Softball Welcomes No. 21 Mississippi State To Memphis Wednesday

Wednesday, March 14

Memphis, Tenn.

6 PM

University of Memphis

#20 Mississippi State

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Softball Welcomes No. 21 Mississippi State To Memphis Wednesday

Mar 13, 2018 | Softball

Live Stats Live Stream ($)

Tigers, Bulldogs have nine-game winning streaks on the line

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis softball team, winners of the last nine games and 12 of the last 13, face a true home test Wednesday evening by hosting No. 21 Mississippi State at the Tigers Softball Complex. First pitch against the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m.

Memphis will be looking for its first-ever victory against the Bulldogs as Mississippi State has won the previous six meetings. This is the first match-up for the two teams since the 2015 season.

Game Info
Memphis (16-5) vs. No. 21 Mississippi State (21-3)
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Memphis, Tenn. – Tigers Softball Complex
Live Stats | Live Stream

Quick Hitters

With nine-straight games on the line, Memphis is currently in the middle of its longest winning streak since the end of the 2011 season. That season was the lone year Memphis went to the NCAA Tournament.
Ranking fourth in batting average and eighth in ERA, Memphis is one of only four schools in the country to rank in the top 10 nationally in both categories. The other three are No. 1 Washington, No. 5 Oklahoma, and No. 10 Georgia.
The Tigers are also in the top 10 nationally in triples (first) and scoring (ninth). Memphis has 14 triples to-date and is led by senior Kyler Trosclair Klatt with seven. The Tigers average over 6.6 runs per game.
Freshmen outfielders Baylee Smith and Delaney Smith are making their marks known early for the Tigers. Baylee Smith ranks seventh in the NCAA with a .520 batting average while Delaney Smith is 21^st in the country with a team-high 16 stolen bases.
Trosclair Klatt has also picked up right where she left off last season. The Houma, La. native is hitting a career-high .486 with 35 hits, two doubles, and seven triples. She also leads Memphis with 22 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .538.
This is the first of two games against the Bulldogs this season. Memphis will travel to Starkville, Miss. on April 17.

About the Competition

Mississippi State enters the Wednesday midweek ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA D1 Coaches Poll with a 21-3 overall record. The Bulldogs will take on Samford Tuesday evening before the trip to Memphis Wednesday.
The Bulldogs are also winners of their last nine games with their last loss coming on Feb. 24 against Cal State Fullerton.
Mia Davidson leads Mississippi State offensively with a .440 batting average, 33 hits, and 23 RBIs. Although she is the only Bulldog hitting over .400, there are eight players hitting over .300 for Mississippi State. As a team, the Bulldogs hit .339 with an on-base percentage of .407.
Wednesday may prove to be a pitcher's duel as the Bulldogs own a team ERA of 0.94 (Memphis sits at 1.06). Cassady Knudsen and Holly Ward have seen the majority of the time in the circle for Mississippi State. The two combine for 148 strikeouts.
Vann Stuedeman is the head coach of the Bulldogs and has led Mississippi State to a 224-146 record in seven seasons.

Final Details
First pitch against the ranked Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. at the Tigers Softball Complex. Live stats and a live stream for the game will be available at www.gotigersgo.com.

Tiger fans can also follow the team's live scoring through the Official Memphis Tigers app by Sidearm, available in both Apple and Android app stores. For more information on the University of Memphis softball team, follow the Tigers on Facebook and Twitter at @MemphisSoftball.