Mississippi State Softball Hosts Southern Miss in Home Opener Tuesday
Mississippi State’s softball team will play its first home game of the season Tuesday at Nusz Park, hosting Southern Miss. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be available on SEC Network+.
The Bulldogs are off to a strong start, winning their first four games at the Getterman Classic and rising to No. 18 in the Softball America poll. They hit home runs in every game during the weekend, with Nadia Barbary, Morgan Stiles, and Taylor Troutman each homering twice. Peja Goold and Alyssa Faircloth are undefeated in the circle, with Goold coming close to a no-hitter in her debut and Faircloth striking out 14 batters in her second outing, a program record.
Gates to Nusz Park will open one hour prior to first pitch. Single-game tickets start at $6 and can be purchased at HailState.com/Tickets.
Samantha Ricketts became the fastest Bulldogs softball coach to reach 200 wins, accomplishing the feat in just 319 games after a win over Northwestern State on Feb. 6. Under Ricketts, the team has a 30-6 record against in-state opponents, outscoring them 261-84. The Bulldogs are 40-14 at home over the past two seasons, outscoring opponents 388-170 during that span, with record-setting attendance last spring.
Alyssa Faircloth set a career high with 14 strikeouts against New Mexico on Feb. 7, ranking eighth nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (13.36). Stiles and Barbary each carry eight-game hitting streaks, with Stiles batting .556 and Barbary slugging .800 during that span.
Goold’s near no-hitter at Baylor marked her debut, and she holds a 23-2 record when striking out at least five batters since last year. MSU played each of the four Women’s College World Series teams three times in 2025, the only team in the nation to do so.
Mississippi State’s transfer class was ranked No. 3 nationally by 6-4-3 Charts, with a WAR of 17.43, tied for the most in the SEC with Tennessee. Taylor Troutman homered in her first two at-bats after missing the 2025 season with an ACL tear. Barbary earned All-SEC honors last spring, setting career highs in several categories and excelling defensively.
Southern Miss enters Tuesday with a 4-1 record, led by head coach Natalie Poole. The Golden Eagles lead the Sun Belt in double plays, shutouts, sacrifice flies, walks, and hit-by-pitch. They hit at least five runs in each win, with pitcher Kayla Giardina maintaining a 0.00 ERA.
Following Tuesday’s game, Mississippi State will stay home to host Murray State, Rutgers, and North Texas from Feb. 13-15 during The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial tournament.
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