05/24/02
Baseball - Signee update:
Germantown High School centerfielder Joseph Hunter's stock has really shot up during the recently completed season. After hitting .395 and playing an outstanding defensive outfield, Major League Baseball teams have flocked to check Joseph out. According to his dad, who I called Thursday night, at least seven pro teams have told him Joseph could be drafted anywhere from the 3rd to the 8th round. Not only did the pro scouts tell him this but Baseball America just came out with their ratings and chose him as the third best pro prospect (high school, junior college and four-year colleges) in the state of Tennessee. The scouts rate his arm strength a Plus (Plus means better than the Major League average) and his glove a Plus. He also has Plus speed, running the sixty in 6.7 seconds. The MLB avereage is 6.9. At least one of the teams has even said they believe, with an additional 15 pounds added to him frame, he could hit for power.

After attending an invited workout at the Red Birds' stadium this past week in front of the National Scouting Director and Crosscheckers, he was invited to St. Louis on June 1 to workout in front of the top brass of their organization. Joseph has decided to decline their invitation.

Now, for the good news as far as Mississippi State is concerned. Joseph, despite the strong interest from the pro baseball teams, has decided he is going to stick with MSU. In fact, he is in the process of calling all of the MLB teams to let them know not to draft him during the upcoming draft.

His dad, Chip Hunter, told me the reasons he has decided to stick with MSU.

"I read with interest some of the comments about Coach Polk on your message board during the rough times that followed the Vanderbilt series. I can only say Coach Polk and his staff will only make my son a better ballplayer. The professors, tutors, and other academic support team will help make him a better student. The strong Christian community will mentor him spiritually. We look forward to the Bulldog fans cheering him "to leave it all on the field." I am hoping Mr. Hall and others will put about fifteen pounds on him over the next few years. Hopefully, he will have another shot at his dream of making it to the Show following a wonderful experience at Mississippi State. One thing I can confidently say is Joseph will be a better person for being around such fine people."

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Senior first baseman/pitcher Kellie Wilkerson became just the second four-year all-American at Mississippi State and the first female to earn such honors as the Jacksonville, Fla., native was Wednesday evening decorated with second team honors at a pre-Women's College World Series awards banquet in Oklahoma City, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced.

Wilkerson, who, this season, helped lead the Maroon and White to their second NCAA Regional appearance in three years, became the first four-year all-American in Starkville since track phenom Lorenzo Daniel accomplished the feat from 1985-1988. She is the only female at Mississippi State to earn all-American laurels in four-straight seasons.

The owner of 26 single season or career records at Mississippi State, Wilkerson pulled up one hit shy of shattering former all-American Keri McCallum's career hits record (319) after a 2-for-3 effort in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in NCAA Regional play on Saturday. McCallum reached her career milestone in 76 more at-bats than Wilkerson.

Wilkerson will exit Starkville with a .429 (318-for-742) career average to go along with 114 extra-base hits (44 HR) and 175 RBIs, as well as SEC career records in both on base percentage (.544) and walks (177). She shattered the NCAA's single season record for saves with 14 this season, while also topping the NCAA's career list with 32. Her walk total also ranks fourth on the NCAA's career list.

Following her appearance in Oklahoma City, Wilkerson will travel to Chula Vista, Calif., for the USA Softball team camp at the ARCO Olympic Training Center, May 30-June 3. She will join a select group of 39 other players competing for spots on teams that will represent the U.S. in international competition this summer.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/19/02
Softball
LAFAYETTE, La. - The 19th-ranked and third-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette softball team (50-12) jumped out to 7-0 lead after three innings then held its own the rest of the way out as the host Lady Cajuns ousted fifth-seeded Mississippi State (36-31) from NCAA Regional 3 with a 10-3 victory Friday morning at Lady Cajun Park.

The first four hitters in Mississippi State's batting order accounted for eight of the Bulldogs' nine total hits, with Kellie Wilkerson leading the way with a 2-for-3 (RBI, BB) performance. Jennifer Nelson (2-for-4, RBI), Iyhia McMichael (2-for-4, RBI) and Krystal Tillman (2-for-4) also recorded multi-hit performances. Alana Addison homered once for Louisiana-Lafayette on a 2-for-3 (2 R, 3 RBI) hitting day at the plate.

MSU starter Melissa Massey (8-14) allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and one walk before getting chased with no outs in the first. Wilkerson struck out five and allowed just two hits over the final two and two-thirds innings. Ragin' Cajun starter Brooke Mitchell (20-5) allowed three runs on nine Mississippi State hits, but struck out six and held State's five-through-nine hitters to a 1-for-12 hitting day to earn the victory.

Wilkerson's two-hit effort in the ballgame pushed her career total to 318 and left the senior one hit shy of matching former all-American Keri McCallum's MSU career record (319). The three home runs by Louisiana-Lafayette in the contest pushed the 2002 total for the Lady Cajuns to 76, with Addison breaking her own single season school home run record with her solo shot in the fourth. The Lady Cajuns advance to game 8 of NCAA Regional 3 against top-seeded LSU. Mississippi State ends its 2002 campaign with a 36-31 record.

The Ragin' Cajuns got something going immediately, taking advantage of early-game jitters by the Bulldogs to put both of its first two batters aboard via a defensive error and a single through the left side. They then loaded the bases on a five-pitch free pass issued by Massey. Martin got a little help from the wind with her next at-bat as her hard hit carried over the fence in left-centerfield for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead for Louisiana-Lafayette. It was the third grand slam of the season for the Lady Cajuns and the first one surrendered by the Bulldogs since an extra-inning loss to Utah in February of 2000.

State got its first threat in the bottom of the second using a leadoff bunt single from McMichael and a comedy of errors by Louisiana-Lafayette to put a runner at third with its first at-bat. The Bulldogs could do no damage, popping up with its next two at-bats, including a failed suicide squeeze attempt by Lindsay Nelson, before Mitchell got out of the inning on Blaire Brown's grounder to second. Lafayette carried the momentum into the third, rallying for three runs with two outs, including George's two-run blast to the bleachers in leftfield, to push their advantage out to 7-0.

The Bulldogs used a one-out single from Tillman and an RBI single from Jennifer Nelson to plate its first run of the ballgame, then got another run on Wilkerson's RBI single down the rightfield line that plate Nelson from second base. The Bulldogs continued their scoring moments later, scoring Wilkerson from second on McMichael's single to straightaway center.

Lafayette took back the momentum in the next frame on Addison's leadoff shot, then extended their lead back to seven, 10-3, in the fifth on a two-run, wind-aided single by Addison. State got something going again in the bottom of the fifth, putting their first two batters aboard courtesy of base hits, but Mitchell got her second wind, striking out the next three Maroon and White batters in order.

Louisiana-Lafayette 10, Mississippi State 3
Louisiana-Lafayette 403 120 0 - 10 13 3
Mississippi State 003 000 0 - 3 9 2
Mitchell and Webre; Massey, J. Nelson (1), Whitehead (4), Wilkerson (5) and Brown, Mosley (4). W - Mitchell (19-5). L - Massey (8-14). Save - None. HR - ULL, Martin, George, Addison. 2B - ULL, Robertson, Webre; Miss. State, Tillman.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/13/02
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State softball team was among the 48 teams awarded berths for the 2002 NCAA Regionals and will head to Lafayette, La., as the fifth seed in NCAA Regional 3, hosted by Louisiana-Lafayette, the NCAA announced Sunday evening.

The Bulldogs (35-29) will open against a familiar foe, taking on fourth-ranked and second-seeded Arizona State in the opening round. The Bulldogs upset the Sun Devils earlier this season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.

In other games at the regional, top-seeded and third-ranked LSU (53-9) will face sixth-ranked Northwestern State (45-23) and third-seeded and host team Louisiana-Lafayette (49-11) will square off against UMass (52-11) in their opening game. LSU (SEC), UMass (Atlantic 10), Northwestern State (Southland Conference) won their conference tournaments to earn an NCAA regional bid, with the other half of the field all receiving at large bids.

Seven Southeastern Conference teams received bids to NCAA Regionals. It marked the second-most regional bids ever received by the SEC. A record eight teams received bids in 2000.

"We are thrilled to be a part of the 48-team field and feel that our players are very deserving of such an honor," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen.

The Bulldogs, who returned home Sunday afternoon from the conference tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., gathered at the home of Arendsen Sunday evening to view the selection show. The Maroon and White will depart from Humphrey Coliseum for NCAA Regional 3 on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch of their opening game is still to be determined.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/09/02
Softball
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The seventh-seeded Mississippi State softball team (34-27)will open up their portion of play in the 2002 SEC Tournament here Thursday as the Bulldogs suit up to face second-seeded and SEC Eastern Division champion South Carolina (41-16) in the opening round. First pitch of the contest is set for 2 p.m. EDT at Chattanooga's Jim Frost Stadium.

The Maroon and White will be making their fifth consecutive appearance at the conference postseason gala, but will bring their lowest seeding into the tournament. State, which advanced to the tournament championship in their 1998 debut, attained their highest seeding (4th) for last season's tournament, but made an early exit after dropping two of their first three contests.

The first round contest with the Garnet and Black will mark the 18th meeting in the history of the series between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs, with USC holding a 10-7 series lead after taking two games of the three-game series on March 16-17 in Starkville. The squads have split six meetings at neutral sites in their history, but Mississippi State has taken two of three meetings at the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs dropped the first two games of the Starkville series earlier this season, but salvaged the marathon series finale in two hours and 59 minutes. In the March 17 meeting (won 11-10 by MSU in nine innings), the teams combined to throw 331 pitches, utilizing every arm of their respective pitching staffs in the process. The Bulldogs hit .292 in the series, with the Gamecocks turning in a .304 clip. Both teams finished the set with an ERA well over the 4.00 plateau.

Historically, 2002 second team all-SEC pitcher Megan Matthews has had her way with the Bulldogs and will bring a 5-0 record against the Maroon and White into the contest. However, Matthews never seemed to find her niche in the March series, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 6.12 ERA. In the series finale, the Bulldogs chased Matthews from the circle in the second inning after USC's staff ace had surrendered five earned runs on just four MSU hits.

Matthews (20-6, 1.20 ERA) will likely be sent to the circle as the starter Thursday afternoon, however, as the senior has been the most consistent on the staff this season. Freshman Stacey Johnson (14-8, 1.56 ERA) ranks third on the Carolina staff in ERA, but turned in the best performance against the Bulldogs in March (1-1, 1.38 ERA). State will likely send staff ace Kasey Whitehead (20-12, 2.30 ERA), MSU's third 20-game winner in school history, to the circle to face the Gamecocks.

The winner of the Mississippi State/South Carolina matchup will face the winner of Thursday's tournament opener between third-seeded Alabama and sixth-seeded Arkansas on Friday at 6 p.m. EDT, with both losers facing each other in Friday's 12 p.m. contest. Every game of the 2002 SEC Softball Tournament can be followed via a live stats link on the official site of the Southeastern Conference, SECSports.com.

2002 SEC Tournament Schedule (All Times EDT), Jim Frost Stadium, Chattanooga, Tenn. Thursday, May 9

Game 1 - #3 Alabama (44-17) vs. #6 Arkansas (38-24-1), Noon
Game 2 - #2 South Carolina (41-16) vs. #7 Mississippi State (34-27), 2 p.m.
Game 3 - #4 Georgia (53-13) vs. #5 Auburn (37-23), 6 p.m.
Game 4 - #1 LSU (49-9) vs. #8 Florida (32-33), 8 p.m.

Friday, May 10
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12 p.m.
Game 6 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
Game 9 - Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5, 12 p.m.
Game 10 - Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, 2 p.m.
Game 11 - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 6 p.m.
Game 12 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 12
Game 13 (if necessary) - Same two teams from Game 11, 10 a.m.
Game 14 (if necessary) - Same two teams from Game 12, 10 a.m.
Game 15 - SEC Tournament Championship, 2 p.m. (FOX SS)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Six Mississippi State softball players, including two from the class of 2001, earned 2002 Academic all-SEC accolades here Tuesday, raising the Maroon and White's SEC-leading total to 48 in the five years that any SEC player has been eligible for the award.

Four current players, Brooke Best, Jennifer Jessup, Jennifer Nelson and Kasey Whitehead, as well as two former players, Anna Joyce Lott and Robyn Schlagheck, were honored for their achievements in the classroom during the 2001 season. It was the fourth conference academic honor for Lott and Schlagheck.

Leading the way for the Mississippi State honorees was Lott who maintains a 3.57 overall GPA in Accounting and Jessup who maintains a 3.45 GPA in Teaching and Coaching. Schlagheck holds down a 3.20 in Teaching and Coaching, Nelson has a 3.14 in Communication, Best maintains a 3.12 in Teaching and Coaching and Whitehead is currently holding a 3.05 in Fitness Management.

The honors pushed the Maroon and White's five-year total to 48 accolades, which easily paces the Southeastern Conference over the last five seasons. Georgia and Kentucky have the second-most honorees with 34. State will have 10 athletes eligible to win the award in 2003.

The Bulldog softball team has played a vital role in helping the overall athletics program at Mississippi State garner national recognition for its high marks in the classroom and in the athletic arena. Each year, Mississippi State University produces a lion's share of Academic All-Southeastern Conference classroom stars.

Seventh-seeded Mississippi State (34-27) will open its portion of 2002 SEC Tournament play here Thursday as the Bulldogs suit up to face second-seeded and SEC Eastern Division champion South Carolina (40-16) in the opening round. First pitch of the contest is slated for 2 p.m. EDT. All games of the 2002 SEC Softball Tournament can be followed over the internet via a live stats link at http://www.SECSports.com.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Kellie Wilkerson earned her fourth-consecutive first team all-Southeastern Conference laurels and teammate Iyhia McMichael earned her second-straight all-conference accolades in the 2002 SEC Softball awards released Tuesday afternoon by the league office.

The billing marked the first time since MSU's 2000 NCAA Regionals run and the third time in school history that the Maroon and White sent a pair of players to first team accolades (1999, 2000). The award marked the first of its kind for McMichael, who took home second team honors last season as a freshman. Wilkerson, who is also being considered for her fourth-straight all-American award, joined a group of elite players with her fourth first team award.

Wilkerson, a Jacksonville, Fla., native who earned the award for the second consecutive year as a designated/utility player, finished the regular season hitting .418 (33-for-79) against conference foes and supported the numbers with 12 extra-base hits (two HR) and eight RBIs. Wilkerson drew 25 walks, three of the intentional variety, in 29 league games and turned in a .646 slugging and a .578 on base percentage.

From the pitching circle, Wilkerson was equally as dominant against the conference. She made 22 appearances, striking out 30 in 39 and one thirds innings of work, on her way to a 2-2 record with a 2.31 ERA and six saves. She held conference opponents to a .205 batting clip and finished the conference season with a strikeout to walk ratio of more than 2:1.

McMichael gave the Bulldogs a double threat, hitting either one spot before or after Wilkerson for much of the season. The Nacogdoches, Texas, native, hit .341 (31-for-91) against SEC opponents, included in which was 11 extra-base hits (one HR) and 17 RBIs. McMichael also drew 17 walks, turned in a .505 slugging and .450 on base percentage and stole 13 bases. In addition, she finished the conference season with a perfect fielding percentage, pacing the conference with five outfield assists.

Seventh-seeded Mississippi State (34-27) will open its portion of 2002 SEC Tournament play here Thursday as the Bulldogs sui up to face second-seeded and SEC Eastern Division champion South Carolina (40-16) in the opening round. First pitch of the contest is slated for 2 p.m. EDT. All games of the 2002 SEC Softball Tournament can be followed over the internet via a live stats link at http://www.SECSports.com.

For a complete list of the 2002 SEC Softball awards, visit http://www.SECSports.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/07/02
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - After playing a key factor in Mississippi State's sweep of visiting Florida this past weekend at the Mississippi State Softball Field, senior first baseman/pitcher Kellie Wilkerson was Monday named the SEC's Player of the Week, the league office announced.

Wilkerson, who took part in her final game in front of the home crowd Sunday afternoon, hit .625 (5-for-8) in MSU's three-game series with the Gators, supporting the numbers with two doubles, one triple, four RBIs and four runs scored. She also turned in a 1.125 slugging percentage and a .727 on base percentage in 11 plate appearances. Wilkerson tallied a 2-for-2 clip with four RBIs in game two of the set, then highlighted Senior Day by matching a career high with three runs scored on a 3-for-3 tally.

She made a pair of appearances in the circle for the Maroon and White, striking out three Gators in three and two-thirds innings of work, while also recording her 14th save of the campaign. On three occasions, including twice in game two of the series, she made relief appearances and forced the Gators to strand runners in scoring position.

Wilkerson will leave Starkville as one of the most decorated players ever to don the Maroon and White. She owns or shares 25 single game, single season or career records at Mississippi State, while also staking claim to two NCAA records and a handful of SEC records. She is currently 11 hits shy of breaking her 26th record (career hits) at Mississippi State. She needs just three more walks this season to break into sole possession of fourth place on the NCAA career list.

A three-time all-American and a three-time first team all-SEC selection, Wilkerson is currently hitting .412 on the campaign to go along with 28 extra-base hits (9 HR) and 28 RBIs. In the circle, Wilkerson sports a 5-2 record to go along with a team-best 1.72 ERA and 14 saves. She has struck out 70 batters in 69 innings of work this season.

Wilkerson and the Bulldogs will be back in action on Thursday when State travels to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2002 SEC Softball Tournament. The seventh-seeded Bulldogs (34-27) will open up their portion of tournament play on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they take on second-seeded and SEC Champion South Carolina (41-16) at Jim Frost Stadium near downtown Chattanooga.

Ticket information for the SEC Tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday, can be obtained by contacting the Southeastern Conference at (205) 458-3000.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/06/02
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State softball team (34-27, 13-16) erupted for nine hits and eight runs over the final four innings of play to erase an early 2-0 lead by visiting Florida (32-33, 12-17) and complete a three-game series sweep of the Gators Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Senior Kellie Wilkerson, playing in her last game in front of the home crowd, scored three runs on a 3-for-3 hitting performance to pace the Bulldogs, with Lindsay Nelson matching a career-high with four RBIs on a 2-for-3 tally at the plate. Jennifer Nelson (2-for-3, R), Iyhia McMichael (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI) and Kate Jaspers (2-for-2, 2 RBI, R) also provided multi-hit days for the Maroon and White. Jenilee Garner (1-for-3) plated and scored a run to spark the Gators.

The win was extra special for at least three individuals on the field as Whitehead, Wilkerson and manager Larry Hood were honored in a pregame ceremony commemorating Senior Day. The win also closed out Mississippi State's regular season schedule with a 17-8 home record and, with 352 on hand to watch Sunday's contest, the Bulldogs finished with 8,777 total home attendance in 25 dates (377 average).

Florida got three hits in the second and third innings combined, but could not muster any kind of offense the rest of the way out off Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey. Massey (7-12) struck out two and walked one through six innings of work to notch her second-straight win, with senior Kasey Whitehead working a hitless seventh. Gator starter Amanda Moore (11-14) gave up five runs on seven Bulldog hits in just two and one-thirds innings to get the loss for the Orange and Blue.

Florida got a leadoff single from senior Katy Berger in the second, then took a 1-0 lead on Jenilee Garner's seeing-eye triple through the left side one batter later. After Massey got Andrea Zimbardi to foul out, Florida took a 2-0 lead moments later on Bree Berger's sac fly to deep centerfield. State left three runners through its first two at-bats of the game, but cashed in on four hits and a pair of walks to take the lead on a five-hole in the third.

After Krystal Tillman grounded out to start the frame, State loaded the bases on Jennifer Nelson's one-out single and a couple of free passes issued to Wilkerson and McMichael, respectively. Lindsay Nelson's two-run single down the leftfield line knotted the score up at two apiece, but Jaspers followed with a two-run triple down the rightfield line that threw up chalk on its second bounce. Amy Mosley's RBI groundout one batter later scored Jaspers and closed the floodgates.

Wilkerson and McMichael both reached on two-out singles in the fourth to set the tables for Lindsay Nelson once again, who hammered a 1-1 offering into left-centerfield to give the Bulldogs a 7-2 advantage. McMichael's RBI double to left-centerfield in the bottom of the sixth scored Wilkerson to provide the final.

Mississippi State will again be action on Thursday as the Bulldogs head to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2002 SEC Tournament. The seventh-seeded Maroon and White will face second-seeded and SEC East champion South Carolina (41-16, 20-10) in an opening round contest at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday. All games of the 2002 SEC Tournament will be played inside the 3,300-seat Jim Frost Stadium. For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Conference at (205) 458-3000.

Mississippi State 8, Florida 2
Florida 020 000 0 - 2 3 0
Mississippi State 005 201 x - 8 13 0
Moore, Houghton (3), Schuerman (5) and Zimbardi, B. Berger (5); Massey, Whitehead (7) and Mosley, Waterman (7). W - Massey (7-12). L - Moore (11-14). Save - None. 2B - MSU, Wilkerson, McMichael. 3B - UF, Garner; MSU, Jaspers.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

05/05/02
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss - Kellie Wilkerson's three-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning proved to be the gamewinner as the Mississippi State softball team (33-27, 12-16 SEC) completed a doubleheader sweep of visiting Florida (32-32, 12-17) with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap Saturday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Wilkerson plated four RBIs and walked once on a 2-for-2 day at the plate, while teammate Jennifer Nelson completed an exceptional hitting day, scoring a pair of runs on a 2-for-3 tally. Senior Katy Berger paced the Gators on a 3-for-4 clip.

Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey (6-12) allowed just three hits in four and one-thirds innings of work to record the victory, striking out two Gators in the process. Amanda Moore (11-13) gave up five runs on four Mississippi State hits to saddle the loss for the Gators.

Despite not being able to scratch the hit column of the scoreboard, State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, getting Iyhia McMichael aboard on a throwing error, then using the short game to move the runner to third before Brooke Best plated McMichael on an RBI groundout to the shortstop. The Bulldogs got a leadoff single from Jennifer Nelson in the fourth, then extended their lead to a pair on Wilkerson's second triple of the campaign moments later.

Wilkerson's two-out triple with the bases loaded in the fifth extended State's lead out to 5-0, before Florida reliever Brittani Houghton's wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth brought Kate Jaspers racing across the plate with an insurance run. Florida plated two unearned runs on a pair of MSU errors with two outs in the seventh to provide the final.

In the opener of the series, Mississippi State rallied for four runs behind a strong pitching performance by its senior tandem as the Bulldogs put an end to an eight-game conference losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Gators.

McMichael collected two RBIs and scored once on a 2-for-3 hitting day, with Lindsay Nelson (2-for-3) also turning in a multi-hit performance. Jennifer Nelson walked and scored twice on a 1-for-1 day at the plate. Shortstop Jackie Marchetta sparked Florida on a 2-for-4 hitting performance.

Bulldog starter Kasey Whitehead scattered five hits and struck out two in four innings of work to become just the third pitcher in school history to record 20 or more wins in a season. Wilkerson finished out the game with three innings of one-hit ball to record her nation-leading 14th save of the season and building on the NCAA single season record she already owns.

State wasted no time in lighting up the leftfield scoreboard, moving Jennifer Nelson into scoring position with two outs in the first to set the table for McMichael's RBI single up the middle. Florida knotted the score up in the top of the third on Jenilee Garner's RBI single down the rightfield line, but the Maroon and White retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on McMichael's double down the rightfield line.

State put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, then scored Jennifer Nelson from third base on Kate Jaspers' fielders' choice RBI. Jennifer Waterman's sacrifice fly to right field two batters later plated McMichael with the insurance run for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State and Florida will close out their three-game series tomorrow when both return to the Mississippi State Softball Field for the 12:30 p.m. series finale. The game will be preceded by Senior Day festivities as MSU's Class of 2002 - Wilkerson, Whitehead and manager Larry Hood - will be honored in a pregame ceremony.

GAME 1 - Mississippi State 4, Florida 1
Florida 001 000 0 - 1 6 0
Mississippi State 101 020 x - 4 6 2
Schuerman, Houghton (5) and Berger, Zimbardi (5); Whitehead (1,3), Wilkerson (2,5) and Waterman. W - Whitehead (20-12). L - Schuerman (7-8). Save - Wilkerson (14). 2B - MSU, McMichael.

GAME 2 - Mississippi State 6, Florida 2
Florida 000 000 2 - 2 8 1
Mississippi State 010 131 x - 6 6 3
Moore, Houghton (6) and Zimbardi; Massey, Wilkerson (5), Whitehead (6) and Mosley, Brown (7). W - Massey (6-12). L - Moore (11-13). Save - None. 3B - MSU, Wilkerson. 2B - MSU, Wilkerson, Jaspers.