu enjoys tailgating before football games.
A native of California, Niu has been blown away by the passion and celebratory nature of Southeastern Conference football weekends.
“Nothing is as exciting as a football weekend,” Niu said. “There are so many people and so many things to do. The passion for football is not something I am used to being from the West Coast. Here it’s so different. Every weekend is exciting.”
This weekend, the tailgate scene heats back up on the MSU campus, but Niu will be too busy to enjoy it because she will be busy helping MSU (27-12, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) against South Carolina (22-14, 2-9) this weekend in a three-game SEC series. The series, which is part of Super Bulldog Weekend, begins at 6 tonight.
The teams will play at noon Saturday as a lead-in for the MSU football team’s Maroon-White game at 3 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium. The softball teams will conclude their series at noon Sunday.
“Super Bulldog Weekend has always good to me during my time here,” said MSU coach Vann Stuedeman, who is in her sixth season. “We always have our largest crowds of the year, and the girls really respond to that. There is a lot juice in the park. Everybody likes to play in front of big crowds.
“In 2012 (Stuedeman’s first season), we were able to sweep a ranked Kentucky team in three close games. You could tell the crowd was the big motivational factor that weekend. Their support really helps us get going.”
In the first season at Nusz Park last year, MSU took one of three games from LSU during Super Bulldog Weekend. The Saturday game – a 5-2, 12-inning loss – drew a school-record crowd of 1,612.
“It is exciting to play before large crowds like that,” MSU senior outfielder Amanda Ivy said. “I think we all circle Super Bulldog Weekend when the schedule comes out. We know it will be a good time. We wish we had a few more weekends that are that special, but we don’t, so we need to take advantage of this one.”
Both teams need victories to bolster NCAA tournament resumes. Seventh-year South Carolina coach Beverly Smith has led the Gamecocks to four-straight regional appearances. Stuedeman is looking to push the Bulldogs to a regional for the fifth time in six seasons.
In the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), South Carolina is No. 19, while MSU is No. 31.
“It’s a really big series,” Stuedeman said. “They are like us in a lot of ways. We are in good position (to make a regional), but we have to keep moving forward. We have to find a way to keep winning games. You can’t look ahead and you just have to focus on the process. We have some opportunities. We just have to stay grounded and take advantage of our chances.”
Stuedeman also has another plan for motivation. The national championship runner-up women’s basketball team will throw out the first pitch before tonight’s game.
“Everybody loves that team,” Stuedeman said. “They did such a great job representing our university and competing for a national championship. Every student-athlete strives to be in that position one day. I think that will be a great start to our weekend. There will be a lot of emotion, and we need to strike quickly to take advantage of that.”
Meanwhile, the tail-gating grills will be fired up nearby.
“It’s my favorite series of the year,” Niu said. “You just feel a different level of excitement. We want to show out and give our fans something fun to watch.”
n No. 21 Ole Miss will take on No. 5 Auburn: At Auburn, Alabama, the No. 21 Ole Miss softball team (25-11, 2-7) will take on No. 5 Auburn (31-5, 6-3) in Game 1 of their three-game SEC weekend series at 6 tonight.
Game 2 of the series will be at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU). The final game will be at 1 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU).
The Tigers enter weekend play tied for fifth in the league standings at 6-3, while the Rebels are locked in a three-way tie for eighth at 2-7. Five SEC teams have two wins in conference play, with only three wins separating the seventh through 12th place teams headed into the weekend.
Ole Miss is coming off a 1-0 victory against Central Arkansas in 12 innings Tuesday. It was the third-longest game in school history.
Auburn is the second top-five opponent Ole Miss has played this season. It lost to No. 4 Oklahoma in February in the Houston tournament.
Auburn swept then-No. 16 Georgia last week.
n No. 12 Alabama plays host to No. 8 LSU: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the No. 12 Alabama softball team (33-6, 8-4) will play host to No. 8 LSU (31-7, 7-2) at 6:30 tonight in Game 1 of a three-game SEC weekend series at Rhoads Stadium.
Game 2 will be at 8 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network). Game 3 will be at 2 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2).
Alabama is coming off a 5-0 win over Lipscomb on Wednesday. It was Alabama’s 20th shutout of the season.
Alabama is one win shy of its 500th at Rhoads Stadium, the Tide’s home field since 2000. Alabama is 499-77 (.866) at Rhoads Stadium.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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