The Mississippi State softball team will be taking the field again in a little more than two weeks.
On Thursday morning, the Bulldogs released their nonconference schedule for the 2021 season, featuring two home tournaments, a road event in Texas and an intriguing midweek matchup against another Southeastern Conference program.
The Bulldogs’ season begins Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against Miami (Ohio).
Mississippi State will host the Snowman (Alex Wilcox Memorial) tournament from Feb. 19-21 against Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Stephen F. Austin.
The following week, the Bulldogs will play in the Lone Star Invite with doubleheaders against Texas and Texas State and a contest against Baylor. The Longhorns check in at No. 9 in the D1Softball preseason poll after posting a 24-3 record in 2020, and the Bears (19-5 in 2020) rank No. 19.
From March 5-7, Mississippi State hosts the Bulldog Invitational against Ball State, Alcorn State and Western Kentucky.
The Bulldogs will also travel to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 8 Alabama, which went 14-8 last season thanks to a tough nonconference schedule, in a March 3 non-SEC matchup.
The conference also announced that Mississippi State’s opening SEC series against Ole Miss has been designated to be played Saturday through Monday rather than Friday through Sunday. That series will take place March 13-15.
Mississippi State went 25-3 in 2020, tying for first in the nation in wins, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Bulldogs’ season a day before their first SEC series was scheduled to start.
Bulldogs picked 10th in SEC coaches poll
Mississippi State was picked to finish 10th in Thursday’s SEC coaches poll, the league announced.
The Bulldogs finished ahead of only Auburn, Texas A&M and Ole Miss in the poll, comprising votes from each of the SEC’s 13 head coaches. Coaches could not vote for their own team.
With nine first-place votes, Alabama was picked to finish first in the conference. LSU, with two first-place votes, was second in the poll; Florida (third) and Tennessee (fourth) received one first-place vote apiece.
Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina were all picked to finish ahead of Mississippi State.
Mississippi State’s full 2021 nonconference schedule
Feb. 13: Miami (Ohio) at Mississippi State, doubleheader, Noon
Feb. 14: Miami (Ohio) at Mississippi State, 11:30 a.m.
Feb. 17: Southeastern Louisiana at Mississippi State, 4 p.m.
*Feb. 19: Missouri State at Mississippi State, 3 p.m.
*Feb. 19: Southern Illinois at Mississippi State, 5:30 p.m.
*Feb. 20: Stephen F. Austin at Mississippi State, 2 p.m.
*Feb. 20: Southern Illinois at Mississippi State, 4:30 p.m.
*Feb. 21: Missouri State at Mississippi State, 11:30 a.m.
**Feb. 26: Mississippi State at Texas, doubleheader, 1 p.m.
**Feb. 27: Mississippi State at Texas State, doubleheader, Noon
**Feb. 28: Mississippi State at Baylor, 11 a.m.
March 3: Mississippi State at Alabama, TBA
***March 5: Ball State at Mississippi State, 3 p.m.
***March 5: Alcorn State at Mississippi State, 5:30 p.m.
***March 6: Western Kentucky at Mississippi State, 12:30 p.m.
***March 6: Semifinal matchup, TBD
***March 7: Championship or consolation game, TBD
March 9: Mississippi State at Alabama State, 4 p.m.
March 10: Memphis at Mississippi State, 6 p.m.
March 17: UT Martin at Mississippi State, 4 p.m.
March 23: Central Arkansas at Mississippi State, 4 p.m.
March 24: Mississippi State at Samford, TBA
March 31: Mississippi State at Southern Miss, TBA
April 3: Mississippi State at North Alabama, doubleheader, TBA
April 14: Southern Miss at Mississippi State, TBA
April 20: Jackson State at Mississippi State, TBA
*The Snowman (Alex Wilcox Memorial)
**Lone Star Invite
***Bulldog Invitational
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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