Tigers Prepare for Tough Road Test in Unbeaten No. 14 Mississippi State

Wednesday, February 18

Starkville, Miss.

4 p.m.

University of Memphis

Mississippi State

Tigers Prepare for Tough Road Test in Unbeaten No. 14 Mississippi State

Feb 17, 2026 | Softball

Game Notes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis (3-5) softball team goes into its first midweek matchup of the 2026 season on Wednesday against the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs, who sit at 10-0 on the season.

The contest between the American and Southeastern Conference schools will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Memphis went 1-2 this past weekend in a weather-shortened 901 Classic, earning an 8-7 walk-off win against Evansville with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning by Deana Cunningham.

Memphis continues to be led by the tandem of Ariel Davis and Kennedy Semien, both hitting at or above the .360 mark through eight games. Davis' presence at the top of the lineup has been felt as she has a team-leading nine hits and eight runs scored, while also knocking in five RBI. Semien has been a consistent piece in the middle of the lineup with a team-bests in average (.368) and RBI (seven), while also being tied for the team lead in walks with five.

This past weekend also saw improvements from two-way Taniyah Brown and outfielder Neely Taylor, as the pair are each batting .333. Both have two extra-base hits on the year with Taylor's coming as doubles and Brown's being a double and home run.

Brown also remains the team's leader in the circle with 18 innings on the season. She sits tied with Rylee Dugar in strikeout total with seven apiece but has yet to earn her first win of the season. Memphis' lone win in the 901 Classic went to Jericho Tate after a scoreless seventh inning to allow the Tigers to walk it off in the bottom half. Tate finished the weekend with a 1.11 ERA in 6.1 innings with three strikeouts.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Mississippi State comes into the midweek contest with a 10-0 record, most recently going 5-0 in The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial against Murray State, Rutgers and North Texas. The Bulldogs carry a top 50 team batting average, along with the fourth-best team ERA in the nation.

Offensively, the Bulldogs have six key contributors led by Morgan Stiles. In 10 games so far, Stiles holds a .515 batting average with 17 hits, 11 runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Nadia Barbary has a team-leading 11 RBI with a .313 average. Anna Carder, Taylor Troutman, Kiarra Sells and Abby Grace Richardson are also all hitting at least .300, with Sells and Richardson over 10 hits on the young season.

Peja Goold leads a Mississippi State staff that ranks fourth nationally in ERA (1.20), with Goold herself ranking 23^rd in ERA (0.57) and sitting with a 5-0 record and 33 strikeouts. Leila Ammon and Alyssa Faircloth have also tossed at least 16 innings each, with Ammon holding a 0.88 ERA and Faircloth's 38 strikeouts lead the staff.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MISSISSIPPI STATE

In a series spanning 14 games dating back to 2012, Memphis has never defeated Mississippi State.

The most recent matchup in 2024 was a 16-1 run-rule loss in Starkville, Mississippi.

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