Mississippi State has turned Nusz Park into one of the most difficult places to play this season.
The Bulldogs have won 20 of their first 23 games at home. Two of those losses were by a run and another was by two runs.
As the stakes grow higher, the Bulldogs hope to use the home field to their advantage as the softball season hits the final homestretch.
No. 22 MSU (28-9, 3-6 Southeastern Conference) will take that next step this weekend when it plays host to No. 10 Texas A&M (32-8, 5-4) in a three-game Southeastern Conference series. The series will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU).
“Playing at home gives this team a huge lift,” MSU junior first baseman Sarai Niu said. “We are more comfortable here. The conference games are great because we have huge crowds trying to cheer us on. If you want a chance to play postseason at home, you really have to take care of your conference games at home.”
In the latest Ratings Percentage Index, MSU slipped from No. 15 to No. 19. That still keeps the Bulldogs within striking distance of earning an opportunity to play host to a regional for the first time. The NCAA will award 16 host sites for four-team, double-elimination tournaments.
Typically, a couple of teams in the top 20 can’t host due to a lack of adequate facilities, which is why the last five weeks will matter greatly to MSU. In the latest RPI, the SEC had 10 members of the top 20.
The same holds true of the national rankings. In the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25, Ole Miss and Missouri were the only SEC schools unranked this week. MSU already has taken a series against Missouri. It will play next weekend at Ole Miss.
“You have to embrace the grind,” MSU senor pitcher Holly Ward said. “You can’t get too far ahead. You just have to focus on the process and make sure you take care of business as often as possible. It really hurt that we let some games get away. You can’t look at it that way, though. You have to look at each day being a new opportunity.”
Last weekend, MSU dropped all three games to No. 20 Arkansas. The Bulldogs lost the opener 3-2 in walk-off fashion before losing 6-0 and 8-2.
“You just have to compete,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “Every series, you are going to face some adversity. You have to learn to handle that adversity. Playing back at home gives us a chance to get our mind right. We need to focus on finishing strong.”
The three-game losing streak is the longest of the season. Prior to the Arkansas series, MSU took No. 6 Georgia to the brink in a three-game series in Starkville. MSU held a one-run lead with two outs in the seventh inning of all three games. Georgia found a way to rally in all three games. MSU still took the middle game by answering in the home half of the seventh.
“It showed us how close we are and how capable we are with one more pitch,” Ward said. “We consider the late innings to be our innings, so we need to go back and work on claiming those a little better.”
MSU’s last two regional participants won 22 home games (in 2015) and 24 home games (in 2017). The Bulldogs could eclipse that mark with 11 more games at Nusz Park.
Still, the tasks will be tall. The final two conference home series will be against No. 4 Florida and No. 8 Tennessee. The Bulldogs will need to pluck some wins in each series to have a chance to bring postseason softball to the park.
“Each weekend is like a super regional,” Stuedeman said. “Games like (this weekend against Texas A&M) are why you came here to play. We need to make some good things happen.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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