STARKVILLE – This past weekend, the Mississippi State softball team lost a Southeastern Conference series to arch-rival Ole Miss and subsequently its first national ranking in six seasons.
Tuesday, the Bulldogs found out the damage was not as severe as first thought.
MSU checked in at No. 27 in the first Ratings Percentage Index released by the NCAA. The RPI is one of the major tools used to determine the teams invited to postseason play. The Bulldogs then took out their aggression from the two Saturday losses on fellow in-state rival Southern Mississippi in a doubleheader sweep Wednesday night in Hattiesburg.
Now, MSU (24-8, 4-5 SEC) returns home and looks for more RPI points when it plays host to defending national champion and third-ranked Florida (30-3, 3-3 SEC). The three-game SEC weekend series starts at 5:30 p.m. today on SEC Network +.
“I was pleased with our (ranking),” MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “I have been following everyone that we have been playing this year. Hopefully, St. Louis can win the Atlantic-10 (championship). With us starting at 27, it looks good as long as we can hold on because our schedule gets tougher.
“We are setting ourselves up for success from an RPI standpoint.”
MSU will play its next 15 games against Top 75 RPI opponents. Seven of those 15 games are against Top 10 RPI teams, while Florida is rated No. 1 and LSU (who comes to Starkville for a rare midweek non-conference game April 8) is No. 2.
“We have a good slate ahead of us to keep that RPI as long as we do what we are supposed to do and take care of business,” said Stuedeman, who is trying to guide the Bulldogs to a fourth straight regional berth. “Our RPI should either maintain or grow. We have gotten in (a regional) as low as 36 before, so I was really pleased with that initial number. Our plan is to maintain and climb.”
MSU is 4-4 against ranked opponent this season. In its first two conference series at home, MSU took one of three from a Top 10 Georgia squad and two of three from a Top 25 Texas A&M squad. Ironically, the other SEC home series is a Super Bulldog Weekend matchup with No. 15 Tennessee.
“We aren’t going to back down from anybody,” MSU senior infielder Erika Gaul said. “Even though we didn’t play well last weekend, we are excited about playing at home and playing Florida. Since I am from there (Clermont), this weekend is special for me. I am really good friends with their center fielder (Kristi Merritt). I am really proud of how she has grown and developed.
“It will be fun having her here. This is a big challenge but the team is really excited about playing.”
MSU defeated Southern Miss 10-0 and 12-6 Wednesday night. In the opening game, sophomore Alexis Silkwood threw the team’s first no-hitter since 2013. Despite a rough weekend in Oxford, Silkwood enters today’s play tied for the league lead with 17 victories and second in the league with 140 strikeouts.
Eight of MSU nine starters are hitting .311 or better. The Bulldogs and Rebels combined for 51 runs last weekend in Oxford.
“It’s a different game than it was five years ago,” Stuedeman said. “It used to be these games would be 2-0 and 3-1 and the one team that made the big mistake would lose. Now, the game has more offense. More players are getting hits. More players are scoring runs. That’s good for the game.
“It means you have a chance. We talk all the time about each weekend in the SEC being like a super regional. This weekend is no different. Anything can happen in a super regional and we know that.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.