Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/19/00
Baseball - Jon Knott belted a two-out solo home run in the 10th inning Saturday lifting No. 17 Mississippi State (18-2, 5-0) to a 7-6 Southeastern Conference win over 18th-ranked Kentucky at Shively Field. MSU extended its win streak to nine games and gave the Bulldogs their first 5-0 start in SEC competition since 1989.

Kentucky (18-4, 1-4) claimed a 2-0 lead in the first inning when John Wilson smacked a two-run home run, his 10th of the year and Kentucky record-breaking 42nd career blast.

The Bulldogs plated three runs in the third, added another in the fourth and led 4-3 in the eighth. The Wildcats threatened to regain the lead, loading the bases in the eighth before junior relief man Justin Estel (3-0), the third of four Bulldog pitchers in the game, came on to retire the next three batters, two on strikeouts.

State expanded its lead to 6-3 in the ninth with a solo home run by Phillip Willingham, his third hit of the day, and consecutive doubles by Daron Wright and Matthew Maniscalco. The Bulldogs needed the extra runs, however, as Kentucky sent the game into extra innings when Robert Newton deposited Estel's 0-2, two-out offering over the rightfield fence.

The Wildcats' third pitcher of the game, Jon Hooker (0-1), took the hill and retired the first two batters he faced before Knott, hitless in four previous plate appearances, slammed a solo shot to right-centerfield, his team-leading seventh blast of the season.

Relief ace Adam Larson, who picked up the win in Friday's 9-6 Mississippi State win over Kentucky, replaced Estel in the 10th, working around a leadoff double to record his sixth save of the season.

State starting pitcher Tanner Brock scattered six hits, struck out five and was replaced in the sixth by Joey Collums, who blanked Kentucky for two innings. UK starter Rob Carrado gave up eight hits and struck out five over six innings, giving way to Mark Michael in the seventh.

MSU and Kentucky wrap up their three-game weekend series Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT). The Bulldogs have tabbed junior lefty Mark Freed (4-0, 0.79) for starting duty while Kentucky is expected to start freshman righthander Scott Wade (3-1, 2,56).

MISSISSIPPI STATE 003 100 002 1 --- 7-13-1
KENTUCKY 200 010 030 0 --- 6-13-1

WP --- Justin Estel (3-0). Save --- Adam Larson (6th). LP --- Jon Hooker (0-1). HR --- Jon Knott (7th), Phillip Willingham (4th), John Wilson (10th), Robert Newton (1st).

Tanner Brock, Joey Collums (6), Justin Estel (8), Adam Larson (10) and Ryan McGrath. Rob Corrado, Mark Michael (7) and Jon Hooker (10).

Records: MSU 18-2, 5-0 SEC; UK: 18-4, 1-4 SEC

The shutout loss was the first for State this season and the first since a 2-0 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the 1999 SEC Tournament. The loss also snapped a school-record 16-game home winning streak and came despite turning a school-record three double plays in the first three innings of the game.

Keri McCallum, Kellie Wilkerson and Jennifer Pursell all recorded hits to provide the Mississippi State offense. Courtney Frank (3-1) came on in relief of starter Jennifer Nelson in the fourth and gave up six runs, four earned, to take her first loss of the season.

The Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on the shoulders of a Kaci Coffee single and a RBI single by Burris. Jessica Hamilton's RBI single with bases loaded in the fifth extended the Rebels' lead to 3-0, before a throwing error on the next at bat by first baseman Cheri Smith brought three runs across the plate for the visitors to provide the final.

Mississippi State was retired by Burris in order until, with two outs in the fifth, Pursell ended the bid for the perfect game with a shot to left center. State's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the seventh when Wilkerson made it to second base on the strength of a single and a wild pitch, but Burris forced the hosts into two groundouts that ended the game.

In the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, Mississippi State scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to help erase an early 1-0 deficit and propel the Bulldogs to a 3-1 come-from-behind victory that clinched the series win for State.

Michelle Gates hit 2-3 with two RBI, including a home run down the right field line in the sixth inning, while Kellie Wilkerson hit a perfect 3-3 at the plate and provided State with a third RBI on a single in the fifth. Pursell (13-6) worked her 15th complete game of the season, scattering four hits and striking out five, to get the win for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi singled in consecutive at bats to start the game, before getting Allison Willrath on a ground out that moved both runners into scoring position. After intentionally walking Heather Swinney to load the bases, Pursell beaned Kaci Coffee and gave Amanda Lehotak a free pass home with the game's first run and a 1-0 lead for the Rebels.

Gates' RBI single through the right side brought Wilkerson in with the game-tying run in the fourth and Wilkerson connected on a RBI single through the same hole to bring home McCallum with the go-ahead run in the fifth. Gates' solo homer over the right field fence in the sixth provided State with the insurance run.

The Bulldogs will again be in action on Wednesday evening when they conclude a seven-game homestand with a single game against UAB. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Game 1 - #21 Mississippi State 3, Mississippi 1
Mississippi (12-20)...............100 000 0 - 1 4 0
#21 Mississippi State (23-7).....000 111 x - 3 9 1

WP - Pursell (14-6). LP - Maxey (2-4). E - MSU: Smith (2). LOB - UM 5, MSU 5. 3B - MSU: McCallum (6). HBP - UM: Coffee. SH - UM: Lehotak (3) MSU: Hehnke (5), Rider (6). SB - UM: Shklar 2 (7). CS - UM: Swinney (1). Time - 1:27. Att. - 523.

Game 2 - Mississippi 6, #21 Mississippi State 0
Mississippi (13-20)................000 240 0 - 6 12 0
#21 Mississippi State (23-8)......000 000 0 - 0 3 2

WP - Burris (6-6). LP - Frank (3-1). E - MSU: Hehnke (6), Smith (3). DP - MSU 3. LOB - UM 3, MSU 3. 2B - UM: Hamilton (2). CS - UM: Cummings (1). SH - UM: Shklar (11). Time - 1:32. Att. - 523.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/17/00 (11:00 p.m.)
Baseball - Daron Wright belted a three-run home run in the ninth inning Friday afternoon lifting No. 17 Mississippi State (17-2, 4-0) to a 9-6 win over Kentucky in the opener of their three-game SEC series at Shively Field.

Kentucky (18-3, 1-3) had tied the game with a four-run burst in the eighth. Wright, hitless in four previous plate appearances, launched his first home run of the season over the scoreboard in rightfield off Breck Price, who replaced UK relief pitcher Josh Paxton (1-1) with two runners aboard in the ninth.

The Bulldogs used two home runs and a pair of doubles to score five runs in the second inning. Phillip Willingham belted a two-run shot, Mathew Maniscalco delivered a career-first solo blast two batters later, and Travis Chapman doubled in to more runs, staking MSU starter Kevin Donovan to a 5-0 lead. Donovan turned in the pitching performance of his career, striking out a career-high 10 and scattering six hits over a career-longest seven innings of work. The senior southpaw blanked UK on three hits through five innings before giving up a two-run home run to Vince Harrison in the sixth.

Donovan gave up a bunt single and a walk in the eighth before giving way to Bulldog relief ace Adam Larson (2-0). UK's John Wilson greeted Larson with a run-scoring single and the Wildcats used a walk, a pair of Bulldog fielding errors, an infield groundout and a sacrifice fly to tie the score 6-6 and take UK starter Brandon Webb off the hook. State answered the Kentucky rally quickly, with Phillip Willingham opening the frame with a double off of the right field wall and Ryan McGrath reaching as a hit batsman before Wright's game-winning home run.

Larson retired Kentucky in order in the ninth to nail down the Bulldogs' fourth win in as many SEC outings, State's first 4-0 SEC start since 1989.

Chapman went 3-for-4 to lead the Bulldogs' 13-hit attack. Kentucky got three hits from John Wilson. McGrath, who got on base four times during the game, singled and stole a base in the seventh and scored on a sacrifice fly by Maniscalco.

The Bulldogs and the Wildcats continue their SEC weekend series Saturday in a 1 p.m. (CST) game at Shively Field.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 050 000 103 --- 9-13-2
KENTUCKY 000 002 040 ---6-7-3

WP ---Adam Larson (2-0). LP --- Josh Paxton (1-1). HR --- Willingham (3), Maniscalco (1), Wright (1), Harrison (4).

Donovan, Larson (8) and McGrath. Webb, Paxton (8), Price (9) and Wilson.

Records: MSU 17-2, 4-0; Kentucky 18-3, 1-3.

Jenny Hehnke erupted for a 4-4 performance with two RBI and two runs scored to highlight the Bulldog offense while starter Courtney Frank (3-0) worked 4.2 innings, striking out one and giving up a lone earned run, to earn the win for the hosts. The victory increased State's school-record home winning streak to 15 games.

The Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard in the second inning, using a two-run triple by Michelle Gates to plate Kellie Wilkerson and Hehnke for the 2-0 lead. State increased its lead to five in the third on the shoulders of a RBI single by Wilkerson and a two-run double by Hehnke to left center.

Mississippi's Amanda Lehotak used a State error in the third to cross the plate with the Rebels' first run, but the Bulldogs increased their lead to six in the bottom of the frame on a RBI groundout by Kasey Whitehead and a sacrifice fly by A.J. Lott. Following a bases-loaded, fielder's choice RBI by Heather Swinney in the fifth, Jennifer Pursell came on in relief of Frank with one out and worked the final seven outs, striking out two Rebels and giving up a lone unearned run, to earn her second save of the season.

In the front end of the twinbill, Michelle Gates' RBI single in the bottom of the seventh plated Keri McCallum with the winning run as State used a three-run rally in the sixth and seventh innings to complete a come-from-behind 4-3 victory.

Gates turned in a 2-4 performance with two RBI to spark the State offense, while Jenny Hehnke (2-4) and Kendell Kimbrough (2-3, run) also recorded multiple-hit games. Pursell (13-6) worked all seven innings, striking out three Mississippi batters, to notch her 13th win of the 2000 campaign.

Mississippi State took an early lead in the first inning when Gates brought Wilkerson across the plate on a RBI single up the middle for the 1-0 lead. Holly Burris tied the score in the second on a sacrifice fly to centerfield and the Rebels took the lead when Mandy Shklar used a throwing error by the Bulldogs to cross the plate with the unearned run. Kaci Coffee increased the Rebels' lead to 3-1 in the fourth on a RBI triple to right center.

State manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth, finally cutting the deficit to one when Wilkerson crossed the plate on an error by second baseman Rachel Davenport. Burris hindered her own cause when an illegal pitch with one out in the bottom of the seventh gave Kimbrough a free pass home with the game-tying run before Gates provided the dramatics with the next at bat.

Mississippi State will conclude its series with the Rebels on Saturday afternoon when the two play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the MSU Softball Field.

Game 1 - #21 Mississippi State 4, Mississippi 3
Mississippi (12-18)......020 100 0 - 3 5 2
#21 Miss. State (21-7)...100 001 2 - 4 9
WP - Pursell (13-6). LP - Burris (5-6). E - Shklar (8), Davenport (3), Best (3). LOB - UM 2, MSU 9. 2B - UM: Swinney (8). 3B - UM: Coffee (4). SB - UM: Davenport (2). MSU: McCallum (14), Gates (7), Kimbrough (4). CS - UM: Coffee. MSU: Rider (1). SH - MSU: Rider (5). SF - UM: Burris (1). Time - 1:38. Att. - 467.

Game 2 - #21 Mississippi State 7, Mississippi 4
Mississippi (12-19)........001 110 1 - 4 7 1
#21 Miss. State (22-7)....232 000 x - 7 11 3
WP - Frank (3-0). LP - Price (2-7). E - Davenport (4), Rider (9), Nelson (5), Bushby (2). LOB - UM 7, MSU 8. 2B - UM: Lehotak (4) MSU: Hehnke (3). 3B - MSU: Gates (1). SB - MSU: Wilkerson (7), Gates (8), Nelson (2). SH - UM: Shklar (10). SF - MSU: Lott (1). Time - 1:58. Att. - 467.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/17/00
Baseball - Click here to read the latest info on the Kentucky Wildcats from their official site....

03/17/00
Softball - In the three-year history of the rivalry, no side has ever really held a clear advantage over the other. Both have won six games in the series, both have scored more than 30 runs against the other and both have gone into a series on winning streaks, only to come out with a new losing streak.

"When you look at the schedule at the beginning of the season, you always tend to look first at the dates of your rivalry games," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "It was not hard to find this series because this is how we open our SEC schedule."

Mississippi State (20-7), fresh off its preseason tournament schedule, will open Southeastern Conference play Friday as it hosts a four-game series with cross-state nemesis Mississippi (12-17). First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is set for 5 p.m. at the MSU Softball Field. The two will continue the series on Saturday with a twinbill set to begin at 1 p.m.

Although the stakes have always been high in this series, Mississippi State will have an added target on its back as it throws its national ranking in the ring in an attempt to intimidate the Rebels. However, Arendsen warns, the Rebels have never cowered into a corner when playing the Bulldogs and she does not expect them to this season either.

"They always come to play when they play against us," Arendsen said. "That's what a rivalry is all about. I don't expect them to get intimidated with our national ranking because they know they have always been able to compete with us and they believe this year isn't any different."

Although both sides have hit very hit very well against the other, Mississippi State (.254) will head into the series with the slight hitting advantage over the Rebels (.239). Mississippi State second baseman Jenny Hehnke leads the club against Mississippi with a .459 batting average to go along with her double, six walks, seven RBI and four runs scored.

State (1.92) will also hold a clear-cut pitching advantage against the Rebels (2.55), although not one member of the Bulldogs' four-deep pitching staff have thrown against the Rebels.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/16/00
Baseball - Mississippi State scored eight runs in the first inning en route to a 14-3 win over UT-Martin Wednesday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium.

The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to seven games while giving head coach Pat McMahon his 100th win as head coach of the Bulldogs.

Travis Chapman paced MSU at the plate, going 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Ryan McGrath went 4-for-5 on the day, knocking in two runs. Brian Terry hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot that capped a five-run fifth inning, as he posted a career-high four RBIs on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs split up the pitching duties in the game, with starter Joey Collums picking up the win, his first career decision. Collums retired all six batters he faced, including two by strikeout.

UT-Martin starter Heath Doyle (3-3) suffered the loss. Doyle allowed eight runs, four earned, on seven hits in 5-1/3 innings of work.

Casey Bevis led the Skyhawks at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs return to the road this weekend, taking on SEC foe Kentucky in a three-game conference series. Friday's game one is slated for a 2 p.m. start, while Saturday and Sunday's games are set to begin at 1 p.m. both days.

Kellie Wilkerson and Karrie Rider both hit 1-2 with two RBI to pace the Mississippi State bats, with Keri McCallum turning in a 2-3 performance and a run scored. Starter Jennifer Nelson (5-1) worked five innings, striking out two and giving up a lone earned run, before giving way to Courtney Frank, who threw the final two innings, striking out one and walking one.

Jacksonville State took its first lead of the doubleheader in the second inning, using a Kim Rose shot to straight-away center to plate Lauren Buck for the 1-0 Lady Gamecock lead. However, Wilkerson's two-run single highlighted a three-run third that gave the lead back to the hosts for good. A two-run homer by Rider in the fifth, scoring both herself and Wilkerson from first base, provided the final score.

In game one, Mississippi State got a dominant performance from starter Jennifer Pursell and plenty of run support from its offense to defeat Jacksonville State 6-0.

Jennifer Nelson hit 3-3 with a double, triple, two RBI and two runs scored to provide the spark plug in a high-octane Bulldog offense. Karrie Rider (2-4, 2 RBI) and Robyn Schlagheck (2-3, 1 run) also turned in multi hit performances for State. Pursell (12-6) scattered four hits and hurled a career-high 11 strikeouts over a complete game seven innings to earn the victory.

Two consecutive wild pitches in the first inning by JSU starter Lauren Buck (0-2) gave the Bulldogs all the run support it would need. However, Nelson increased the State lead to two in the third inning on a RBI triple by Nelson that plated Schlagheck from second base.

The Bulldogs extended the lead to 5-0 on a RBI hits by Rider and Nelson, along with a wild pitch by Buck that plated Wilkerson, then added the game's final run in the sixth on another RBI single by Rider.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Friday when they jump into conference season with a four-game series against cross-state nemesis Mississippi (12-17). First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is set for 5 p.m. at the MSU Softball Field.

Game 1 - #21 Mississippi State 6, Jacksonville State 0
Jacksonville State.......000 000 0 - 0 4 1
#21 Mississippi State...101 031 x - 6 12 0
WP - Pursell (12-6). LP - Buck (0-2). E - Boland. DP - JSU 1, MSU 0. LOB - JSU 4, MSU 8. 2B - MSU: Nelson. 3B - MSU: Nelson. HBP - MSU: Gates. SB - MSU: McCallum 2, Kimbrough, Wilkerson, Rider, Schlagheck. WP - Buck 4. HB - Buck. Time - 1:29. Att. - 367.

Game 2 - #21 Mississippi State 5, Jacksonville State 1
Jacksonville State..........010 000 0 - 1 3 2
#21 Mississippi State......003 020 x - 5 5 1
WP - Nelson (5-1). LP - Rose (1-1). E - JSU: Buck, Duncan MSU: Nelson. DP - MSU 1, JSU 0. LOB - JSU 4, MSU 5. 2B - MSU: Rider. HBP - MSU: Wilkerson, Kimbrough. SH - JSU: Simons 2 MSU: Kimbrough. Time - 1:21. Att. - 387.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/15/00
Baseball - Mississippi State sent nine batters to the plate in a five-run third inning as the 17th-ranked Bulldogs took a 16-1 win over Tennessee-Martin Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field/ Polk-DeMent Stadium.

MSU (15-2) took a 6-0 lead on the Skyhawks (4-15) in the third behind RBI doubles by Jon Knott and Jason Burkley and an RBI triple from Matthew Maniscalco.

Six of the Bulldogs' first eight hits went for extra bases. Jamie Rock gave State an early 9-0 advantage with his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fourth inning. MSU tacked on four more runs in the fifth before closing with the scoring with two additional runs in the eighth.

Knott paced MSU at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Brian Terry continued to swing the bat well, going 1-for-3 with three RBIs.

Three MSU pitchers combined to hold UT-Martin to one run on seven hits. Jeff Hunter improved his record to 3-0 with the win. Hunter pitched six shut-out innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight Skyhawk batters.

UT-Martin starter Josh Carter's record fell to 1-5 with the loss. Carter was struck for nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits in 3.1 innings of work.

Mississippi State closes out its five-game homestand tomorrow, hosting UT-Martin in the second game of their two-game series. First pitch between the Bulldogs and Skyhawks is set for 3 p.m.

UT-Martin 000 000 001 -- 1 7 5
Mississippi State 015 341 02X -- 16 13 0

W -- Jeff Hunter (3-0). L - Josh Carter (1-5). HR - MSU, Rock (4).

Softball - For the Mississippi State softball team, the previous two weeks - a roadtrip that spanned two states and three cities - has been somewhat of a blur. And, while State left the campus a few short weeks ago, the team learned a lot while they were gone.

"I think our success on the road definitely gave us some more confidence," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "We beat a lot of ranked teams and I think that got it in the players' heads that they can play with anybody. We just have to build on that success now and carry it through the rest of the season with us."

The Bulldogs (18-7), who achieved their first national ranking in the program's short history on March 7, return home today to begin a seven-game homestand with a twinbill against Jacksonville State (17-9). First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Mississippi State will enter the games with its best 25-game start in school history, edging out the 1997 team who began its season with a 16-9 record. However, unlike the 1997 team, the 2000 version of the Bulldogs have a handful of wins over nationally-ranked opponents under their belt and an unblemished record at the MSU Softball Field.

State is a perfect 7-0 inside the confines of the MSU Softball Field this season and will carry a three-year home record of 52-25 into the doubleheader with the Lady Gamecocks on Wednesday.

"I think the kids are going to enjoy finally being able to play at home," Arendsen said. "I think they are loving the fact that they finally get to sleep in their own beds this week. That is an advantage for us now. It was a long trip for us, but it was a successful one, so we head back into our home schedule on a high note."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/14/00
Baseball - On the heels of an SEC season-opening series sweep of Vanderbilt, Mississippi State's Baseball Bulldogs have climbed to their highest ranking of the 2000 campaign, a No. 17 ranking in this week's BASEBALL WEEKLY/ESPN College Baseball Coaches' Poll.

State, riding a five-game win streak, vaulted from No. 25 to No. 17 in the BASEBALL WEEKLY/ESPN poll, made their season debut at No. 21 in Baseball America's ranking, and remained No. 26 in Collegiate Baseball magazine's latest poll.

Florida State (23-2) is ranked atop all three polls, while South Carolina (19-0), following a three-game series sweep at Auburn, is the highest-ranked SEC team at No. 4. MSU's next league opponent, Kentucky (16-2) is No. 18. The Bulldogs and the Wildcats meet in a three-game series in Lexington this weekend.

The Bulldogs (14-2, 3-0) take on the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (4-14) Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Junior righthander Jeff Hunter (2-0, 0.64) of Columbus, Miss., is expected to draw the start for Mississippi State.

Softball - Calling her boastful would not be entirely correct. Egotistical would be even more of a falsity. But, this week, Mississippi State shortstop Karrie Rider is on top of the Southeastern Conference.

Rider, a senior from Camas, Wash., was tabbed with SEC Player of the Week honors after keying No. 23 Mississippi State's run to the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational in Tampa, Fla, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

"Karrie is very deserving of this honor," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "She provided us with leadership both on and off the field on our road trip to Columbus and Tampa last week and we are very proud of her for her performance at the Speedline Invitational."

A .264 hitter last season, Rider has turned her bat around this season and, thus far, is hitting .384 with two home runs and a team-leading six doubles to go along with her two home runs and .548 slugging percentage. She is the team leader in RBI with 19 - two better than last season's career high 17.

She is also a perfect 3-3 on stolen base attempts this season and has drawn five walks and has been hit by pitch once to tally a .420 on base percentage and, no doubt, has been one of the reasons the Bulldogs achieved the first-ever national ranking in school history last Tuesday evening when State debuted at No. 23.

In the Bulldogs' Speedline-opening victory over #25 North Carolina on Thursday, Rider turned in a 2-3 performance with two doubles and set a new career high with four RBI in a 6-0 victory over the Tarheels. A force in the field as well, Rider collected four assists and five putouts in a 4-2 upset victory over #17 Illinois-Chicago on Saturday night that propelled the Bulldogs into the Speedline semifinals for the second-straight year.

In the semifinal game against #18 South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, she provided State's lone RBI in the eighth inning on a shot to right center. In eight games in the South Florida-hosted tournament, Rider turned in a .333 (8-24) batting average with one home run, two doubles, one walk and seven RBI. She was one of two Bulldogs to make the Speedline Invitational All-Tournament team, joining freshman pitcher Jennifer Pursell on the 13-member team.

It is the second time in four weeks that a Bulldog player has been tabbed with such league honors. Kellie Wilkerson accepted the honor following the Bulldog Classic after hitting .615 in five games, along with claiming a spot on the Bulldog Classic All-Tournament team.

The nationally-ranked Bulldogs will again be in action on Wednesday night when they begin a seven-game homestand with a doubleheader against Jacksonville State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/13/00
Baseball - Junior righthander Mark Freed allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings Sunday afternoon as No. 25 Mississippi State completed a three-game sweep of Vanderbilt with an 8-0 shutout at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium. It was the first weekend of conference competition for both teams.

Freed (4-0) recorded the longest outing by a Bulldog pitcher this season (7.0 IP) and the Bulldog bats struck for four runs in the first three frames to power the Bulldogs (14-2, 3-0) to their fifth consecutive win and their first sweep of a season-opening SEC weekend series since 1993. The Commodores (8-9, 0-3) slipped below the .500 mark with their fifth consecutive loss.

The game three win marked State's first SEC series sweep since 1998 when the Bulldogs took three games from Georgia. MSU's last conference-opening sweep came in 1993 against Tennessee.

Senior catcher Ryan McGrath paced the MSU offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. In his lone at-bat of the game, Josh West opened the Bulldogs' scoring with a two-run home run, his third of the season. Brian Terry posted a pair of RBIs on a 1-for-3 day at the plate.

"Josh West's home run was big for us. It was important for us to put runs on the board early," MSU head coach Pat McMahon said. "Give credit to (Vanderbilt starter) Damon Yee. His numbers show just how well he did."

Yee (3-1) absorbed his first loss of the season despite recording 11 strikeouts and scattering five hits in seven innings of work. He also plunked six Bulldog batters.

Mississippi State hosts UT-Martin in a pair of midweek games Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field/, Polk-DeMent Stadium. Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. has been added to the MSU Baseball Radio Network's broadcast schedule heard on 20 stations statewide.

Vanderbilt 000 000 000 -- 0 3 1
Mississippi State 211 000 04X -- 8 8 0

D. Yee, Bedwell (8), Prather (8), Borland (8) and Kropf. M. Freed, Larson and McGrath. W - Freed (4-0). L - Yee (3-1). HR - MSU, West (3).

Softball - No. 18 South Carolina (17-9) used a bloop single in the top of the eighth to bring home a pair of runs, then held back a furious rally by No. 23 Mississippi State (18-7) in the bottom of the frame, to take a 2-1 victory and eliminate the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational.

Brooke Best turned in a 2-3 performance to pace the Mississippi State batters, with Karrie Rider (1-3) providing the Bulldogs with the lone RBI. Starter Jennifer Pursell (11-6) worked a complete game, striking out five batters and giving up a lone earned run to take the loss for State.

The loss marked the second-straight weekend that the Bulldogs have fallen in the semifinals of a single elimination bracket. Last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, No. 9 Stanford used a four-run first inning to defeat State 5-1 and eliminate them in the semis. It also marked the second-straight year that the Bulldogs have been eliminated in the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational, after last season falling 4-3 to No. 14 Michigan in the same round.

Mississippi State had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but with two runners on, South Carolina starter Megan Matthews (10-8) forced Mississippi State into a inning-ending double play to end the threat. Sondra Hall brought a pair of runs home in the top of the eighth on a bloop single to right field to give South Carolina a 2-0 lead, but State cut its deficit to a single run on the RBI single by Rider that plated Kendell Kimbrough from third base.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Wednesday when it begins a seven-game homestand with a doubleheader against Jacksonville State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

Semifinals - #18 South Carolina 2, #23 Mississippi State 1 (8 Innings)
#18 South Carolina (17-9)......000 000 02 - 2 6 2
#23 Miss. State (18-7).........000 000 01 - 1 7 2
WP - Matthews (10-8). LP - Pursell (11-6). E - USC: McCutcheon 2. MSU: Rider (9), Gates (8). DP - USC 1, MSU 1. LOB - USC 8, MSU 9. 2B - MSU: Wilkerson (5). SH - USC: McCutcheon 2, Hall. MSU: Gates (3), Rider (4). Time - 1:54. Att. - 397.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/12/00
Baseball - The Mississippi State Bulldogs staged a pair of late-inning rallies Saturday to sweep Vanderbilt 7-5 and 10-7 in an SEC season-opening doubleheader for both schools at Dudy Noble Field.

The 25th-ranked Bulldogs (13-2, 2-0) scored four runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 5-3 deficit en route to a 7-5 win over Vandy (8-8, 0-2) in game one. State scored five runs in the fifth and then broke a 7-7 tie with Shane Kelly's three-run home run in a 10-7 Bulldog win in the nightcap.

Kelly's second home run of the season capped a 2-for-5, 3-RBI game for the Bulldog senior. Jon Knott claimed his sixth home run of the season in game two to post a 1-for-3, 2-RBI outing.

Justin Estel (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief work to earn the victory in the second game while Zach Cook (1-2), the second of three Vandy pitchers, took the loss.

Rightfielder Enrico Jones punctuated his first career SEC start with an impressive offensive showing in MSU's 7-5 win in the opener. Jones went 2-for-2 at and drove in three runs, one on a solo home run in the sixth and another on a sacrifice fly during a game-clinching four-run eighth inning MSU rally.

Josh Wooten (2-0), who worked a season-longest 3-1/3 innings, struck out six and scattered five hits to earn the win. Adam Larson retired the three batters he faced in the ninth to secure the MSU win and pick up his fifth save of the year.

Vandy starter Andy Beal (2-2) allowed seven runs, only two of them earned, striking out a season-high eight and yielding seven hits over 7.2 innings.

The Bulldogs and Commodores conclude their three-game series at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Dudy Noble Field/ Polk-DeMent Stadium.

Softball - Mississippi State (16-6) took a 2-0, first-inning lead and never looked back, using timely hits and a stingy defense to shut down UMass (4-12), 4-1, and complete round-robin pool play at the Speedline Invitational with a 4-1 record.

Six different Bulldogs recorded one hit apiece with Kasey Whitehead, Jennifer Nelson and Nichole Henry providing key RBI. Nelson (4-1) worked a complete game, scattering six hits and giving up a lone earned run to notch the victory for Mississippi State. It was the second time in as many weeks that the Bulldogs have defeated Massachusetts. Last weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Jennifer Pursell hurled State's first complete game no-hitter in school history in a 7-0 win.

With the victory over the Minutewomen, the Bulldogs completed pool play with a 4-1 record, with the only blemish coming in a 4-2 loss to host-South Florida Friday evening.

Jenny Hehnke put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first, using a throwing error by UMass second baseman Ashley Bakken to put State up 1-0. Nelson's RBI single with two outs in the inning brought home Kellie Wilkerson from first to give Mississippi State a 2-0 lead after one. The Minutewomen got on the scoreboard in the fourth on a RBI single by Kiley Scofield, but the Bulldogs scored two more runs on a sacrifice fly by Whitehead in the bottom of the fourth and a RBI double by Henry in the sixth to put the game away.

Mississippi State will now advance into the championship, single-elimination tournament first round at 4 p.m. against a still-yet-to-be-determined opponent. Should State capture its first round game, the team will play in the tournament's second round at 6 p.m. against Illinois-Chicago who posted a perfect 5-0 record in pool play.

#23 Mississippi State 4, UMass 1
UMass (4-12) 000 100 0 - 1 6 1
#23 Miss. State (16-6) 200 101 x - 4 7 3
WP - Nelson (4-1). LP - Jeffries (1-5). E - UM: Bakken. MSU - Rider (7), Nelson (3), Best (2). DP - Miss. State 2, UMass 0. 2B - UM: Scofield. MSU: Henry (3). 3B - UM: Rooney. SB - UM: Robustelli. MSU: McCallum (10), Whitehead (2). SH - UM: Wheeler. MSU: Nelson (2). SF - MSU: Whitehead (1).. Time - 1:49. Att. - 287.

Softball - Keri McCallum's three-run triple highlighted a four-run second inning for No. 23 Mississippi State (18-6) as the Bulldogs advanced into the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational in Tampa for the second-straight year with a 4-2 upset victory over No. 17 Illinois-Chicago (22-12).

McCallum paced the Bulldog offense with a 2-4 performance with three RBI and a run scored, while freshman Jennifer Nelson went 2-3 at the plate with a run scored. Starter Jennifer Pursell (11-5) worked her 11th complete game of the season, surrendering no earned runs and striking out two, to notch the victory.

With two outs and the bases juiced in the top of the second, McCallum's bullet shot to left center cleared the bases and throttled Mississippi State to a 3-0 lead. On the next at bat, Jenny Hehnke's grounder to second baseman Julie Bumgardner was misplayed, allowing Hehnke to touch the first base bag safely and plate McCallum for the 4-0 lead after two.

Illinois Chicago's Abby Booth closed the gap in the fourth when she hit a blooper that dropped in shallow right field and plated both runners aboard, but Pursell shut down the Flames' attack the rest of the way, allowing just two more runners to reach base safely and stymie and threat from UIC.

In the early first round game, State found itself down early, but plated single runs in the third and sixth, along with a pair of runs in the fifth, to defeat a pesky Boston University squad 4-2 and advance Mississippi State into the second round of the single-elimination championship tournament.

McCallum hit a perfect 4-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored to spark the Mississippi State offense with Hehnke providing more run support on a 1-4, two RBI performance. Pursell worked all seven innings, striking out three and giving up a lone earned run, to earn her 10th win of the season.

Boston University used an error by the Bulldogs to plate a run in the top of the second and take a 1-0 lead, but Mississippi State evened things up in the third, using a single by McCallum to plate Kasey Whitehead from third base. Hehnke gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game in the fifth when she laced a two-run double to left center and brought home McCallum from third and Robyn Schlagheck from second base. State added an insurance run in the sixth on a RBI single by McCallum.

Mississippi State will face SEC-foe South Carolina in the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational on Sunday at 11 a.m. CST. South Carolina advanced into the semifinals with a 9-1 throttling of South Florida Saturday evening.

First Round - #23 Mississippi State 4, Boston University 2
Boston University 010 001 0 - 2 6 2
Miss. State (17-6) 001 021 x - 4 9 3
WP - Pursell (10-5). LP - Horrick (Record Unavailable). E - BU: K. Herr, Knesek. MSU: Hehnke (5), Smith (1), Pursell (3). DP - BU 1, MSU 0. LOB - BU 8, MSU 7. 2B - MSU: Hehnke (1), Smith (1). SB - MSU: McCallum (11), Wilkerson (5), Gates (6). SH - BU: Knesek 2. MSU: Rider (2), Whitehead (2), Smith (2). Time - 1:26. Att. - 307.

Quarterfinals - #23 Mississippi State 4, #17 Illinois-Chicago 2
#23 Miss. State (18-6) 040 000 0 - 4 5 0
#17 Illinois-Chicago (22-12) 000 200 0 - 2 6 2
WP - Pursell (11-5). LP - Iuli (Record Unavailable). E - Bumgardner 2. LOB - MSU 6, UIC 6. 2B - UIC: Arnold, Christoferson. 3B - MSU: McCallum (5). SH - MSU: Hehnke (4). Time - 1:44. Att. - 297.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/11/00
Baseball - Heavy rain and thunderstorms forced cancellation of Mississippi State's 2000 SEC opener against Vanderbilt Friday night at Dudy Noble Field.

The No. 25 Bulldogs (11-2) and the Commodores (8-6) will play a Saturday doubleheader at 2 p.m. The game has been designated as Scout Day, with area Boy and Girl Scouts attending the twinbill as special guests of MSU.

MSU senior Kevin Donovan (2-1, 6.17) and Vandy junior Andy Beal (2-1, 4.15) will be the starting pitchers for Saturday's opening game.

The two teams close out their weekend series Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Softball - South Florida (15-17) put together a three-run fifth inning and rode the shoulders of pitcher Jessi Kowal (8-7) the whole way as the host-Bulls defeated No. 23 Mississippi State, 4-2, Friday evening at the Speedline Invitational in Tampa.

Karrie Rider hit 1-3 and provided the only run support for the Bulldogs when she hit a towering two-run home run down the left field line in the seventh inning. Jennifer Pursell (9-5) hurled her ninth complete game of the season, but gave up five hits and four earned runs to take the loss for MSU (15-6).

In a pitcher's duel between Pursell and Kowal, the defensive play of both teams kept each other in check until the fifth inning when South Florida used a mental error on a routine fly ball with two outs to keep the inning alive. Nikki Phillips' suicide squeeze bunt brought home Misti Spencer two batters later and Lea Mishlan followed up the play with a two-run double to the gap in left center to give USF a 3-0 lead after five. Courtney Lewellen's solo homer in the bottom of the sixth gave the hosts a 4-0 lead.

The Bulldogs put together a rally in the top of the seventh, using Rider's homer to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Kowal struck out Kendell Kimbrough with two runners in scoring position to end the Bulldogs' threat.

In the early game, Mississippi State strung together a two-run rally in its last at bat to take its first lead of the game and send Georgia Southern (14-14) away reeling with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory.

Second baseman Jenny Hehnke hit 2-3 with one RBI to pace the Bulldog offense, but it was key hits, along with a costly GSU error in the bottom of the seventh, that spelled doom for the Lady Eagles. Freshman Jennifer Nelson (3-1) came on in relief of starter Kasey Whitehead in the fourth and scattered four hits to earn the victory for State.

Scoreless after two, Georgia Southern lit up the scoreboard first in the third on the shoulders of a Mississippi State error that brought a runner home from third and a RBI single by Jennifer Miller that plated Julie Peel. The Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the inning when Kellie Wilkerson brought Nelson home on a hard shot to first, but the Lady Eagles extended the lead back to two runs, 3-1, on a State error in the top of the sixth.

State climbed to within one run in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI single by Hehnke and, with one out and the bases juiced in the bottom of the seventh, Nichole Henry's bloop hit was misplayed by the GSU defense allowing Rider and Michelle Gates to cross the plate with the winning runs.

Mississippi State will wrap up pool play in the Speedline on Saturday morning when they face UMass at 9 a.m. CST at the Greco Complex in Tampa. The Bulldogs will then advance to the championship single-elimination tournament at 4 p.m. Should State win that first round game, the Bulldogs will play in the tournament's second round at 6 p.m.

Game 1 - #23 Mississippi State 4, Georgia Southern 3
Georgia Southern (14-14) 002 001 0 - 3 7 1
#23 Miss. State (15-5) 001 001 2 - 4 10 4
WP - Nelson (3-1). LP - Littlejohn (Record Unavailable). E - Lowder, Gates 2 (7), Rider, Schlagheck. HBP - Taylor. SH - Gates (2), Smith (1). SB - Peel, Hoobin. Time - 2:04. Att. - 307.

Game 2 - South Florida 4, #23 Mississippi State 3
#23 Miss. State (15-6)...000 000 2 - 2 5 0
South Florida (15-17)... 000 031 x - 4 5 0

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/10/00
Baseball - MSU and Vanderbilt square off this weekend at Dudy Noble Field in the SEC opening series for both teams. Game-times are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 5:00 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

03/10/00
Softball - Mississippi State (14-5) manufactured a run in both the first and sixth innings, then relied on the arm of freshman Jennifer Pursell to carry them the rest of the way, as the Bulldogs completed a day one sweep at the Speedline Invitational with a 2-0 defeat of Penn State (9-6). Kellie Wilkerson hit 1-for-3, including the first inning RBI, to pace the Bulldogs offensively while Pursell (9-4) was dominant in the circle, surrendering just two hits and striking out two Nittany Lions, to earn the win for the Bulldogs.

"I thought that Penn State would be our toughest game of the day," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "They were very feisty and they never quit even in the late innings. I am very proud of our team. Everybody contributed today. We now have to carry this performance into tomorrow's games."

State got things going quickly, using a bullet shot to left field by Wilkerson to plate Keri McCallum from second for the 1-0 lead in the first. After both teams went scoreless over the next four and a half innings, the Bulldogs added an insurance run in the sixth when Penn State shortstop Terra Pracht's errant throw to first base brought Michelle Gates home from third base.

In the early game, Mississippi State drew seven walks and victimized #25 North Carolina with five extra base hits as the Bulldogs opened up its play in the Speedline Invitational with a 6-0 victory over the nationally-ranked Tarheels.

Karrie Rider lit up the Tarheels pitching with a 2-for-3 performance with two doubles and four RBI to spark the Bulldogs' attack and pace a trio of State batters with multi hits. Wilkerson reached base on all four trips to the plate, going 2-2 with two runs scored, a walk and a hit by pitch. Pursell, who would end up earning both victories on Thursday, worked four scoreless innings, giving up a lone hit, before giving way to freshman Jennifer Nelson who finished the final three innings, scattering three hits and striking out one.

North Carolina helped the Bulldogs' cause in the first inning when, after a leadoff triple by McCallum and a groundout by Jenny Hehnke, Tarheels' starter Radara McHugh walked the next three Mississippi State batters to bring in McCallum from third for the 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs increased their lead to 2-0 in the third on a RBI single by Karrie Rider and then sent nine batters to the plate in a four-run fourth that put the game out of reach for North Carolina.

The Bulldogs will continue their portion of pool play at the Speedline on Friday opening the day with a 11 a.m. CST game with Georgia Southern before heading to the USF Softball Field for a 6 p.m. date with the host-South Florida Bulls.

Game 1 - #23 Mississippi State 6, #25 North Carolina 0
Mississippi State 101 400 0 - 6 8 0
North Carolina 000 000 0 - 0 4 0
WP - Pursell (8-4). LP - McHugh (record unavailable). 3B - MSU: McCallum (4). 2B - MSU: Rider 2 (6), Wilkerson (4), Gates (4). HBP - MSU: McCallum, Wilkerson. SB - MSU: McCallum (9), Wilkerson (3) UNC - Parker. Time - 1:51. Att. - 297.

Game 2 - #23 Mississippi State 2, Penn State 0
Penn State. 000 000 0 - 0 2 3
Mississippi State 100 001 0 - 2 5 0
WP - Pursell (9-4). LP - Kalp (5-3). 2B - Kersey (3), Gates (5). SH - Hehnke. Time - 1:18. Att. - 287.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/09/00
Baseball - Senior third baseman Travis Chapman went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs Wednesday afternoon to lead No. 25 Mississippi State (11-2) to a 4-1 win over the University of Memphis at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. The win gave the Bulldogs a sweep of their two-game series with the Tigers (2-12).

The Bulldogs scored single runs in the first and second innings off UM starter Jarod Wilson (0-1). Shane Kelly walked, stole second, and scored the game's first run on a sacrifice fly by Chapman. In the second inning, Daron Wright singled, stole second and scored on a single by Matthew Maniscalco to give MSU a 2-0 lead.

MSU expanded its lead to 4-1 with two runs in the seventh inning. Jason Burkley laced a run-scoring pinch-hit single and scored the games final run on a double by Chapman.

Junior righthander Jeff Hunter (2-0) allowed two hits over six innings to pick up the win in his second start. In the longest outing by a Bulldog pitcher this season, Hunter allowed just one run, a solo home run by Daniel Uggla, in the fourth inning. Four Bulldog hurlers combined to check Memphis on four hits, with Adam Larson working the final two frames to earn his fourth save.

Mississippi State returns to action at Dudy Noble Field this weekend hosting Vanderbilt in a three-game series that opens conference play for both teams. Friday's series-opener begins at 6:30 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 110 000 200 --- 4-7-0
MEMPHIS 000 100 000 --- 1-4-0

WP-Jeff Hunter (2-0). SV-Adam Larson (4). LP-Jarod Wilson (0-1). HR-Daniel Uggla (2). ATT-375.

Softball - Although the rest and relaxation that comes with Spring Break, along with a taste of a mouse named Mickey, has been the norm with the Mississippi State softball team so far this week, the hard work is about to start again.

After spending the last two days in Walt Disney's palace, nationally-ranked Mississippi State (12-5) will put its recognition on the line this weekend when it heads to the Speedline Invitational to go head-to-head with some of the nation's best teams. The Bulldogs garnered their first national ranking in the history of the program Tuesday evening when they debuted in the poll at No. 23.

State will begin its portion of round-robin pool play on Thursday at 10 a.m. CST when they suit up to battle No. 25 North Carolina (16-5) at the Greco Sports Complex. Following the contest with the Tar Heels, the Bulldogs will remain at the complex when Penn State (6-5) comes calling at 12 p.m.

Friday's pool play will pit the Bulldogs against Georgia Southern and South Florida and State will conclude first-round action on Saturday when they face UMass for the second time in as many weeks. Following round-robin play, the top two teams from each pool will advance to a single-elimination tournament which begins Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

"This is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "The team is very excited about having a national ranking attached to their name now. We are now beginning to get the respect that, I believe, this team deserves."

Mississippi State will look to build on last weekend's performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., that saw the Bulldogs knock off three nationally-ranked teams, including a 2-1 victory over No. 9 Stanford and a no-hit, 7-0 win over perennial national power Massachusetts.

In addition, the Bulldogs will also look to continue its successful tradition in the South Florida-hosted tournament as well. Last season, State had its championship run ended when No. 14 Michigan defeated them in the semifinals. Mississippi State has a 9-5 overall record at the tournament, including a 6-2 showing in 1999.

"We now need to guard against over confidence," Arendsen said. "We need to realize that we have a target on our backs now and everybody is going to be looking to knock us off."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/08/00
Baseball - MSU, playing their third straight road game, defeated Memphis 14-2 behind an 18-hit performance by the MSU hitters.

MSU started the game by getting three straight hits in the top of the first inning. MSU would score three runs and send nine batters to the plate during the inning. MSU's offense would never let up, scoring in every inning but the 2nd, 5th and 8th.

While the MSU hitters were pounding the Memphis pitchers, MSU's Mark Freed, now 3-0 on the season, would allow two runs on three hits during his 5.2 inning stint. Germantown, Tenn., native Joey Collums came in relief of Mark and allowed no runs and no hits during his 2.1 innings of relief. Brandon Meddars finished out the game by allowed no runs or hits during the ninth inning.

MSU was led at the plate and field by rightfielder Phillip Willingham who was three for four, including a double and a home run, and knocked in three runs. Phillip also made three outstanding catches in right field.

Other MSU hitters who had a good night were Shane Kelly (2-for-6, 2 rs, 1 rbi), Josh West (2-for-3, 3 rs), Travis Chapman (4-for-5, 3 rs, 2 rbi, 1 2b), Enrico Jones (2-2, 2 rs, 1 3b), Jamie Rock (3-for-5, 3 rbi, 1 3b), and Daron Wright (2-for-5, 1 rs, 1 rbi, 1 2b). The tough luck hitter for MSU was freshman Matthew Maniscalco who hit the ball hard four of his five at bats but had nothing to show for it.

MSU's defense, which was fielding at a .967 clip coming into the game, committed no errors for the 5th time this season.

The time of the game was 2 hours and 58 minutes. The crowd, which was made up mostly of MSU fans, was 2,358.

MSU (10-2) takes on Memphis (2-11) today at 2:00 p.m. Junior Jeff Hunter is scheduled to start for the Bulldogs.

Baseball - Tickets for the 21st annual Mayor's Trophy baseball clash between Mississippi State and Mississippi March 29 in Jackson are now on sale at the Jackson Diamond Kats ticket office at Smith-Wills Stadium.

Reserved seat tickets are $10 and general admission tickets $6. Tickets can be purchased from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. each weekday at the Smith-Wills ticket office.

Mississippi State, which owns a 12-8 lead in the series, is the designated home team for this year's Mayor's Trophy game.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/07/00
Baseball - After a water-logged weekend trip to not-so-sunny Southern California, Mississippi State's Baseball Bulldogs (9-2) return to action in warmer and drier playing conditions Tuesday night in Millington, Tenn., opening a two-game series against the University of Memphis Tigers (2-10). The two longtime baseball rivals battle at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Wednesday at spacious USA Stadium north of Memphis.

Junior lefthander Mark Freed (2-0) is set to take the hill for MSU in Tuesday's series-opener.

A freak winter storm wrecked havoc on the first annual Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton, Calif., where State dropped a 14-9 decision to the host Titans in a game spread over two days thanks to torrential rain, lightning and hail. State then matched up with Pac-10 power Southern California, battling the Trojans on near-even terms before succumbing to a five-run, fifth-inning USC rally and a suspension of play due to rain. Continued heavy rains prevented the completion of the MSU-USC game and forced the cancellation of the other three contests in the Kia Baseball Bash.

MSU is looking to bounce back at the plate after being held hitless over five innings by USC standout Rik Currier, who as a freshman earned the win in USC's 7-1 win over State in the 1998 NCAA College World Series. MSU hit a coolish .220 in 14 innings of baseball in Fullerton.

Shane Kelly (.412) leads Mississippi State at the plate with 21 hits, surpassing in 11 games his entire junior season hits total of 19 in 37 games. Kelly, Jamie Rock (.396) and Jon Knott (.368) saw their season-opening 10-game hit streaks, all career-bests, ended in Saturday's rain-abbreviated loss to Southern Cal.

The Diamond Dogs return to action at Dudy Noble Field this weekend, launching Southeastern Conference play with a three-game series against Vanderbilt.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/05/00 (7:45 p.m.)
Baseball - Mother Nature and USC junior righthander Rik Currier teamed up Saturday and Sunday to hand Mississippi State (9-2) its second loss of the season, a 7-1 decision shortened to five innings by heavy rains at Titan Field.

Currier (4-1), after spotting the Bulldogs a run on three walks and an infield groundout in the first inning, held MSU hitless and allowed two more baserunners on walks in a game suspended due rain after five innings Saturday night and declared official Sunday after continued heavy rainfall in the Southern California area. The three other remaining games in the first annual Kia Baseball Bash were also wiped out.

USC (11-3) plated single runs in the second and third off MSU starter Tanner Brock (0-1) and put the game away with a five-run burst in the bottom of the fifth prior to the game's suspension.

Anthony Lunetta went 3-for-3 and doubled twice while Bill Peavey doubled twice and drove in three USC runs, two during USC's four-hit, fifth-inning surge. Five of the Trojans' eight hits were doubles.

MSU continues its five-game spring break road trip Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn., meeting the University of Memphis. State returns to action at Dudy Noble Field Mar. 10-12 opening SEC competition with a three-game series against Vanderbilt.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 100 00 - 1-0-0
SOUTHERN CAL 011 05 - 7-8-1

WP - Currier (4-1). LP - Brock (0-1).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/05/00 (3:10 p.m.)
Softball - No. 9 Stanford (19-3) used a four-run first inning along with a stingy defense to pull away early from Mississippi State (12-5), as the Cardinal took a 5-1 victory Sunday afternoon to avenge a 2-1 upset loss on Friday and knock the Bulldogs out of the Silver Championship bracket at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.

Brooke Best provided the only RBI in the game for State on a sacrifice fly in the second, while four other Bulldogs recorded one hit apiece to provide the rest of the maroon offense. Starter Jennifer Pursell (7-4), who entered the game on a four-game winning streak, allowed four runs on six hits and struck out two batters to take the loss for Mississippi State.

Stanford jumped on the board early when Kira Ching hit a two-run, bases loaded double in the bottom of the first. After scoring another run on a throwing error, Stanford completed the multi-run inning on a RBI single by Maureen LeCocq to give the Cardinal a 4-0 lead heading into the second.

The Bulldogs cut the deficit to three in the top half of the frame on a two-out, sacrifice fly that plated Michelle Gates from third, but Mississippi State could get no closer. Jessica Mendoza scored on a throwing error by the Bulldogs in the fifth to provide the insurance run for the Cardinal.

Mississippi State will now head to Orlando, Fla., for three days of spring break before heading to Tampa for the Speedline Invitational hosted by South Florida. State will open up its portion of round-robin pool play on Thursday at 10 a.m. CST against North Carolina. The tournament runs through Sunday.

#9 Stanford 5, Mississippi State 1
Miss. State 010 000 0 - 1 4 2
#9 Stanford 400 010 x - 5 10 1
WP - Sorensen 10-3. LP - Pursell 7-4. E - Rider, Kimbrough, Gates. 2B SU Ching. SF - MSU Best. SB - MSU Gates, Mendoza, Shideler. CS - LeCocq. Time - 1:36. Att. - 297.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/05/00
Baseball - The fourth-ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans struck for eight runs in the second inning Saturday and staved off a Bulldog rally en route to a rain-delayed 14-9 win in the first annual Kia Baseball Bash at Titan Field. In the nightcap, Southern Cal opened a 7-1 lead over the Bulldogs before steady rain halted play after five innings. The MSU-USC game is scheduled to resume Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST).

The Bulldogs had staked MSU starter Kevin Donovan (2-1) to a 1-0 lead in the second inning Friday night, scoring on a double by Jon Knott and an RBI single to center field by Phillip Willingham. Play was halted by heavy rain, lightning and hail.

Cal State Fullerton, retired in order in the first inning, sent 12 batters to the plate in the second and took command of the game with an eight-run, eight-hit explosion after play resumed Saturday.

MSU, which dropped its first game of the season after a 9-0 start, closed the gap with a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth to trail 9-7. But that was as close as the Diamond Dogs would get, as the Titans answered with five runs over the next two frames.

Shane Kelly, Travis Chapman and Phillip Willingham had two hits each for MSU. But the Titans roughed up six Bulldog hurlers for 16 hits, three each by Steve Woodard and Jason Corapci. Matt Sorenson (2-1), who replaced CSUF starter Adam Johnson when play resumed, picked up the win.

Phillip Willingham opened the sixth with his first home run of the season and Jamie Rock belted his third roundtripper of the season, a two-out solo blast in the seventh.

The game, including a 20-minute rain delay prior to suspension Friday night, lasted three hours and 54 minutes.

Softball (1st game of the day) - Freshman Jennifer Pursell hurled the first complete-game no-hitter in school history and Mississippi State (11-4) pounded out 14 hits as the Bulldogs completed round-robin pool play in the NFCA Leadoff Classic with a 7-0 victory over nationally-ranked Massachusetts (0-7) Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ga.

The no-hitter was the first seven-inning no-hitter in the history of the program. Jenny Hehnke, who is now a regular starter at second base for the Bulldogs, threw an abbreviated five-inning perfect game on March 21, 1997. In addition to her work in the circle Saturday, Pursell tallied a 2-3 performance at the plate with one RBI, but was upstaged offensively by Keri McCallum who hit 2-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Karrie Rider recorded a perfect hitting performance, going 3-3 with a RBI and a run scored.

Mississippi State took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning when, after a leadoff double by Whitehead, Pursell brought the first run home on a line shot off the second baseman Ashley Bakken's glove. State extended its lead to 4-0 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Nichole Henry and a pair of RBI singles by Brooke Best and Jennifer Nelson, respectively.

With runners on second and third in the fifth, McCallum's triple to right center pushed the Mississippi State lead to 6-0 and, two batters later, Rider brought home McCallum after beating out an infield single for the game's final run.

Mississippi State will continue action in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at 7:30 CST Saturday evening. The Bulldogs will face Florida State in the Silver Championship round.

Softball (2nd game of the day) - Kasey Whitehead's grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie as Mississippi State (12-4) advanced into the Silver Championship semifinals with a 4-0 victory over Florida State (15-7) Saturday evening at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

Whitehead was the lone player on either team to record a multi-hit night, tallying a 2-3 performance at the plate, including her second dinger of the 2000 campaign. Starter Jennifer Pursell (7-3) followed up her no-hitter against UMass earlier in the day with a masterful performance against the Seminoles, scattering four hits and striking out five in recording her third shutout of the campaign. She has now gone 28 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run.

The victory moves the Bulldogs into the quarterfinals against No. 9 Stanford (18-3) whom State upset in extra innings on Friday night in round-robin pool play. The Cardinal advanced into the winner's bracket with a 2-1 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday night. Alabama will face Cal State-Northridge in the other Silver Championship semifinal.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/04/00 - A heavy thunderstorm with frequent lightning, torrential rain and pea-size hail forced suspension of play in Friday night's Mississippi State-Cal State Fullerton baseball game in the opening round of the Kia Baseball Bash.

The Bulldogs (9-0) had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Jon Knott doubled to left and scored on a single by Phillip Willingham. The double extended Knott's hit streak to 10 games. MSU starter Kevin Donovan retired the first three Titan batters he faced in the first inning.

The game will be resumed at the point of suspension at 2 p.m. (CST), followed by MSU's second game in the tournament, a 4:30 p.m. matchup with Southern Cal. Southern Cal turned back Georgia Tech 9-2 Friday afternoon.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/04/00 - Keri McCallum's RBI single in the top of the ninth brought Kasey Whitehead home with the winning run as the Bulldogs (10-4) completed the upset of No. 9 Stanford (16-2) with a 2-1 victory in extra innings Friday evening at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.

Five different State players recorded base hits with Karrie Rider and McCallum providing the RBIs in extra frames. Pursell (5-3), a freshman from Rancho Cucamunga, Calif., worked all nine innings, scattering five hits and striking out four, to earn the win. It was the first time in the history of the softball program that Mississippi State has knocked off a top 10 team.

"This is an incredible win for us," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "Stanford was not only a top 10 team, there were also a PAC 10 team which gives the conference more credibility."

Deadlocked at the end of regulation, Mississippi State put the first run on the board in the top of the eighth, manufacturing a run with the help of the international tiebreaker rule which automatically placed Keri McCallum on second. After a wild pitch pushed McCallum to third, Karrie Rider's two-out, RBI single brought the go-ahead run across the plate. Stanford knotted the game back up in the bottom of the eighth, using a sacrifice fly by Jessica Mendoza to bring Kellie Wiginton home from third.

Sophomore All-American Kellie Wilkerson made a game-saving, diving catch through the portable fence in centerfield early on in the game and was taken off the field on a cart after injuring her right leg. X-Rays taken at a local hospital came back negative on any break.

In the early game, #5 Oklahoma (22-1) victimized the Mississippi State pitchers with six doubles and two home runs as the nationally-ranked Sooners run-ruled the Bulldogs for the first time in 33 games, 12-4 in six innings.

Catcher Keri McCallum and shortstop Karrie Rider both hit 2-3 with a RBI to pace the Bulldog offense, but State was forced to use three different pitchers, including starter Jennifer Nelson (2-1) who lasted just two-thirds of an inning after giving up five earned runs in the top of the first.

After loading the bases with its first three batters, Ashli Barrett lived up to her cleanup role when she took a 1-1 offering from Nelson over the left field fence to clear the bases and give the Sooners a quick 4-0 lead with no outs in the first. An untimely error with two outs showing later in the innings allowed Oklahoma to plate another run for a 5-0 lead heading into the second.

Clutching desperately onto a 7-0 deficit after two, the Bulldogs finally plated runs in the third, using a RBI double by McCallum and a RBI ground out by Jenny Hehnke that brought home one run, before McCallum beat a tag at home on the play to cut the deficit to 7-3.

Mississippi State brought one more run across the plate in the fourth on a solo shot by Rider, her first dinger since Feb. 28, 1998, but Oklahoma used a single run in the fifth and a three-run sixth to complete the victory in abbreviated innings.

The Bulldogs will again be in action on Saturday when they suit up to take on UMass (0-6) at 11:30 a.m. CST in the final game of State's portion of pool play. State will then play again at either 4:30 or 7 p.m. in one of three - Gold, Silver or Bronze - single-elimination tournaments.

Game 1 - #5 Oklahoma 12, Mississippi State 4 (6 innings)
Miss. State......003 100 - 4 6 2
#5 Oklahoma...521 013 - 12 14 0
WP - Davis 4-0. LP - Nelson 2-1. HR MSU Rider (1), OU Braitsch, Barrett. 2B MSU McCallum, Ring, Barrett, A. Davis, Gulla 2, Washington. SB - Braitsch, Gulla. CS - Hehnke. Time - 1:43. Att - 287.

Game 2 - Mississippi State 2, #9 Stanford 1 (9 Innings)
Miss. State.....000 000 011 - 2 5 0
#9 Stanford....000 000 010 - 1 5 1
WP - Pursell 5-3. LP - Sorensen 8-2. SB - SU Mendoza. SH - MSU Rider, Henry SU Lecocq. SF - SU Mendoza. Time - 2:07. Att. - 287.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/03/00 - Mississippi State puts its unbeaten mark on the line against its first ranked opponent of the season Friday when the 22nd-ranked Baseball Bulldogs test No. 18 Cal State Fullerton (6-5) in opening round action of the first annual Kia Baseball Bash. State takes on the host Titans in a 7 p.m. battle at CSF's Titan Field. Seventh-ranked Georgia Tech meets No. 11 Southern Cal in Friday's other first-round competition in the three-day, round robin event.

The Diamond Dogs registered a pair of shutouts of Jackson State (11-0, 23-0) earlier in the week, improving their record to 9-0, MSU's best start since 1995.

State conducted an afternoon practice at Titan Field and attended a Kia Baseball Bash banquet Thursday night in Fullerton.

Lefthander Kevin Donovan (2-0, 2.53) is set to make his third start in four senior-season appearances. The Bulldog pitching staff enters the tournament with a sparkling 1.52 earned run average and 108 strikeouts in 83 innings.

The California trip is the first in regular-season play for Mississippi State since coach Paul Gregory's 1966 and 1967 editions competed in the Riverside (Calif.) National Tournament. It also marks a homecoming of sorts for Diamond Dogs with connections in the Golden State --- senior second baseman Daron Wright of Stockton, Calif., red shirt freshman pitcher Mike Taquino of Fairfax, Calif., and true freshman infielder J.T. Hardcastle of Manteca, Calif.

Coach Pat McMahon's third MSU diamond edition sports a .338 team batting average with three players hitting above the .400 mark. Senior leftfielder Jamie Rock (.439) leads the way and totals a team-high six doubles among his eighth extra-base hits. Centerfielder Shane Kelly (.432) has warmed up at the plate and paces the club in both hits (19) and stolen bases (four). State's third .400 hitter is junior first baseman Jon Knott (.406), who ranked second on the club with 14 RBI but has compiled an impressive .875 slugging percentage thanks to a team-best five home runs. The Bulldogs' early-season RBI leader is senior third baseman Travis Chapman (16). Rock, Kelly and Knott are riding nine-game hitting streaks while Chapman has hit safely in his last eight games.

Mississippi State continues tournament play Saturday meeting Southern Cal at 4:30 p.m. (CST) before concluding tournament competition against Georgia Tech Sunday at 3 p.m. (CST). All three games will be broadcast on the statewide MSU Baseball Radio Network and available on the internet at www.broadcast.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

03/03/00 - The believing started in fall workouts, the achieving starts now.

After spending the last two weeks in the comfy confines of the Mississippi State Softball Field, the Bulldogs (9-3) embark on a week-and-a-half road swing that will take them through two states to play in two of the most premiere tournaments in the country. The Bulldogs will start their trip in Columbus, Ga., at the NFCA Leadoff Classic where they will be one of 24 teams that will attempt to capture the country's most prestigious prize. The Bulldogs will be one of four Southeastern Conference teams (LSU, Alabama, Florida) in attendance in Columbus.

Mississippi State will begin its portion of pool play on Friday, suiting up to take on No. 5-ranked Oklahoma (19-1) at 1:30 p.m. CST and will follow its matchup with the Sooners with a battle against No. 9-ranked Stanford (16-1) at 4 p.m. Mississippi State will round out its portion of pool play on Saturday against UMass (0-5) at 12:30 p.m.

The NFCA Leadoff Classic, considered by many to be the most difficult tournament in the nation, will consist of six pools of four teams each, with the top team from each pool advancing to the Gold Championship, in addition to two other at-large teams selected for Gold Championship play.

The remaining second place teams, in addition to four at-large teams, will be chosen for the Silver Championship. The Bronze Championship will be comprised of the remaining eight teams. All brackets will be single elimination-consolation.

"I have to believe our confidence is very high right now after coming out of our homestand undefeated," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "I don't think that we will be intimidated by either Oklahoma or Stanford. We just need to go out there and play like I know that we can play. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

03/02/00 - Mississippi State honored Jackson State head baseball coach Robert Braddy prior to yesterday's game. Coach Braddy is retiring as the head baseball coach at JSU at the end of this season. Coach Braddy, who has coached at JSU going into his 28th year this year, has won 801 games at JSU.

Coach Pat McMahon's 22nd ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated Coach Braddy's Jackson State club 23 to 0 Wednesday afternoon behind the combined five-hit pitching of Jeff Hunter, Joey Collums, Mike Taquino, Justin Estel, Steven Dowe and Josh Wooten.

Junior pitcher Jeff Hunter, an MSU fan since childhood, won his first-ever game as an MSU Bulldog after scattering three hits over four innings.

MSU, which collected 20 hits on the day, was led in hitting by senior Jamie Rock with four hits and junior Josh West with three hits. Included in their hits were two doubles by Rock and two home runs by West, his first two home runs of the year.

MSU, with junior Jon Knott knocking in five runs with a grand slam home run (his 5th in 9 games) and a single, scored 11 runs in the first inning. MSU would score additional runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th innings.

Jackson State, which also used six pitchers on the day, is now 4-6 on the season while MSU advanced to 9-0.

MSU will get up very early Thursday morning to head out to California to play in the first annual Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton, California. MSU's first opponent will be 18th ranked Cal State Fullerton (6-5) who they play Friday at 9 p.m. (CST). MSU will meet 11th ranked Southern Cal at 4:30 p.m. (CST) on Saturday and 8th ranked Georgia Tech on Sunday at 3 p.m. (CST).

03/01/00 - No. 22 Mississippi State piled up 14 hits and pitcher Mark Freed tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts Tuesday night as Mississippi State (8-0) blanked Jackson State 11-0 at Smith-Wills Stadium.

MSU got three-hit plate performances from Shane Kelly, Jamie Rock and Brian Terry, who tied a school record with three doubles. Kelly, Rock and Jon Knott extended their season-opening hitting streaks to eight games.

The Bulldogs took a 5-0 lead with a four-run burst in the third and added four more runs in the fifth, three on Jamie Rock's second home run of the season. Seven of the Bulldogs' hits were extra-base knocks, including triples by Shane Kelly and Ryan McGrath.

Freed (2-0) gave up two hits and walked three over five innings en route to picking up his second win of the campaign. Freed, Brandon Medders and Chris Young combined for 15 strikeouts and four hits on the night. Jackson State (4-5) was paced by Elvis Nelson's two-hit showing. Starter John Jobe (0-2) was touched for nine runs on 10 hits over 4-1/3 innings and was tagged with the loss.

The two teams meet again Wednesday in a 3 p.m. game at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium. State then embarks on a five-game road trip, playing three games in Fullerton, Calif., in the Kia Baseball Bash (Mar. 3-5) and two more against the University of Memphis (Mar. 7-8) in Millington, Tenn.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU athletic media relations department

P.S. - Junior Jeff Hunter is expected to be MSU's starting pitcher in today's game.

03/01/00 - The Danville Dans of the Central Illinois Collegiate League has, tentatively, included four MSU baseball players on their pre-season roster. They are freshmen Matthew Maniscalco and Mark Obradovich and sophomores Joey Collums and Steven Dowe.

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