Nusz Park, Mississippi State Set to Host 2016 SEC Softball Tournament

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – With the 2016 Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament opening Wednesday, all eyes are on StarkVegas for the four-day event as 12-seed Mississippi State (26-30) opens its title-hunt against fifth-seeded Alabama (45-11) at 6:30 p.m. CT from Nusz Park.

State’s first-round game of the tournament gives the Bulldogs their 23rd game of the season against a top 25 opponent and game number 16 against a 2015 Women’s College World Series participant.

TICKETS
All-session tickets are sold out, but fans can still purchase standing room only tickets which will allow them access to the right field deck and the top of the first base grandstand. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for youth and MSU students. 

FOLLOW LIVE
The matchup between the Bulldogs and the Tide will air nationally on SEC Network, but can also be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Live stats will also be available for all three games and can be found at HailState.com/SECSoftball.

A VANNTASTIC TAKE
“We are really excited about the tournament being at home & us being able to host this prestigious event. It is the premier event for this weekend. ESPN is crawling around everywhere. Post season is what you fight for and it’s really good to be able to host it here at home.”
– MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman

LAST TIME OUT
State is coming off a Monday matinee that saw sophomore Cassady Knudsen throw the first no-hitter of her collegiate career for the 18th in program history. MSU rode the no-hit momentum to a run-rule victory over Alcorn State 8-0 in five innings. The Bulldogs got two-hit performances from senior Kayla Winkfield, along with juniors Caroline Seitz and Mackenzie Toler, with Seitz and Toler having each notched two RBI.

(Photo Courtesy: Kelly Price, MSU Athletics)

TEAM & PLAYER NOTES
· MSU is No. 38 in this week’s NCAA RPI rankings, while the SEC sits in first among conference RPIs.
· Entering postseason play, the Bulldogs have played the third-toughest schedule in the nation with five of its eight SEC series having been against 2015 Women’s College World Series participants (Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and back-to-back national champion Florida) and two against Super Regional team Missouri and Kentucky.
· MSU ranks fourth in the SEC as a team for triples (12), while Winkfield is tied for first among individuals with six. Winkfield’s six triples rank ninth in the nation.
· Freshman Sarai Niu ranks first in the SEC (21) and fifth in the nation in HBP per game with 0.42, the California native was hit three times vs. No. 24 Baylor on February 27. 

THE BULLDOGS VS. THE TIDE
While UA holds a 56-10 advantage in the all-time series, the last time the two sides met in Starkville during the 2014 season, MSU took two of three from then-No. 3 Alabama. The two sides also met earlier this season for a three-game set in SEC play, a series that the Tide swept.

THE TIGERS AWAIT
The winner between MSU and UA will take on the fourth-seeded Auburn Tigers Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for another prime time tilt on SEC Network.