STARKVILLE – While most Mississippi State University students have already started planning for next week’s final examinations, the softball team is getting geared up for a busy of week of competition.
The Bulldogs play their final four non-conference games this week with the first being a tussle with traditional rival University of Memphis.
Game time for the latest Twitter Tuesday at the MSU Softball Field is 6 p.m.
“We have four non-conference games and each of them are critical for our postseason chances,” MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “We have some momentum now and this is when you really can’t have a let up.”
The Bulldogs ran their win streak to seven straight with Sunday’s 3-2 walk-off win against the University of Kentucky.
MSU improved to 28-19 overall and 11-14 in conference play. The Bulldogs have battled back from a 5-13 start in league play to secure a bid in the SEC tournament, which begins May 10 at the University of Alabama.
“Our mind-set is that we are always playing against the game and not against an opponent,” MSU senior outfielder Ka’ili Smith said. “I think that is the biggest reason why we have had success late in the season. No one got down or discouraged. Each day is a new game, a new set of innings, a new set of challenges. We never gave up on each other.”
MSU will play the University of Southern Mississippi Wednesday in Hattiesburg. The weekend ends with a Senior Day doubleheader against Tennessee Tech University Saturday.
With the weekend sweep of Kentucky, the Bulldogs clinched their first regular season winning season since 2009. Now the Bulldogs can focus on bigger and better goals.
“We are in a good position in relation to the NCAA tournament,” Stuedeman said. “Our strength of schedule is fourth. Our RPI is 31st. We really like where we are. Still, there is work to be done and you really can’t take any of these four non-conference games lightly.”
Memphis won a school-record 36 games and made its first-ever regional last season. Under the guidance of new head coach Natalie Poole, the Tigers are 19-33 overall and 7-14 in Conference USA this year.
MSU won an earlier meeting, 9-6 in the University of South Alabama-hosted Mardi Gras Classic in Mobile, Ala.
The Bulldogs have won nine straight non-conference games and hopes to exceed a 2008 streak of 12 straight by week’s end.
Southern Miss enters the week at 12-26 overall and 4-13 in Conference USA. Tennessee Tech is 20-24 overall and 14-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Bulldogs close their regular season with a conference series at Auburn, May 4-6.
Auburn trails MSU by 2-1/2 games in the Western Division.
In other Bulldog softball news Monday, the league office announced Stephanie Becker as its Pitcher of the Week.
The junior left-hander won all three games in the circle against Kentucky.
The Chicago native finished with a 2.15 earned run average in 13 innings of work. Becker allowed nine hits and four runs (all earned), with 15 strikeouts and two walks.
Becker becomes the first Bulldog to win the league’s weekly honor since 2006.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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