STARKVILLE – Mississippi State fourth-year softball coach Vann Stuedeman had a candid observation Wednesday night.
“Super Bulldog Weekend has been good to us,” Stuedeman.
MSU actually has a 5-1 record under Stuedeman during the annual spring homecoming weekend on campus. The Bulldogs swept Kentucky in 2012, did not play at home during Super Bulldog Weekend in 2013 and took two of three from third-ranked Alabama last season.
MSU (31-13 overall, 9-9 Southeastern Conference) will face another tall task this weekend when it takes on No. 12 Tennessee (32-11, 8-7). The three-game conference series starts at 5:30 p.m. today.
“Super Bulldog Weekend is exciting to the players,” MSU sophomore catcher Katie Anne Bailey said. “It’s so exciting to have so many people to campus. We are glad that a lot of these people come to our games. We need the support.”
Typically, the largest crowds of the season attend Super Bulldog Weekend. Last season, a school-record 1,577 attended MSU’s 4-2 upset of Alabama on Saturday night during the weekend.
The stakes are again high for the MSU softball team. The Bulldogs continue to climb the nation’s RPI rankings (currently at No. 23), while continuing to flirt with being ranked in the national polls. MSU is eighth in the conference standings. The Bulldogs can clinch their third conference tournament berth in four seasons with three more wins or two wins and some help. However, MSU could use another marquee series win to enhance its NCAA tournament resume.
The Bulldogs slipped to 7-9 against ranked opponents after Wednesday night’s 3-2 home loss to No. 22 South Alabama.
“We are in a tough stretch of games right now,” Stuedeman said. “We knew at the beginning of the season the middle of April would define our season. The grit and determination of these girls has been amazing. We are really looking forward to being back at home and playing in front of some really large crowds this weekend.”
Sophomore Alexis Silkwood is expected to start the today and Sunday games in the series. Silkwood enters the weekend with a conference-best 22 victories and stands four wins away from tying the school record for victories in a season.
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.