The Mississippi State Bulldogs have the opportunity to even up an all-time series Thursday when they face off against the Florida Atlantic Owls in a double header when they open play in the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament at 5 pm. The Owls hold an all-time lead of 3-1 in the series between the two teams, who last played in 2004.
Mississippi State enters the contest 5-0 after sweeping weekend play at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. During the openingweekend play in Starkville, Mississippi State only allowed three runs in victories over Mississippi Valley State, Jacksonville State and Northern Kentucky.
During the Kickoff Classic, the Bulldogs put on a pitching display, hurling two shutouts and finishing the weekend with a 0.75 ERA. The team also put together a .368 batting average during the weekend, and they showed a knack for stringing hits together to create the big inning--each contest featured an inning in which Mississippi State crossed the plate four times.
The Bulldogs also exhibited clutch play, putting the leadoff batter on base 61.5% of the time during the weekend and knocking in 21 two-out RBIs.
Freshman Caroline Seitz made an early impression by finishing the weekend with a .929 slugging percentage
The Owls enter the double header sporting a mark of 3-2 with wins over Louisville (3-0), Tulsa (1-0), and Ohio State (3-1) and losses to Northern Illinois and St. Johns.
A win by the Bulldogs would move the team to 6-0 on the season, which would equal the squad's best start since 2008 when they opened play at 11-0. The Bulldogs have only reached the 6-0 mark on four occasions in team history.
Play will continue throughout the weekend with contests against Massachusetts and Long Island and Maryland.