Mississippi State softball to host UAB on SEC Network Wednesday

Mississippi State’s softball team will host UAB on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT in Starkville. The game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network, according to school officials.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 11 in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll, hold a 27-4 record and are 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play. UAB stands at 12-16 overall and has yet to win an American Athletic Conference game (0-6). MSU defeated UAB 6-1 in Birmingham earlier this month. Since that matchup, UAB has played seven games against teams MSU has also faced, going 1-6. The Bulldogs went 4-0 in those games.

MSU recently concluded its first SEC series of the season, which highlighted its pitching staff. The Bulldogs held No. 1 Tennessee scoreless into the ninth inning on Friday and shut out the Lady Vols on Saturday, handing Tennessee its only loss of the year. MSU’s pitching staff ranks among the top 10 nationally in WHIP and fielding independent pitching, with two pitchers in the top five for ERA, according to school release.

Last weekend, MSU defeated Tennessee in walk-off fashion in Game 2, marking the second consecutive year the Bulldogs beat the top-ranked team at home. The win contributed to MSU’s highest ranking ever in the NFCA poll and three of four major polls this week.

Mississippi State’s pitching staff has been dominant, with 282 strikeouts leading the nation. Alyssa Faircloth ranks fourth nationally with 123 strikeouts and is second in strikeout percentage at 45.7%. Both Faircloth and Peja Goold have surpassed 100 strikeouts this season and are among MSU’s top five in fewest innings to reach that mark.

Offensively, Taylor Troutman hit a walk-off home run against Tennessee last weekend and is batting .500 as a pinch hitter. Des Rivera leads the team with four sacrifice flies, tied for fourth in school history. The Bulldogs also lead the nation with a .989 fielding percentage and only nine errors in 31 games, both school records.

UAB, coached by Taylor Smartt, enters the game with a 12-16 record and has lost six straight conference games. The Blazers defeated Georgia Tech 9-8 earlier this month but are struggling in AAC play. Notable players include catcher Abbi Perkins, who ranks seventh nationally with nine runners caught stealing, and shortstop Hannah Dorsett, who set a program record with 11 assists in a game earlier this year.

Following Wednesday’s game, Mississippi State will travel to face No. 15/13 Georgia for a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The final two games will be on SEC Network+ at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more updates, fans can follow Mississippi State softball on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram under the handle “HailStateSB.”

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