FAYETTEVILLE -- The 17th-ranked University of Arkansas softball team will look to build on a successful opening weekend of SEC play with three games against No. 20 Mississippi State starting at 6 p.m. today at Bogle Park.
Arkansas (23-6, 2-1 SEC), which won 2 of 3 games at Auburn last weekend, has won six straight against Mississippi State with series sweeps last season and in 2021. The teams did not play in 2022.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the series finale is set for noon Sunday.
Mississippi State (22-6, 3-3) opened SEC play winning its series at Ole Miss, but the Bulldogs stumbled last weekend at home against No. 13 Texas A&M, dropping the first two games before claiming a 6-5 win in the series finale.
"We knew we were going to learn a lot about ourselves and really just in the way that we responded," Bulldogs Coach Samantha Ricketts said winning the final game against the Aggies. "Win, lose or draw, it was going to be about our response, and did we come out ready to fight or were we going to be discouraged by the outcome?
"I thought they did a great job. Even after getting down early, there was no panic. It was just a lot of trust. Let's do it together. Let's answer back."
The Bulldogs beat Alabama State on Wednesday, so they come into Friday's game riding a two-game win streak.
Mississippi State won twice against No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette and went 2-1 in Puerto Vallarta with wins against No. 8 Clemson and No. 13 Utah.
Mississippi State has four pitchers with three or more wins this season. Josey Marron (7-2, 2-38 ERA) and Aspen Wesley (7-2, 2.96) are the Bulldogs' top two starters. Lexi Sosa is 3-1 with a 1.27 ERA and Delaney Everett is 3-0 with a 2.23 ERA.
Over 47 1/3 innings, Wesley has 54 strikeouts and has allowed opponents a .190 batting average. Marron has 40 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 53 innings.
"They have a really good mix of pitchers that complement each other," Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said. "They really give different looks. So just like any SEC opponent, we're going to have to bring our best. They are going to challenge us.
"They do a good job of mixing speeds and mixing locations. Marron and Wesley are like two of the most opposites that you can have."
The Bulldogs are batting .341 as a team and average 7.1 runs per game.
Madisyn Kennedy was named the NFCA national player of the week after she belted four home runs and drove in 13 runs last weekend. The senior first baseman drove in seven runs in one game. She leads the team with a .421 batting average that includes 11 home runs and 35 RBI. She carries a 1.105 slugging percentage.
Jessie Blaine is batting .358 with 5 homers, and Nadia Barbary and Kylee Edwards each have 4 home runs. Blaine, Barbary and Paige Cook all have 20 or more RBI.
Sierra Sacco is batting .342 with a team-high 28 runs scored and is 12 for 12 on stolen bases. As a team the Bulldogs are 29 for 32 on stolen bases and have 137 walks and 21 hit batters.
"They are going to put pressure on us and make us play defense," Deifel said. "They walk a lot; they are really disciplined. It will be a good challenge just like every SEC opponent."
Today's game
NO. 17 ARKANSAS VS. NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Bogle Park, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 23-6 (2-1 SEC),
Mississippi State 22-6 (3-3 SEC)
TV None
RADIO None
STREAMING SEC Network-Plus
Arkansas softball Coach Courtney Deifel leads the No. 17 Razorbacks against No. 20 Mississippi State in a three-game SEC series starting tonight at Bogle Park in Fayetteville. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)