Mississippi State softball is starting off its 2022 schedule with a bang.
The Bulldogs will play two Women’s College World Series participants in the first two days of their upcoming season, per a Wednesday afternoon schedule release.
MSU will play 55 games in total, 31 of them against 13 teams that made last year’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs will play 35 games at Nusz Park in Starkville.
Mississippi State will take on defending national champion Oklahoma on Feb. 11 and UCLA on Feb. 12 in the Mark Campbell Classic in Irvine, California. The Bulldogs will also face Loyola Marymount in Irvine on Feb. 11 and again Feb. 13 at LMU’s home park in Los Angeles.
Mississippi State will bring Georgia Tech, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas to Starkville for the Bulldog Kickoff Classic the following weekend.
Longwood, Belmont and South Alabama will come to Nusz Park from Feb. 25-27 for The Snowman (Alex Wilcox Memorial) tournament. Wilcox played her freshman season with the Bulldogs while battling ovarian cancer and died in June 2018. Her sister, Kassidy, plays softball for South Alabama.
Mississippi State will host the Bulldog Invitational from March 5-7, facing Furman, Alcorn State and Jacksonville State.
MSU will make road trips to Memphis (March 23), Middle Tennessee (March 30) and Southern Miss (April 6). The Bulldogs will host the Golden Eagles on April 27. MSU will also play a neutral-site game with UT Martin on Feb. 23 in Lexington, Tennessee.
Coach Samantha Ricketts’ team will host Alabama State for a home-opening doubleheader on Feb. 16. Mississippi State will play home nonconference games against Mississippi Valley State (March 2), North Alabama (March 9), Samford (a March 26 doubleheader) and Louisiana-Monroe (April 19).
The Bulldogs’ 24-game Southeastern Conference schedule, announced in September, begins with a trip to Florida from March 11-13. The SEC tournament will also be played in Gainesville from May 10-14.
Mississippi State will make conference road trips to Tennessee (April 1-3), Alabama (April 15-17) and Kentucky (April 29-May 1). Ole Miss (March 18-20), Missouri (April 8-10), Auburn (April 22-24) and LSU (May 6-8) will all come to Nusz Park.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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