No. 13 Mississippi State to Face No. 5 Florida in SEC Softball Series

No. 13 Mississippi State is set to visit No. 5 Florida for a three-game SEC softball series this weekend in Gainesville, Florida. The series opener on Friday will be broadcast on SEC Network+ at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, with the remaining games televised on SEC Network, including a nationally televised contest Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

The matchup features contrasting strengths, with Mississippi State’s pitching staff ranked among the best nationally and Florida’s offense ranked in the top five across the country. Despite the offensive firepower, SEC games involving MSU have been low-scoring, averaging just over five runs per game combined, according to sources.

Mississippi State is led by Peja Goold, who recently earned national recognition. She was named the NFCA and D1Softball National Pitcher of the Week after pitching a no-hitter, a shutout against South Carolina, and earning a save. Goold struck out 27 batters over 19 innings last week and has posted 10.2 consecutive hitless innings.

The Bulldogs are making their first trip to Gainesville since 2022. Only one player, Alyssa Faircloth, has previous experience at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, pitching there three times in 2024 while with Troy.

Florida enters the series with a 34-4 overall record and a 9-3 mark in SEC play. The Gators are led by head coach Tim Walton, who is in his 21st season at Florida. The team ranks first nationally in doubles and second in hits, with top-five rankings in home runs, runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Florida’s batting average is .377, and its ERA is 2.40.

Overall, the series marks a significant challenge for Mississippi State, which boasts one of the nation’s top pitching ensembles and leads the country in strikeouts, strikeouts looking, and strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Bulldogs aim to continue their strong defensive play, having thrown out 11 runners at the plate this season.

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