3/31/05
Softball
(Game 2) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Callye Williams’ three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning capped off a four-run comeback victory that propelled State to a 4-1 win over visiting LSU and helped the Bulldogs clinch its series with the 25th-ranked Tigers for the first time in school history Wednesday evening at the MSU Softball Field.

Williams’ second homer of the campaign highlighted a 1-for-2 night at the plate for the Katy, Texas, junior as she led a quartet of Bulldogs (23-15, 5-6 SEC) with lone hits at the plate. LSU (17-13, 1-10) got one hit apiece from each of its first four batters in the lineup, but was stymied a handful of times by MSU starter Kelli Miller who held the Tigers’ 5 through 9 hitters to an 0-for-12 night with a pair of walks.

Miller (8-4) posted her fourth consecutive triumph since returning from a shoulder injury with effective pitching, scattering four hits and striking out a pair of Tigers. The sophomore righthander also walked two batters and surrendered an unearned run. Emily Turner (8-8) was sent to her fifth consecutive loss and her second of the series, offsetting seven strikeouts with four hits that led to as many unearned runs for the hosts.

The game extended MSU’s winning streak out to five games and gave the Maroon and White its first five-game league winning streak since posting nine-straight SEC wins in 2001. It was also State’s first series victory over the Purple and Gold in a 34-game series that dates back to the 1982 season.

"Kelli is really pitching great," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Obviously, we need her in the circle. With her shoulder injury, we went through a tough stretch where we didn’t have her for a couple of weeks. The key is, keeping her healthy the rest of the way. I thought she did a great job keeping them off balance and getting us out of a couple of jams. She kept us in the ball game and gave us a chance to win. That’s all you ask for from your pitchers."

After both teams failed to muster even a sniff of the third base bag through the opening two innings, LSU capitalized on an MSU fielding error in the third, using its short game to move a runner to the hot corner before Lauren Castle’s RBI single up the middle gave the Tigers the quick 1-0 lead. Tanelda McDonald broke up Turner’s no-hit bid with a one-out single in the fourth, but Turner got a clutch double play with the next at-bat to escape the first real serious threat for the Bulldogs in the nightcap.

MSU used a throwing error and a pair of walks to move a Courtney Bures to third base with two outs in the sixth and plated the tying run moments later on a clutch fielding error by Tiger third baseman Lauren Delahoussaye. With McDonald and Jessup both aboard, Williams took a one-ball, two strike offering from Turner over the wall in left field to cap off the game-winning frame.

"We talked to the kids after this past weekend and told them that, if we can win every series the rest of the way out, we can win the SEC West," Miller said. "That’s our goal, to go out and win each series. We’ve done that and now we have an opportunity to sweep. We want to finish it tomorrow and build upon that going into this weekend with Auburn."

The Maroon and White will close out its series with the nationally-ranked Tigers Thursday afternoon in a twilight game at the MSU Softball Field. The game has been tabbed with a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Source: MSU Media Relations

(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Homestanding Mississippi State pounded out 12 hits and crossed the plate 13 times, then held back a late charge by 25th-ranked LSU to upend the Purple and Gold for the first time since March 27, 2003, on a 13-11 victory in the series opener Wednesday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.

Mississippi State (22-15, 4-6 SEC) got three hits apiece from Tanelda McDonald and Courtney Bures, but got clutch home runs from both Jennifer Jessup and Michelle Kinney in the upset victory. Callye Williams drove in a pair of runs on a 2-for-3 hitting line for State’s only other multi-hit performance. Vanessa Soto led the hitting column for the Tigers, scoring twice on a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux surrendered five runs on eight hits in just three innings of work for the Bulldogs who used three other pitchers in the outing. Kelli Miller (7-4) picked up the victory for the Bulldogs, walking just one in a scoreless seventh inning of play. For the second time this season, LSU staff ace Emily Turner (8-7) did not get out of the first inning and was saddled with the loss after allowing four earned runs on three hits and a walk in one-thirds innings of action from the circle.

Keyed by an eight-run third inning that was highlighted by Kinney’s pinch-hit grand slam, State took a 12-2 lead into the fourth, but the Tigers answered with a bang, scoring four runs in the fourth and two in the sixth to cut their deficit to four, 12-8, heading into MSU’s half of the sixth. McDonald’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame pushed the Maroon and White lead out to five, but LSU got a three-run homer off of MSU reliever Sara Hickerson in the seventh to cut the lead to just a pair.

"We were able to outlast them more than anything," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Michelle Kinney’s grand slam was huge for us and we kept swinging and putting runs on the board which was a good sign. We had a game like that a couple of years ago, and I was hoping it would turn out a little better this time, and it did."

After the three-run blast, Miller came on in relief and shut the Purple and Gold down, allowing just a one-out walk.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Lady Bulldog women's tennis team moved up eleven spots to 23rd in nation in the latest poll released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association after upsetting its third higher-ranked team this season on Sunday. This is the highest ranking for the squad since March of 2000 when the team was ranked 22nd.

In its last match, then 34th-ranked State upset 19th-ranked Tennessee in Starkville in a 4-2 decision. The last time the Lady Bulldogs won against the Lady Vols was in 1987. With the win, the squad improved to 9-3 overall and 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference, giving them the lead in the SEC Western Division.

MSU will play its last home match of the regular season on Friday, hosting the 62nd-ranked Arkansas Lady Razorbacks at 3 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Outdoor Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University outdoor track and field squads return home this weekend to host the Bulldog Invitational at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track. MSU welcomes over 100 high schools from across Mississippi and Alabama on Friday for the high school meet beginning at noon CT. The collegiate meet is scheduled to begin Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Admission is free of charge.

"We’re looking forward to Friday’s high school meet," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "We’re excited to have some of the best athletes in Mississippi and Alabama competing here. As for Saturday, LSU is a perennial powerhouse and SW Missouri State is a good school on the national scene. Alabama’s women and Louisiana Tech will help fill out this meet."

Saturday’s collegiate meet brings national powerhouse LSU to the Starkville campus. In addition to the Tigers, in state school Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama’s women, Louisiana Tech, Samford and Southwest Missouri State are slated to compete.

At the Alabama Relays, junior Meggan Hodge won the 3000-meter steeplechase in 10 minutes, 50.44 seconds, a regional qualifying time, new Alabama Relays record and new Sam Bailey Track record. For her performance, Hodge was named the Southeastern Conference Female Runner of the Week on March 23. Sophomore Matt Whalen won the hammer with a throw of 178-4.

State won the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays in regional-qualifying times of 39.72 seconds and 3:05.84, respectively. The 4x200-meter relay team of Steve Mullings, Jamel Ashley, Arthur Davis and LaChristopher Lewis set a new Alabama Relays record with their winning time of 1:21.34. The Bulldogs won the sprint medley relay in 3:17.82.

In their first outdoor competition for the Maroon and White, Natalie Neely and Dominique Rogers set new freshmen records in their respective events. Neely cleared 10-6 to finish eighth in the pole vault, while Rogers finished third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.66.

In addition to posting regionally-qualifying times in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays at Alabama, the Bulldogs set three regional qualifying marks on their opening weekend at the FSU Snowbird. Whalen won the shot put with a throw of 55-0. State’s 4x100-meter relay team of Eliott Morant, Ashley, Mullings, Lewis set a regional mark with their 40.52 time. The 4x400-meter relay team of Ashley, Kendall Pyant II, Mullings, and Lewis won in 3:07.08.

Now in its third decade of service to Mississippi State's track and field program, W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track is located on Lakeview Drive, behind the Shira Fieldhouse Complex. Live results will be available on the MSU athletics Web site, www.MStateAthletics.com, during the event.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/30/05
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - After splitting a pair of Southeastern Conference road matches, including an upset of then-No. 7 Georgia in Athens Friday, Mississippi State's men's tennis team moved up to 14th nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, released Tuesday. The ranking is MSU's highest since a No. 13 mark in late February 2002.

Having won eight of its last 10 matches, State is off to its best overall (10-4) and SEC (5-1) starts since 1998's NCAA semifinal squad opened the year with marks of 12-2, 5-1.

Currently tied with fourth-ranked, arch-rival Mississippi for the SEC Western Division lead, State is tied for second overall in the SEC with the Rebels, No. 8 Georgia and No. 17 Tennessee. No. 9 Florida is currently the only undefeated team in the league at 6-0.

MSU will play its final SEC road affair of '05 this Friday, April 1, meeting No. 70 Arkansas in Fayetteville. MSU then returns home this Sunday, April 3, to welcome No. 22 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate. During that homestand, State will also entertain No. 9 Florida (Apr. 8), No. 34 South Carolina (Apr. 10) and No. 4 Mississippi (Apr. 16). The Florida and South Carolina matchups will be part of Super Bulldog Weekend activities.

In related news, Bulldog Florent Girod was named this week's SEC's Men's Tennis Player of the Week, as announced by the league office Tuesday. Girod was accorded the honor based on his play this past weekend. Girod went 3-1 in singles and doubles in MSU's two matches.

In State's 4-3 upset at Georgia Friday, the Belfort, France, native teamed with Philippe Frayssinoux in doubles to upset UGA's 51st-ranked team of Strahinja Bobusic and Colin Purcell to help give MSU the first point of the match. Girod then registered a straight-set singles win over Purcell to hand State a 2-0 lead. On Sunday at Tennessee, Girod and Frayssinoux fell in doubles, but he rebounded to post a three-set singles win over Volunteer Ben Rogers.

The junior has been very impressive this spring. With his two singles wins over the weekend, he remained undefeated in singles in team play, now a perfect 12-0 overall, 6-0 in SEC affairs. Girod is 10-2 overall in singles and doubles in SEC competition this spring. During his 12-match singles streak, he has dropped only two sets.

Girod is one of six Bulldogs to earn the SEC's weekly award since the league initiated it for the sport of tennis in 2000. He joins Luiz Carvalho (once in 2003), Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette (once each in 2002 and 2003), Marco Baron (twice in 2001), and Jeremy Bayon (once in 2000) in earning the honor.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Coming off a perfect weekend in Southeastern Conference play by virtue of a series sweep of Kentucky at home, the Mississippi State softball team will continue its season-long nine-game homestand on Wednesday and Thursday when the Bulldogs suit up to host 22nd-ranked LSU in a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field.

Mississippi State (21-15, 3-6 SEC) and the five-time league champion Tigers (17-11, 1-8) will renew their rivalry for the 33rd time in a 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon doubleheader, before closing out the set on Thursday at 5 p.m. With Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties, WMSV 91.1 FM will broadcast the first two games of the series and all three games can be followed in progress via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.

Having played LSU more times than any other of its opponents in school annals, State has collected just three victories in the 32 game series, but has managed a bit more success over the last handful of seasons. LSU claimed 23 of the first 24 victories between the two squads from 1982 to 2002, but the Bulldogs have posted two victories since that time. Claiming results almost a near mirror-image to one another, both will look to gain a leg up this week in key meetings in terms of divisional standings in the SEC West.

"LSU is a well-coached team who is very talented and capable of beating anybody in the country," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Like us, they lost some talent with graduation and have had to deal with growing pains as well."

Coping with the loss of Kristin Schmidt, last year’s staff ace and the MVP of the 2004 NCAA Women’s College World Series, the Tigers have felt a sting from the pitcher’s circle where the Purple and Gold carry an uncharacteristic 2.73 staff ERA. Sophomore Emily Turner is the ace of the LSU pitching staff. With an 8-6 record, she has made 18 appearances with a 2.48 earned run average, two shutouts and 90 strikeouts while opponents hit just .190 against her. The Tigers, as a team, have recorded a 2.73 ERA with seven shutouts and a .209 batting average against.

Offensively, the Tigers are loaded with the return of both Stephanie Hill and Leslie Klein, both of whom posted 50 or more RBI in LSU’s run to the postseason in 2004. Rookie Quinlan Duhon currently paces the LSU offense with a .395 average that complements 16 extra-base hits and 24 RBI. Boasting one of the SEC’s best hitting teams, the Tigers also boast four other hitters in their order carrying batting clips of .359 or better. Freshman Vanessa Soto paces the Purple and Gold in the RBI column (29) on the strength of 12 doubles and four home runs.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/28/05
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 34th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team (9-3, 3-3) defeated the 19th-ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee (11-5, 4-2) on Sunday in a 4-2 decision. The last time MSU won against Tennessee was in 1987. The match was moved indoors to MSU's McCarthy Gym due to inclement weather.

State won the doubles point to begin the match. At the first spot, MSU's 20th-ranked tandem of Zsuzsanna Fodor and Anastasia Kugakolova defeated Tennessee's Sabita Maharaj and Bryce Marable, 8-1, increasing their winning streak to five matches. Polina Kokoulina and Magdi Rekasi shut out Melissa Schaub and Ghizela Schutte at the second position, 8-0. The match between MSU's Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman and UT's Daron Moore and Ashley Robards was suspended with State up 3-2 at No. 3.

Fodor and Kugakolova have broken into the MSU record books for doubles victories. Fodor is in seventh place for doubles wins in a season with 24, and Kugakolova has 23 for eighth place. Fodor and Kugakolova as a team are in fifth on the list for team doubles wins in a season with 18.

MSU's 21st-ranked Fodor took her singles match over 42nd-ranked Sabita Maharaj, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 1. Fodor has a singles record of 30-6 so far this season, leaving her in second place on the MSU all-time list for singles wins in a season. The current record holder is Andrea Lord with her 31 wins during the 1999-2000 season.

Winning the squad's third point of the match, sophomore Tarryn Rudman defeated Bryce Marable in a three set match, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2, at the third spot. Kokoulina clinched the upset win for the Lady Bulldogs, downing Ashley Robards, 6-1, 6-2, at the fifth spot.

Kugakolova fell, 7-5, 6-4, in a tough match to UT's Blakeley Griffith at No. 2. Renee Joseph dropped her match with Victoria Jones in a super set tiebreaker after coming back and winning the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-5, 6-7(4), 1-0(5).

Next, the Lady Bulldogs will host Arkansas in their last home match of the season on Friday, April 1, at 3 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Mississippi State's 15th-ranked men's tennis team had its undefeated Southeastern Conference start halted Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs dropped a very close 4-3 decision at 21st-ranked Tennessee. MSU, now 10-4 overall, dropped to 5-1 in the SEC. Tennessee improved to 10-3, 5-1 in league play.

UT, which had not lost the opening doubles point all season, kept that statistic in check Sunday, as the Volunteers swept the Bulldogs in doubles action, led by an 8-4 win from the seventh-ranked duo of Ockie Oosthuizen and Ben Rogers over State's 22nd-ranked pair of Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto. The point would prove to be very important, as the teams would split the six singles contests.

First off the court was MSU true freshman Philippe Frayssinoux, who notched a solid 6-3, 6-2 victory over Vol Morgan Wilson at the No. 3 position. Tennessee regained the lead at 2-1 when 53rd-ranked Mark Dietrich, the lone UT player being honored on UT's Senior Day, held off MSU's Ivan Bjelica 6-4, 6-4 at the top spot in the lineup.

State tied the match again at 2-2 when rookie Pierre Mouillon extended his current singles win streak to eight in a row, downing UT's Kaden Hensel 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5. Mouillon improved to 6-0 in SEC battles.

But the Volunteers would claim the next two matches to finish to clinch the team win. Putting UT up 3-2 was Bobby Cameron, who won a close first set with State's Carvalho to propel him to a 7-5, 6-1 triumph at No. 2. The deciding point would come at the No. 4 position. There, MSU's Pinto found himself down a set and a break in the second set to Tennessee's Oosthuizen. Pinto fought back to force a tiebreaker, but Oosthuizen would take that breaker and the match 6-3, 7-6(2).

In the last match of the day, State's Florent Girod kept his singles record this season unblemished. His 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Rogers at the No. 6 spot improved him to an incredible 12-0 in singles dual matches (6-0 in the SEC) in 2005.

"We knew that Tennessee would be a tough match for us," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "They are extremely good in doubles and even though we gave a good comeback effort in singles, they proved to be just a little better than us today. Tennessee is a very talented team.

"But we are encouraged with our position right now. To be 5-1 in the SEC at this point is a testament to the hard work our guys have been putting in. We are steadily improving every time we play and that is our goal. We look forward to starting the second half of the conference schedule next weekend."

State will play its final SEC road affair of '05 this Friday, April 1, meeting No. 71 Arkansas in Fayetteville. MSU then returns home this Sunday, April 3, to welcome No. 16 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate. During that homestand, State will also entertain No. 8 Florida (Apr. 8), No. 41 South Carolina (Apr. 10) and No. 6 Mississippi (Apr. 16). The Florida and South Carolina matchups will be part of Super Bulldog Weekend activities.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
ATHENS, Ga. - State's women golfers advanced another spot to finish in seventh-place at the 33rd annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic on Sunday in Athens, Ga. The Lady Bulldogs recorded their second straight 305 team score in the final round. The three-day event was held at the UGA Golf Course, a 72 par, 6,104 yard course.

Picayune, Miss., native Amanda Mathis shot a three-under par 69 on the last day to finish tied for seventh. Mathis paced the squad for the third time this season with her 222 event total. Senior Beth Irwin finished tied for 41st-place, shooting a 233 for the tournament. Both finishing tied for 55th-place, Janet Dyer recorded a 76 in the third round, and Stephanie Godare shot a 77. Julia Huh finished tied for 83rd.

Host Georgia took the team title with a 300 on the final day of competition leading all three rounds of the tournament. Georgia's Kelly Froelich earned the individual crown, shooting a 71 and finishing with a two-over par 218 total.

The field consisted of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Furman, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest.

Next, the squad travels to Tunica, Miss., for the Southeastern Conference Championship on May 15-17.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/27/05
Women's Golf
ATHENS, Ga. - The Lady Bulldog golfers moved up one spot to eighth-place, dropping its team score by four strokes to 305 in the second round of the 33rd annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., on Saturday. State is ahead of five Southeastern Conference schools entering the final day of competition. The three-day event is being held at the UGA Golf Course, a 72 par, 6,104 yard course.

Germantown, Tenn., native Beth Irwin led the team for the second time this tournament, shooting a 77 and tying her for 14th-place. Sophomore Amanda Mathis finished day two tied for 25th-place with her 76. Also recording rounds of 76, Stephanie Godare is tied for 60th, and Janet Dyer is tied for 66th-place. Julia Huh shot an 85 in her second round for tied for 72nd-place.

Host Georgia is atop the leader board for a second day with a 16-over par team total. With a one-over par event total, Tulane's Lindsay Hulwick moved into first place with her even par 72 on day two.

The final round will begin with a shotgun start on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EST.

The field consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Furman, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
(Game 3) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Tanelda McDonald’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning plated Courtney Bures with the game-winning run as the Bulldogs rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the sixth to finish off its series sweep of Kentucky on a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.

Bures’ seventh-inning triple highlighted a 2-for-4 day at the plate for the rookie from Haymarket, Va., while McDonald provided the dramatic at-bat to cap off a 1-for-3 hitting line for the Maroon and White (21-15, 3-6 SEC). No plate appearance was bigger than Sara Hickerson’s pinch-hit in the sixth however, as the sophomore came through with her first base knock of the campaign to plate the first run for MState. Kentucky (14-25, 1-11) got a solo homer from Katie Campbell for one of three hits on the day for the visitors.

In her first relief appearance of the season, Kelli Miller (6-4) came on in relief of MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux in the fourth and picked up her second victory in the series, holding UK to a single hit in four innings of work. Likewise, Kentucky reliever Samantha Allen (10-11) saddled the loss for the Wildcats after allowing two runs on two hits in just one-third of an inning of relief.

"We came out flat in those first five innings especially and that was very disappointing," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We didn’t do a very good job at the plate and that got to be a little frustrating. But, obviously, the sixth and seventh innings were huge for us. Sara came in and put the first run on the board for us, then Keri (McFarling) and Courtney got us a couple of hits and Tanelda drove in the gamewinner for us.

"I think that is going to be big for our confidence going into the LSU series (Wednesday and Thursday). We needed the sweep this weekend and we were able to get that."

Kentucky utilized a five-pitch leadoff walk delivered to Marnitz to manufacture their first run in the first, moving the runner over with its short game, before Jessica Nance’s single two batters later gave the ‘Cats a 1-0 advantage. UK would stretch their lead out to two in its half of the second when Campbell took the first offering from Comeaux over the fence in left field.

Kendall retired the first two Bulldogs in order in the bottom of the sixth, but State utilized a throwing error from the righthander to keep the inning alive. Michelle Kinney followed with a full-count walk and, after a stolen base by Katie Johnson, Hickerson’s shot to shallow centerfield cut the lead in half, 2-1.

Keri McFarling reached on error to lead off the bottom of the seventh and Bures tied the score moments later on her third triple of the series.

Mississippi State will return to action on Wednesday and Thursday when the Bulldogs suit up to host SEC Western Division foe LSU in a key midweek series at the MSU Softball Field. The two squads will renew their series for the 33rd time in a 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon doubleheader before closing out the set on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/26/05
Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team has been very impressive of late, but the 15th-ranked Bulldogs posted by far their biggest victory of their current hot streak Friday, upsetting seventh-ranked Georgia 4-3 on the road in Athens. State's Pierre Mouillon and Arnaud Roussel each rallied from a set down to claim late three-set wins that propelled the Bulldogs to the win, which was their fifth in a row and eighth in their last nine.

The victory improved State to 10-3 overall. With Georgia and No. 21 Tennessee both suffering their first league losses Friday, MSU is now tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with sixth-ranked Mississippi and eighth-ranked Florida at 5-0, MSU's best SEC start since a 6-0 beginning in 1997. Georgia, which only had losses to Illinois and Duke, ranked No. 2 and 4 nationally at present, on its ledger this season, fell to 12-3 overall, 4-1 in SEC action, while having a 21-match home winning streak broken by MSU. The win was also only State's second ever in Athens, the other coming in the team's last trip there in 2003.

State went up 2-0 in the match early on, only to see Georgia regain a 3-2 advantage with three straight wins. But the last two matches of the day would belong to the Bulldogs from Starkville. The true freshman Mouillon registered a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 win, his seventh in a row, over Georgia's Strahinja Bobusic at the No. 4 position to tie the match at 3-3. Then, the sophomore Roussel notched his third match-clinching victory of 2005, claiming a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3 upset win over UGA's 63rd-ranked Matias Ormaza at No. 6. Roussel won on the fourth match point with Ormaza serving at 3-5 in the third set.

State gained the early lead on the day by claiming the doubles point. After 22nd-ranked Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto dropped an 8-4 decision to Georgia's second-ranked tandem of John Isner and Antonio Ruiz at the top position, MSU rallied for wins at No. 2 and 3. At No. 2, MSU's duo of Philippe Frayssinoux and Florent Girod upended UGA's 51st-ranked team of Bobusic and Colin Purcell 8-6. Then, State's pair of Ivan Bjelica and Mouillon pulled out a tight 9-7 decision from Georgia's Ricardo Gonzalez and Matic Omerzel. It marked only the fifth time this season UGA had dropped the doubles point and the first time in its last eight outings.

MSU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match when Girod continued his torrid pace this season. The junior from Belfort, France, turned in a 6-4, 6-2 decision over Purcell at the No. 4 singles position to remain perfect (now 11-0) in singles dual matches this year. Girod has dropped only one set in those 11 decisions.

Georgia got its first point of the day when Isner, ranked 13th nationally, finished off a 6-1, 7-5 victory over State's Bjelica, who was playing No. 1 singles for the first time during his career. UGA tied the match when Omerzel, ranked 68th in the country, claimed a tight 7-6(3), 6-4 triumph over State's Pinto at No. 3. That was followed by a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 win from Ruiz, ranked 61st, who held off the MSU rookie Frayssinoux 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 at No. 2. Frayssinoux held two match points in that contest when leading 5-4 in the third set.

"This was an incredible effort by our team," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We knew when we won the doubles point, we had a chance, but Georgia put our backs to the wall in singles, winning the first set in five of the matches. But we found a way to get the job done again. I am very proud of the way our guys are working and improving, and those things are really paying off for us right now.

"But as it always is in the SEC, we have to get ready for yet another very difficult match on Sunday in Knoxville. Tennessee is every bit as talented as Georgia. I can assure you there aren't 20 other programs in the country that are better than Tennessee right now. They are a top 10-level team. We will have to be very prepared once again."

The Bulldogs and 21st-ranked Volunteers will square off Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET at UT's Varsity Courts. Tennessee, which dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 6 Mississippi on Friday, is 9-3, 4-1 in the SEC, with all three of its losses having come to teams currently ranked in the top 6 in the nation.

Following Sunday's action, State closes out its current five-match road swing at No. 71 Arkansas next Friday, April 1. MSU then returns home April 3 to welcome No. 16 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate. During that homestand, State will also host No. 8 Florida (Apr. 8), No. 41 South Carolina (Apr. 10) and No. 6 Mississippi (Apr. 16). The Florida and South Carolina matchups will be part of Super Bulldog Weekend activities.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
(Game 2) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State pounded out eight hits and crossed the plate five times behind a dominating four-hit shutout from Kelli Miller to blank visiting Kentucky, 5-0, and clinch its weekend series with the Wildcats Friday evening at the MSU Softball Field.

The win gave the Maroon and White (20-15, 2-6 SEC) its first league series victory of the season and sent Kentucky (14-24, 1-10) reeling to its 10th-straight conference loss and its fourth-straight series loss of the campaign.

Katie Johnson drove in a run on a 3-for-3 night at the plate, while Courtney Bures drove in and scored a run to stretch her hitting streak out to four games. Jennifer Jessup doubled and scored on a 2-for-3 hitting line, while Michelle Kinney tallied a RBI single on a pinch-hit appearance in the fifth. Four different players recorded base hits for the Wildcats.

Miller (5-4) struck out five UK batters and did not surrender a walk in collecting her first win since a February 19 shutout at home against Troy. Although Kentucky followed with a pair of relievers, starter Meghan Cooper (4-12) saddled the loss for the Blue and White after allowing a pair of runs on five hits in four innings from the circle.

"We came out strong today," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We swung the bats really well and we put some runs on the board early in both games. We played great defense and got super outings from both Stephanie Comeaux (game one win) and Kelli Miller. Hopefully we can come out strong again tomorrow. We talked about this last year with these guys. We can’t take the first two games of a series, then mail it in and get beat the next day. We don’t want to let that happen again."

MSU wasted no time in lighting up the left field scoreboard, using a two-out triple from Bures and a wild pitch from Cooper to take a 1-0 lead into the second inning. The Bulldogs would score again in the second, utilizing a leadoff double from Jessup and a single up the middle from Johnson to cushion their advantage to 2-0 heading into the third.

With Miller posting fine form on the defensive side of the ball, MSU put the game away in the fifth, putting a pair of runners on with one out to set the table for Kinney who drilled a ball down the left field line to plate an insurance run. Consecutive RBI knocks from Katie Cooley (fielder’s choice) and Bures (sac fly) would provide the final.

Mississippi State and Kentucky will close out their weekend set on Saturday afternoon when the two return to the MSU Softball Field for the series finale. The contest has been slated with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Saturday’s series finale will be broadcast live by WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties.

Source: MSU Media Relations

(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Jennifer Jessup’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning plated Katie Cooley with the winning run as the Bulldogs rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat visiting Kentucky, 3-2, in the series opener Friday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.

The win snapped a season-long four-game losing skid for the Bulldogs (19-15, 1-6 SEC) who also picked up their first conference win after suffering through series sweeps at the hands of nationally ranked Georgia and Tennessee in the first two SEC weekends. Kentucky’s (14-23, 1-9) setback extended their conference losing streak out to nine games. UK’s lone conference win came in their conference-opening weekend against Ole Miss.

MSU freshman Courtney Bures drove in a pair of runs and walked once on a 2-for-2 hitting line, with sophomores Cooley and Keri McFarling both scoring once on a 1-for-3 plate tallies. Brooke Marnitz led the hitting column for the Wildcats, turning in a triple and a single in three trips to the plate.

The ‘Cats drew first blood in the second, getting Marnitz aboard via a one-out triple to set the table for Katie Campbell’s sac fly to deep centerfield that brought UK’s best hitter trotting in from 60 feet away. State countered in its half of the third, getting a pair of runners into position for Bures, who tripled into the gap in right field to clear the bases and give the hosts a 3-2 advantage.

Kentucky nearly equaled the task in the top of the fourth, getting two runners aboard via a leadoff single and a hit batter before Alli Eckman’s two-out single to centerfield tied the game back up. Comeaux hit the next UK batter to juice the bases, but got out of the inning after retiring Ashley Fertic on a swinging strikeout.

After Cooley led off MSU’s half of the inning with a single, State used its short game, as well as a Bures single, to move the runner to third.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 34th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team fell, 4-3, in a hard fought battle to the fourth-ranked Bulldogs of Georgia on Friday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU dropped to 8-3, 2-3 SEC on the season, and Georgia improved to 11-2, 5-0 SEC.

In doubles, MSU's 21st-ranked duo of Zsuzsanna Fodor and Anastasia Kugakolova upset Georgia's seventh-ranked tandem of Shadisha Robinson and Caroline Basu on court one, 8-3. Georgia took the doubles point to start the match, winning at No. 2 and No. 3. Kelley Hyndman and Evgenia Subbotina defeated MSU's Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman at the second spot, 8-4. At No. 3, Polina Kokoulina and Magdi Rekasi fell, 8-2, to Natalie Frazier and Jitka Schonfeldova.

State's 21st-ranked Fodor defeated fifth-ranked Robinson on court one, after falling 6-4 in the first set. Fodor came back and won the match, 6-2, 6-2, in the second and third sets. In her last two singles matches, the Budapest, Hungary, native has upset two top-10 ranked players in the country, defeating Alabama's then seventh-ranked Robin Stephenson on March 13, 7-5, 6-2.

Junior Kugakolova dropped her first set to 23rd-ranked Frazier, 6-0, and was down 3-0 in the second at No. 2. She fought back and took the second set in a 7-6(5) tiebreaker and won the match when Frazier defaulted the third set. Tarryn Rudman was also victorious, defeating Hyndman at the third spot, 6-2, 6-3.

Freshman Kokoulina fell, 6-2, 6-2, to Subbotina on court four, and freshman Renee Joseph dropped her match to Basu, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 5. Senior Rekasi was defeated, 6-2, 6-2, at the sixth position, by Schonfeldova.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs host the 19th-ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee on Sunday, March 27, at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
ATHENS, Ga. - The Mississippi State women's golf team is in ninth-place after the first round of the 33rd annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., on Friday. The Lady Bulldogs shot a team total 309 and are only 11 strokes out of first place. The three-day event is being held at the UGA Golf Course, a 72 par, 6,104 yard course.

Pacing the squad, senior Beth Irwin recorded a one-over par 73, leaving her tied for fourth place and one stoke behind the three players tied for first. Freshman Julia Huh shot a 76 in her first round, tying her for 21st-place, and Amanda Mathis is tied for 28th-place with her 77. Tied for 78th place, Stephanie Godare recorded an 83. Janet Dyer is tied for 83rd, shooting an 84.

Wake Forest's Ashley Hoagland, Arkansas's Stacy Lewis and host Georgia's Lisa Tyler are all tied on top of the leader board after the first day of competition with an even par 72. Georgia is the team leader, firing a 298 team score.

Competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. EST. on Saturday in waves with a shotgun start on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EST.

The field consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Furman, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/25/05
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - After almost two weeks away from competition, Mississippi State's 15th-ranked men's tennis team restarts play this weekend with a pair of tough matchups on the road, travelling to meet seventh-ranked Georgia in Athens Friday and 21st-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville Sunday.

MSU, 9-3 overall, has won seven of its last eight contests, including a 4-0 start in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs are currently tied for the SEC lead with Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi.

Bulldogs will meet Bulldogs on Friday at 5 p.m. ET in Athens, as State meets Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia is 12-2 overall this season, its only losses coming to Illinois and Duke, both currently in the top 10, at the ITA National Indoor Championships in February. UGA has won 21 consecutive home matches. State and Georgia met twice last season with the Athens-based Bulldogs taking both affairs, a 5-2 win in Starkville and a 4-1 win in the SEC Championship quarterfinals. MSU claimed its first-ever win in Athens in its last trip there two years ago, winning 5-2.

On Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, State will square off with Tennessee at UT's Varsity Courts in Knoxville. The Volunteers are 9-2, 4-0 in the SEC, with their only setbacks also having come to current top 10 teams, Duke and Virginia. State and Tennessee also met twice last year. The Vols edged MSU 4-3 in Starkville, but State reversed that score to upset UT in the first round of the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs also claimed the last meeting between the teams in Knoxville, a 6-1 decision in 2003.

"We have two very difficult tasks coming up this weekend," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Georgia and Tennessee are obviously both outstanding teams. We will have to play our best tennis if we are to win either match."

Following this weekend's action, State closes out its current five-match road swing at No. 71 Arkansas next Friday, April 1. MSU then returns home April 3 to welcome No. 16 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate. During that homestand, State will also host No. 8 Florida (Apr. 8), No. 41 South Carolina (Apr. 10) and No. 6 Mississippi (Apr. 16). The Florida and South Carolina affairs are during Super Bulldog Weekend.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 34th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team (8-2, 2-2 SEC) will host the fourth-ranked Bulldogs of Georgia (10-2, 4-0 SEC) on Friday, March 25, in a match set to begin at 3 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. On Sunday, MSU will face the 19th-ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee (10-3, 3-1 SEC) at 1 p.m., also at the Pitts Tennis Centre.

"We are heading into a really big weekend, and the girls understand the opportunities that lie ahead," said head coach Tracy Lane. "Georgia and Tennessee are two extremely respected programs, and we are looking forward to the challenge."

In the latest poll released by the ITA, State moved up two spots to 34th-place. This is the highest ranking for an MSU women's tennis team since the first match of the 2003 season. Sophomore Zsuzsanna Fodor advanced six spots to 21st, and along with doubles partner Anastasia Kugakolova, the duo is now ranked 20th.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State women's golf team will compete in the 33rd annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic this weekend in Athens, Ga. The three-day event is set to begin on Friday, March 25, at the UGA Golf Course, a 72 par, 6,104 yard course.

"Our final regular season tournament will be a good test for us," said head coach Christi Sanders. "The course is challenging, and the field is very strong. This will be a prelude for the SEC Championship in a few weeks since there will be nine other SEC teams competing in this weekend's event."

State's lineup will be sophomore Amanda Mathis, senior Janet Dyer, junior Stephanie Godare, senior Beth Irwin and freshman Julia Huh. Mathis is coming off a tied for fourth place showing at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, where she tied the MSU record for lowest round and tied The University Club's course record with her second round 67.

Competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. EST. on Friday and Saturday in waves with a shotgun start on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EST.

The field consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Furman, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest.

At the 2004 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, MSU finished in 14th-place with a 926 tournament total. Godare and Irwin paced the squad, both recording a 231 event score. Georgia's Brittany Lang won individual medalist honors with her 66-73-68 performance, and host Georgia took the team title.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Fresh off an unscheduled layoff following a rainout on Tuesday evening, the Mississippi State softball team will begin a nine-game homestand this weekend when the Maroon and White locks horns with visiting Kentucky in a key three-game intra-divisional series at the MSU Softball Field.

The two squads will renew their rivalry for the 22nd time in a 4 p.m. Friday afternoon doubleheader, before closing out the series on Saturday with a single game slated for a 1 p.m. start. All three games of the set can be followed in progress via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com. Saturday’s series finale will also be broadcast live by WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties.

Having already battled nationally-ranked Georgia and Tennessee to begin the 2005 conference slate, the Wildcats (14-22, 1-8 SEC) will mark the third consecutive opponent from the SEC’s Eastern Division for MState (18-15, 0-6) who will look to snap a season-long four-game losing streak in the comfy confines of home this weekend. Friday’s game will also mark the first home appearance for the Bulldogs in 13 days.

"We’ve started out (our conference schedule) pretty tough with Georgia and Tennessee," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "I think that they are the two best teams in the conference. After that, we don’t have the same level of competition. But, when you’re in the SEC, everybody can play and every game is a tough game. We’re going to have to come out ready to play every game from here on out. Anybody can beat anybody in this conference."

Having snapped an eight-game losing streak with a doubleheader sweep over Marshall on Wednesday, Kentucky has battled some of the tougher teams in the conference as well. However, after dropping Ole Miss in its SEC opener, the ‘Cats have dropped eight-straight, including being victimized in series sweeps by then-#13 Georgia and at ninth-ranked Alabama this past weekend.

Sporting a team batting clip of .212, the Blue and White is led by sophomore infielder Brooke Marnitz (.340, HR, 4 RBI), but has a littering of dangerous hitters throughout their order as evidenced by six other players with 10 or more RBI on the season. Freshman catcher Alli Eckman (.250, 11 R) paces the team in that column with 14 so far this season.

Defensively, Kentucky has struggled through a wave of inconsistency with its pitching staff which has managed to turn in a 5.18 staff ERA through 36 outings. UK’s three-armed pitching staff is allowing a healthy .308 opponent batting average, with 27 percent of their opponents’ hits falling into the extra-base variety. The Wildcats have used only two pitchers since a win over Minnesota on February 20 with freshman Samantha Allen leading the way with a 10-9 record and a 5.02 ERA in her rookie campaign.

Junior righthander Meghan Cooper, who has handled her own against conference foes in each of her past two seasons in Lexington, currently sports a 4-11 clip and a 4.25 ERA.

Source: MSU Media Relations

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Mississippi State softball head coach Jay Miller is among 16 coaches who have been chosen for coaching consideration for events during the 2005 Women’s National Team season, the USA Softball organization announced Thursday. These individuals were chosen from a pool of applicants that make up the 2005-2008 quadrennial coaching pool.

"We are excited to announce our pool of coaches for the 2005 events," said Director of National Teams Ronnie Isham. "Our goal is to maximize the opportunities for coaches within the pool and utilize a larger number of qualified coaches for USA Softball events."

Each of the 16 coaches will be considered for appointment to a coaching staff that would lead a US team into international competition during the 2005 season. The selection of coaches will be handled by the Women’s National Team Selection Committee and will be announced at a later date. Women’s National Team’s Program head coach Mike Candrea, who led the USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, also serves on the selection committee.

Miller is also one of eight coaches have accepted an invitation to work the June 13-17, 2005 National Team Selection Camp. This camp will be used to select the 2005 USA Softball Women’s National Team and the 2005 USA Softball Elite Team.

Earlier this season, Miller was selected as part of the four-member USA coaching staff for the 2005 Pacific Rim Sports Summit tournament to be held in June in Seattle. The appointment followed the Miller-led Red, White and Blue’s successful run through the World University Games for Softball that culminated with a 1-0 triumph over Chinese Taipei in the gold medal game.

Now in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach, Miller recently became the 23rd collegiate coach all-time to capture his 800th career victory on MSU’s 8-0 mercy rule victory at Middle Tennessee on March 17. Having compiled an 800-486 (.622) overall record through 22+ seasons as a collegiate skipper, he has compiled a 91-71 in his two-plus seasons in Starkville.

Included in his illustrious 22-year coaching career is a pair of NCAA Women's College World Series appearances and seven NCAA regional berths. He has also been decorated conference or region coach of the year three times and has led his squads to a pair of conference championships.

Miller was appointed to his first stint with USA Softball from 1992-96, serving on the National Team selection committee that would, ultimately, be in charge of choosing the inaugural USA Softball team to compete in 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Since then, he has served in various capacities with the organization, including head coaching stints of the USA Red squad that captured Gold in the 2001 U.S. Cup and the USA Elite team that took home runner-up honors at the 2002 Canada Cup and the championship of the 2003 Canada Cup.

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won seven World Championship titles including the last five consecutive.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/24/05
Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University track and field standout junior Meggan Hodge has been named the Southeastern Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week as announced by the conference office on Wednesday. The honor comes following the Beaumont, Alberta-native’s record-breaking performance at the Alabama Relays this past weekend.

"This is exciting news," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "She’s an SEC quality athlete. She’s a past First Team all-SEC selection. She deserves this."

Hodge broke her own school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase on her way to winning the meet title at the Alabama Relays. She won the event in a regional qualifying time of 10 minutes, 50.44 seconds. The mark is also a new Alabama Relays and Sam Bailey Track record. Hodge was previously named SEC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week on September 17, 2002.

Hodge and the MSU track squads return to action next Saturday, April 2, when State hosts the 2005 Bulldog Invitational at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Mississippi State senior golfer Joe Deraney has been named Co-SEC Golfer of the Week announced by the Conference office on Wednesday after his performance this past Monday and Tuesday in the Homewood Suites Invitational. The Statesboro, Ga. native won the individual title at Azalea City Golf Club in Mobile, Ala. He led the Maroon and White to the top of the leaderboard for the tournament crown.

The last time the Bulldogs have won both the individual and team title came during the 1997 campaign. MSU and Michael Connell won the Cleveland/ Augusta State Invitational.

Deraney posted rounds of 69-70-71 to force a playoff with Louisiana Tech’s Derek Busby. He made par on the first hole to win the event. He has been State’s top-finisher in seven of the eight tournaments in 2004-05. He leads the team in scoring with a 72.38 average and has registered four top-10 finishes this season. The team captain has competed in all 24 rounds that the Bulldog linksters have played. This past week he moved past former MSU golfer Steve Pope to seventh on the school’s career rounds-played chart with 119 rounds played.

South Carolina’s Mark Anderson joins Deraney as this week’s award winner. Anderson won the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational. He led the Gamecocks to a sixth-place finish in the event.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/23/05
Men's Golf
MOBILE, Ala. - Mississippi State’s men’s golf team captured the team title at the Homewood Suites Invitational in Mobile, Ala. on Tuesday at the par-72 Azalea City Golf Club. The Bulldogs fired the low-round of the day of 282 to finish the 54-hole event at two-under par. MSU entered the final round two strokes behind South Alabama. The host team fired a final round 296 to finish second in the 13-team field.

The tournament victory is the first for State since the 1999 Furman Intercollegiate.

"These kids have never tasted winning on the collegiate level," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "They are excited about winning. It was a team effort today, the kids hung in there with the tough pin placements today."

Senior Joe Deraney won the individual crown in a playoff over Louisiana Tech’s Derek Busby. The Statesboro, Ga. native fired a final round one-under par 71 to make the playoff. The turning point in the round was his eagle putt on No. 15. He made par on the first hole of the playoff for his first collegiate win. The win by Deraney marked the first time a Bulldog linkster brought home a tournament championship since Codie Mudd won the 2002 LSU Spring Invitational.

"I can’t say enough about this team," said Joe Deraney. "Jake (Lambert) birdied three of his last four holes and (Josh) Oller had a 70. It was an all around good effort this week," said Deraney. "Hopefully, we can take this win and build on it."

Sophomore Josh Oller recorded a round of 70 to finish fifth in the field. Jake Lambert carded a 73, while senior Tim Satow and freshman Michael Knight each registered a 75 on the final day. Satow finished 16th and Knight placed 29th. Senior Matt Mooney competed as an individual, finishing 63th with rounds of 78,77 and 78.

"Josh’s (Oller) 70 was important and Jake (Lambert) played as consistent as anybody," said Homan. "Joe’s (Deraney) win is well deserved. He played really solid today."

The Maroon and White defeated eight Southeast District teams in the field. Austin Peay finished third, while Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi rounded out the top five.

State returns to competition on April 1-3 in the LSU Spring Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team climbed to 15th nationally in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, released Tuesday. Tuesday's ratings were the first computer-based rankings by the ITA this season. Prior polls conducted had been determined by vote of the ITA National Ranking Committee.

MSU's current 9-3 overall record is its best record after 12 matches since the 1998 Bulldog squad started 10-2. The Bulldogs' three losses this season have all come to teams currently ranked in the top 26 nationally. After starting the season 2-2, State has reeled off victories in seven of its last eight matches, including its first 4-0 start in the SEC since 1997. State joins No. 6 Mississippi, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 Florida and No. 21 Tennessee as the only undefeated teams in the SEC at present.

The Bulldogs were off from competition this past weekend, but will resume a five-match SEC road swing this weekend when it takes on two of those undefeated league squads. This Friday, March 25, State will travel to meet seventh-ranked Georgia in Athens before visiting No. 21 Tennessee this Sunday, March 27, in Knoxville. MSU concludes the road trip Apr. 1 at No. 71 Arkansas.

MSU returns home Apr. 3 to welcome No. 16 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate. During that homestand, State will also host No. 8 Florida (Apr. 8), No. 41 South Carolina (Apr. 10) and No. 6 Mississippi (Apr. 16).

"We are very pleased to be in the top 15 in the country at this point. It is very gratifying considering how well we have played, and our team should be proud of what they have accomplished so far," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "But as I said last week when we jumped into the top 20, we still have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us this season. We must continue to improve and focus if we expect to keep playing as well as we have. Obviously, we have a very difficult schedule remaining and we look forward to those challenges."

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - With heavy rain expected to move into the Starkville area Saturday, the regularly scheduled series between the Mississippi State and Kentucky softball teams has been altered. The two will now begin their set with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and conclude with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

With the movement, only Saturday’s single game can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 FM because of scheduling conflicts late Friday afternoon and Friday evening. Every game can be followed in progress, however, via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.

Mississippi State’s (18-15, 0-6 SEC) series with the Wildcats (12-22, 1-8) will begin a nine-game homestand for the Maroon and White that will extend into next week’s series against LSU and Auburn. MSU’s series finale with the Tigers on April 3 is slated to be broadcast live by SEC-TV (Fox SportsNet South).

Source: MSU Media Relations

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Due to heavy rains expected to continue throughout the Oktibbeha County area, the regularly scheduled Tuesday evening contest between the Mississippi State and UAB softball teams has been rescheduled. The game will now be played on Tuesday, April 12 at 6 p.m.

The Bulldogs (18-15, 0-6 SEC) will return to action on Friday when the Maroon and White begins a nine-game homestand against SEC Eastern Division foe Kentucky (12-22, 1-8) at the MSU Softball Field. MState and the Wildcats will renew their series for the 22nd time with a 6 p.m. Friday evening tilt before closing out the set with a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader.

Source: MSU Media Relations

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Coming off a promising weekend of play on the road, the Mississippi State softball team will return to Starkville this week as the Bulldogs begin a 10-game homestand by facing UAB in a twilight contest Tuesday at the MSU Softball Field.

Having already met on March 8 in Birmingham, Mississippi State (18-15) will welcome the Blazers (14-19) for the second half of a home-and-home doubleheader. Tuesday’s non-conference match-up has been tabbed with a 6 p.m. first pitch and the game can be followed in progress via a live stats link at the official Internet home for the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com. Admission to all 2005 Bulldog softball home games is also free.

Although suffering through its second consecutive conference series sweep on Saturday and Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn., against the sixth-ranked Lady Vols, MSU received a glimmer of hope with its play against the league’s most prolific squad. The Bulldogs held down a lethal Tennessee batting order and forced beads of sweat from the brow of reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Monica Abbott with late rallies in each of the first and third games of the set.

"You hope that we bounced back from a loss Thursday night with our performance against Tennessee, but it now depends on where we go from here," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "I thought we played with better consistency and we played a lot better from a defensive standpoint. I feel good with where we are at even though we lost a few. They key is though, what do we do with that from here on out."

In the earlier meeting between the Blazers and Bulldogs, State erased an early 2-0 deficit with eight third-inning runs en route to an 8-3 victory over the Green and Gold. In that game, the Maroon and White also got a 12-strikeout performance from sophomore righthander Stephanie Comeaux and shook off early miscues that led to a pair of UAB scores.

Like the previous meeting, UAB will be led into the contest by senior Sara Christophel who highlighted a 1-for-3 night at the plate with a solo home run two weeks ago against the Maroon and White. The Blazers, who are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Georgia State on Friday in Atlanta. The Green and Gold will carry a .215 hitting clip in Starkville.

From the circle, UAB could experiment a little this time around after freshmen Jennifer Nelson and Amanda Antonovich combined to walk 11 Mississippi State batters in the loss. State may see staff ace Erica Mascarenas (4-1, 1.65 ERA) who was battling an injury when MSU visited Birmingham.

"UAB is a quality team and you can’t let your guard down against anybody you play," Miller said. "That’s something we have struggled with a little bit throughout the course of the season. We need to keep that in mind when we come out Tuesday."

The Maroon and White will continue its 10-game homestand this weekend when it hosts Kentucky (12-22, 1-8 SEC) in a three-game set. The squads will renew their rivalry for the 22nd time on Friday at 6 p.m. before closing out the series with a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader.

Source: MSU Media Relations

(Game 3) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - For the second time in the series, sixth-ranked Tennessee made a first inning lead stand up, but was forced to hold back a late charge by Mississippi State to finish off its weekend sweep of the visiting Bulldogs on a 3-1 triumph Sunday afternoon at Tyson Park in Knoxville, Tenn.

Having already seen the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year twice in the series, Mississippi State (18-15, 0-6 SEC) finally adjusted to the strong arm of Monica Abbott to put extreme pressure on the sophomore lefthander late in the game. The Bulldogs finished with four hits, but put seven runners on the paths courtesy of an error and a pair of hit batsmen. MSU freshman Courtney Bures doubled twice and was beaned once on a 2-for-2 hitting line, while Tanelda McDonald turned in State’s lone RBI on a sac fly in the fourth.

Tennessee (34-4, 7-1) got one hit apiece from the top three batters in its order and used a clutch two-run single in the first by Tonya Callahan to key the victory. Brittany Bessho doubled in a sixth-inning run on a pinch hit at-bat for the Lady Vols.

Continuing on a phenomenal outing in the series opener, MSU sophomore Stephanie Comeaux (6-5) kept the SEC’s top offense in check for most of the day, scattering eight hits and striking out a trio of Lady Vols in falling for the third straight time. Abbott (24-1) won her 13th-straight decision, offsetting a run and four hits with 11 strikeouts in UT’s 18th victory in its last 19 outings.

"We put some hits together and had a couple of good opportunities, we just didn’t take advantage of them," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We swung the bats better and got more hits off of Abbott and I thought that was a good sign and it gives us something to build on heading into our homestand.

"We competed much better. Still, sooner or later, you have to get some wins. You can compete all you want, and we competed better, but now we have to take the next step and put some wins on the board."

Despite allowing the first two Lady Vol batters to reach in the bottom of the first, Comeaux looked to have avoided the scoring threat by retiring each of the next two batters on infield fly outs. However, Callahan hammered Comeaux’s first offering in the next at-bat down the left field line to clear the paths and give UT a two-run advantage heading into the second.

After two relatively quiet innings, Blair Geddings singled to lead off the MSU fourth and was followed by the first of two Bures doubles that put a pair of runners in position for the Bulldogs. McDonald’s hard hit to centerfield was enough to bring home Geddings from third, but the Lady Vols got out of the inning by doubling off Bures who was scampering to third on the play.

The Maroon and White used a fielding error and a pair of hit batsmen in the sixth to load the bases with one out, but, after a pair of infield meetings, Abbott settled down and retired the next two MState batters. The Lady Vols would punch an insurance run on the board in the bottom of the frame on Bessho’s double down the left field line.

Mississippi State will begin a 10-game homestand on Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs welcome UAB (14-19) to the MSU Softball Field for the second half of a home-and-home doubleheader at 6 p.m. State used an eight-run third inning to come away with an 8-3 triumph on March 8 in Birmingham.

Following Tuesday’s rare midweek tilt, the Bulldogs will suit up to host Kentucky (12-22, 1-8) on Friday and Saturday in Starkville. Friday’s contest against the ‘Cats has been tabbed with a 6 p.m. first pitch and the squads will conclude the Easter Weekend series with a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Outdoor Track & Field
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State University wrapped up the 2005 Alabama Relays on Sunday afternoon with the MSU men’s team capturing meet titles in the 4x100-, 4x200-, 4x400-meter, and sprint medley relays. The event was held at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex on the campus of the University of Alabama.

"We broke an Alabama Relays record and put a mark on the all-time list in the 4x2," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "That’s just phenomenal. We just couldn’t finish it off. Alabama won the relays we didn’t. The difference was in the shuttle hurdle. We finished third, and they won it. Our sprint group did outstanding. It was a great meet."

As a team, the Bulldogs finished second with 70 points behind Alabama’s 72. State won the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays in regional-qualifying times of 39.72 seconds and 3:07.11, respectively. The 4x200-meter relay team of Steve Mullings, Jamel Ashley, Arthur Davis, and LaChristopher Lewis set a new Alabama Relays record with their winning time of 1:21.34. The time also ranks second on MSU’s all-Time Outdoor Superlatives list. The Bulldogs won the sprint medley relay in 3:17.82.

Ryan Irwin, Phillip Moore, Matt Martin, and Chris Woods ran the 4x800-meter relay that finished second in 7:44.86. In the 4x1500-meter relay, the Bulldogs placed second with a time of 16:11.77. The men’s distance medley relay team of Moore, Woods, Isaiah Marshall, and Travis McKay also finished second (10:11.02). The men’s 4x110-meter shuttle hurdle team of Joseph Queen, Mitchell Evans, Eliott Morant, and Calvin Wyche finished third in 1:11.85.

Sophomore Jerald Wilson leaped a personal best 47-8 in the triple jump to finish fourth. Matt Denton cleared 6-6 3/4 in a fourth-place finish in the high jump.

For the Lady Bulldogs, senior Jennifer Johnstone finished sixth in the hammer throw with a career-best toss of 163-8. The women’s 4x800-meter relay team of Jennifer McPherson, Andrea Wahlin, Zita Magloire, and Annie Falor finished third in 9:12.82. The Lady Bulldogs’ distance medley tandem of McPherson, Wahlin, Magloire, and Meggan Hodge finished third in 12:00.43.

State returns to action on April 2 when the MSU squads host the Bulldog Invitational. The first events are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at W.O. Spencer Stadium/Carl Maddox Track.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Mississippi State women's golf team finished in fifth place at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic on Sunday. The team shot a 308 in the final round for a tournament total of 915. The tournament was held at The University Club on the Women's Championship Tees, a par 72, 6,269 yard course, in Baton Rouge, La.

Sophomore Amanda Mathis, after tying the course record in the second round with a 67, fired a 75 for a two-over par tournament total, leaving her tied for fourth place. Mathis' 67 on day two also tied the MSU record for lowest round. She is tied with teammate Beth Irwin who shot her 67 at the Chrysler ACC/SEC Challenge in the fall.

Janet Dyer finished tied for 28th-place with her 77 in the third round. Stephanie Godare shot a 76, leaving her tied for 39th, and Irwin took tied for 52nd with her 235 event total, shooting an 80 in the last round. Freshman Julia Huh recorded an 80 on day three for tied for 73rd place.

Chris Brady of Vanderbilt took home the individual medalist honors with her five-under par tournament total. Brady fired a 71 in the final round, clinching the title. The team crown went host LSU, who led the entire event. LSU posted a 293 in the final round to finish 15-over par.

The field consisted of Alabama, Augusta State, Birmingham-Southern, College of Charleston, James Madison, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Mississippi, UNC Wilmington, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Tulane and Vanderbilt.

Next, the squad heads to Athens, Ga., for the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic on Friday, March 25. The three-day event will be held at the UGA Golf Course.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/20/05
Softball
(Game 2) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Shannon Doepking’s three-run double with one-out in the bottom of the fourth inning helped plate the go-ahead runs for homestanding Tennessee as the sixth-ranked Lady Vols held back upset-minded Mississippi State in an 8-4 shootout Saturday afternoon at Tyson Park in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Maroon and White (18-14, 0-5 SEC) got a pair of hits from Jennifer Jessup and two RBI from Callye Williams (1-for-3) to terrorize a pair of Tennessee pitchers in the first three innings of play, but the Lady Vols (33-4, 6-1) slammed the door the rest of the way out behind the relief efforts of staff ace Monica Abbott. MState’s Katie Cooley homered for the second time in three games to key a 1-for-3 plate tally.

After a soft groundout in her first at-bat, Doepking rebounded with consecutive doubles, including the key run-scoring knock in the fourth, to highlight a 2-for-4 hitting line. Three other Lady Vols tallied two hits apiece.

After picking up the win in the series opener, Abbott (23-1) was awarded the decision in her second outing of the day as well, limiting the Maroon and White to one hit in four innings of relief. Melissa Massey (7-5) suffered her second consecutive loss after allowing four runs on five hits and a trio of walks in four and one-thirds innings of relief for MState.

The Bulldogs stung UT starter Megan Rhodes for three runs on four hits in just two and two-thirds innings of action from the circle, then got to reliever Stacey Jennings early and often in one-thirds of an inning of work, scoring one run on two hits in one out of work. MSU starter Kelli Miller allowed four Lady Vol runs on six hits and a pair of walks in her first action since March 6.

"Kelli had not thrown in a while so she wasn’t really sharp and we didn’t get a whole lot out of Melissa when we brought her in. That was the difference," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We need to get a little stronger on the mound, depth-wise, I think. But, we put some runs on the board and did some good things offensively.

"We competed much better today. That is a good sign heading into tomorrow, as well as the rest of the season."

It didn’t take long for Mississippi State to score the game’s first run, getting leadoff batter Keri McFarling aboard via a defensive miscue, then taking the 1-0 lead on Jessup’s one-out double down the left field line two batters later. Tennessee tied the game on Katherine Card’s RBI knock in the bottom of the frame, but MSU took the lead back in their half of the second on Cooley’s solo shot off the light pole in left field.

Tennessee finally got to Miller in the third, chasing the sophomore with three runs on four hits in the frame to take a 4-2 lead into the third, but MSU responded again, this time utilizing a two-run double by Williams to knot the game back up.

The Orange loaded the bases with three consecutive one-out at-bats in the fourth to set the table for Doepking’s two-bagger off the top of the fence in right field, then plated an insurance run on Jennings’ solo homer in the fifth.

The Bulldogs will look to salvage a game in its road series with Tennessee on Sunday when the two lock horns in the series finale at Tyson Park. Game time has been slated for a noon ET first pitch.

Source: MSU Media Relations

(Game 1) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Kristi Durant’s RBI single with one out in the bottom of the first inning proved to be the game’s only run as sixth-ranked Tennessee came out on the better end of a pitching duel with visiting Mississippi State, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Tyson Park in Knoxville, Tenn.

MSU (18-13, 0-4 SEC) left fielder Katie Johnson broke up a no-hit bid by Tennessee Monica Abbott with an infield single in the sixth for the visitors’ only hit, but the Lady Vols (32-4, 5-1) had a hard time figuring out MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux as well, turning in seven hits but scoring just one time. Sarah Fekete scored once on a 3-for-3 outing for the Orange.

Abbott (22-1) struck out 11 and allowed just two MSU baserunners in picking up her 11th consecutive victory of the campaign. Comeaux (6-4) threw just 85 pitches and surrendered seven hits in frustrating the SEC’s most prolific offenses, but saddled the loss after the Lady Vol run in the first.

"If we can get that kind of game consistently out of Stephanie, she will be an all-America," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "There aren’t very many teams in the country that can beat her when she throws like that. I thought we really played well behind her also. Monica (Abbott) is tough. You have to take advantage of opportunities and we weren’t able to do that really well. But, I also thought we hit some good shots, particularly the four line drives we hit right at their right fielder. Those balls are in the gap if they go 10 to 12 feet either way."

After Abbott struck out the sides in the top half of the first, UT went to work in the bottom of the frame, getting Fekete into scoring position on a one-out single and a stolen base, before Durant took care of the rest on a seeing-eye single over the MSU middle infield. UT got another runner into position in the third, but the MState defense nixed the threat when Courtney Bures dove to snag a lazy fly and alertly doubled off Fekete scurrying back to the second base bag.

Bures was struck hard by an Abbott pitch in the fourth to give the Bulldogs their first baserunner of the game, but was erased from the paths moments later when she was caught stealing after oversliding the second base bag. Johnson broke up Abbott’s no-no bid with a leadoff single in the sixth to give MSU its best scoring chance of the contest, but Abbott retired the next three Bulldogs in order to preserve her 15th shutout of the season.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Mississippi State women's golf team moved to fifth on the leader board after firing a 295 in the second round at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic on Saturday. The tournament is being held at The University Club on the Women's Championship Tees, a par 72, 6,269 yard course, in Baton Rouge, La.

"The team got off to a good start today and maintained their steadiness throughout the round to post a great team total," said head coach Christi Sanders. "Amanda was on fire today, playing a mistake free round."

Picayune, Miss., native Amanda Mathis shot a career-low 67 in her second round, tying the course record and moving her from tied at 20th-place to third overall. Entering the final day of competition, Mathis' one-under par tournament total leaves her three strokes out of first place.

Janet Dyer shot a 77, leaving her tied for 26th place, and Beth Irwin recorded a 76 on day two, tying her for 36th. Stephanie Godare is tied for 43rd with her 75, seven strokes lower than her first round. Tied for 74th, freshman Julia Huh shot an 80.

Vanderbilt's Chris Brady leads the field with her four-under par tournament total, firing a 68 in the second round. Host LSU extended its team lead, shooting a two-over par 290 on the day.

The field consists of Alabama, Augusta State, Birmingham-Southern, College of Charleston, James Madison, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Mississippi, UNC Wilmington, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Tulane and Vanderbilt.

The final day of competition will begin with a shotgun start on Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

Live scoring will be available for the tournament on www.golfstat.com.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Outdoor Track & Field
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Mississippi State University men’s and women’s outdoor track and field squads closed out day three of the Alabama Relays with junior Meggan Hodge (Beaumont, Alberta/Beaumont Composite) breaking her own school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

"The biggest part of the day was Meggan (Hodge) qualifying for regionals, setting an Alabama Relays record and a new stadium record," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "It was a great performance for her first time out since redshirting last year. Her performance shows that she’s back. We needed a lift on the women’s side in a big way."

Hodge won the steeplechase in 10 minutes, 50.44 seconds, a regional qualifying time, new Alabama Relays record and new Sam Bailey Track record. The mark bests her previous record of 10:56.02 set at the 2003 Texas Relays.

Sophomore Matt Whalen (West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs) won the hammer with a throw of 178-4.

In their first outdoor competition for the Maroon and White, Natalie Neely (Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen) and Dominique Rogers (Starkville, Miss./Starkville) set new freshmen records in their respective events. Neely cleared 10-6 to finish eighth in the pole vault, while Rogers finished third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.66.

In other men’s action, Calvin Wyche (Miami, Fla./Northwestern) set a personal best in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in 14.78. In the long jump, junior Kendall Pyant II (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit) leaped 23-9 1/2 to finish fourth. Freshman Keith Hewlett (Detroit, Mich./Mumford) finished ninth with a personal best jump of 22-8 1/2. Austin Golding (Vicksburg, Miss./St. Aloysius) placed ninth in the javelin.

Action resumes Sunday morning at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex on the University of Alabama campus. The day’s first event is the women’s hammer throw, scheduled for 8 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State University’s outdoor track and field squad closed out day two of the Alabama Relays on Friday afternoon. Freshman Joseph Queen (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Prep) finished fifth in the decathlon and junior Shelby Nousain (Concord, Mich./Concord) competed in the men’s 10,000-meter run.

Decathlon events began Thursday and resumed Friday at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex on the University of Alabama campus. Overall, Queen tallied 5,475 points. In the pole vault, he finished third with a jump of 14-1 1/4. Queen finished second in the 1500-meter run in 4 minutes, 52.07 seconds.

"Coach Rademeyer and Coach Gant did a great job of preparing Joseph for this event," said assistant coach Mike Cunningham. "He did a great job, and we look for him to improve throughout the year."

Nousain set a personal best in the 10,000-meter run, finishing eighth in 33:41.36.

"Shelby had a fantastic race," said assistant coach Houston Franks. "He moved up strong and ran tough through the middle. He has set personal best in two events in two meets this year. He’s running really well right now."

Action resumes Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with the men's and women’s hammer throw.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/19/05
Softball
(Game 2) MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Christi Benton’s RBI double with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning plated Liz Davis with the game-winning run as the Blue Raiders erased a 4-0 deficit midway through the back end of its doubleheader with six runs in the final three frames to upend visiting Mississippi State, 6-5, Thursday evening at Blue Raider Field in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

State (18-12) pounded out eight hits in the outing, including multi-hit tallies from both Tanelda McDonald (2-for-3, R, RBI) and Katie Johnson (2-for-3, 2 R), but got just one base knock in the final two innings of play to help keep the hosts in the game. Middle Tennessee (4-14) snapped an 11-game losing streak with 10 hits of their own, keyed by a 3-for-3 night from Brandi Boehner, as well as a pair of 2-for-4 hitting lines from Trish White and Jennifer Grybash. It was the Blue Raiders’ first triumph since a 10-2 win over Lipscomb on March 2.

State got an outstanding outing from starter Stephanie Comeaux, but the Moss Point native chased herself after five innings of work with an apparent knee injury. Sara Hickerson and Melissa Massey (7-4) took care of the final two frames of work, with Massey saddling the loss after giving up the game-winning score on a pair of hits in the last frame.

“We thought that first game scoring could continue and that was the most frustrating thing about it,” said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. “We let them hang around and they worked themselves back into the ballgame. I didn’t think we had very many quality at-bats, but five runs should be enough to win a game. We’ve got to have players step up sooner or later and shut people down in those situations. We got no relief pitching at all tonight.”

The Bulldogs built a 4-0 lead through four and one-half innings of play, but the Blue Raiders finally woke up their bats in their half of the fifth, getting their first run of the game courtesy of an infield RBI single by Jennifer Grybash. MSU stretched their lead back to four on Michelle Kinney’s RBI double in the sixth, but MTSU answered with a run of its own on Boehner’s single in their half of the frame.

MTSU got a leadoff double from Grybash in the seventh, then used singles with its next two at-bats score a pair of runs and chase reliever Sara Hickerson. Massey loaded the bases with a five-pitch walk to Davis and White followed with a two-run single that tied the game.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to nearby Knoxville for a 1 p.m. ET doubleheader with fourth-ranked Tennessee (31-4, 4-1 SEC). The two will close out their series on Sunday with a single game that has also been slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

Source: MSU Media Relations

(Game 1) MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Utilizing home runs from the bats of Jennifer Jessup and Katie Cooley, visiting Mississippi State built a 3-0 lead through two innings of play and did not look back, scoring five runs over the next three innings of play to mercy rule homestanding Middle Tennessee, 8-0, in the front end of a Thursday afternoon at Blue Raider Field in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Seven Mississippi State (18-11) starters reached base safely, with Blair Geddings (2-for-3, 2 RBI) and Callye Williams (2-for-3, R) each tallying multi-hit days at the plate. Middle Tennessee (3-14) got half of its four-hits from leadoff hitter Jennifer Grybash who tallied a 2-for-2 plate performance.

MSU starter Melissa Massey (7-3) turned in her third solo shutout of the season on her eighth complete game of the campaign, scattering four hits and striking out six in tallying her team-leading seventh win of the season. MTSU starter Ashley Katinas (0-11) picked up her 11th loss in as many decisions by allowing eight runs on nine hits and four walks over a complete game as well.

The win marked the 800th career coaching victory for MSU head coach Jay Miller, upping the third-year MSU skipper’s overall record out to 800-482 (.624). Miller becomes the 23rd collegiate head coach to accomplish the feat, following Florida Southern’s Chris Bellotto and UCLA’s Sue Enquist who achieved their 800th victories earlier this season.

“We swung the bats pretty good and put runs on the board in pretty much every inning,” Miller said. “Melissa pitched well and got ahead of the hitters to put us in a good position.”

“(My 800th win) is just another game for me. It just means I am getting old.”

Following the first and second inning home runs by Jessup and Cooley, respectively, MSU would plate three runs in the fourth on run-scoring knocks by Lindsay Hunley and Blair Geddings. The Maroon and White would then put the game away on Katie Johnson’s two-run single in the fifth.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Golf
BATON ROUGE, La. -­ The Mississippi State women's golf team is in 11th place after shooting a 312 in the opening round of the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic on Friday. The tournament is being held at The University Club on the Women's Championship Tees, a par 72, 6,269 yard course, in Baton Rouge, La.

"Janet and Amanda played very solid today," said head coach Christi Sanders. "As a team, we are only seven shots from fourth place. Knowing that we have 36 more holes to go, we feel confident."

Senior Janet Dyer paced the squad after day one with a 75, tying her for 14th-place. Amanda Mathis enters the second round of competition tied for 20th with her 76. Beth Irwin shot a 79 and is tied for 40th place. Both firing an 82, Stephanie Godare and Julia Huh are tied for 68th place.

Alison Walshe of Tulane leads the field with a three-under par 69. Host LSU is on top of the team leader board with a 296.

The field consists of Alabama, Augusta State, Birmingham-Southern, College of Charleston, James Madison, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Mississippi, UNC Wilmington, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Tulane and Vanderbilt.

Tee times will begin at 8:30 a.m. CST on Saturday, and there will be a shotgun start to begin the final round Sunday at 8:30 a.m. The Lady Bulldogs tee off for round two at 10 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/17/05
Softball
ATLANTA, Ga. - Mississippi State senior infielder Jennifer Jessup was among 27 of the top collegiate softball players nationwide drafted into the Ladies Pro Fastpitch Association Wednesday morning, marking the second time in as many years the East Dublin, Ga., native has been selected for professional play.

Jessup joined Georgia first baseman Kim Wendland as the only Southeastern Conference seniors to be drafted as the MSU middle infielder was selected with the 23rd overall pick. Prior to the 2004 campaign, Jessup was selected with the 10th overall pick in the National Pro Fastpitch senior draft by the New England Riptide. Because of injury, Jessup opted for a medical redshirt last season giving her one more year of college eligibility.

The LPFA Tour festival weekend brings the world's best professional fastpitch softball players together with amateur communities across the United States. During each festival weekend players, coaches and staff will incorporate youth and coach instruction, player mentoring and corporate endorsement into their schedule of games.

The LPFA’s network of professional scouts, headed up by former UCLA head coach Sharron Backus, earmarked Jessup as ‘a complete player and a defensive anchor at shortstop.’ NCAA guidelines prohibit contract discussions between professional organization and college-eligible athletes. In keeping with those guidelines the LPFA Tour will be offering contracts to drafted seniors immediately after the expiration of their college eligibility.

Should she opt to be a part of the NPF following the conclusion of her collegiate playing career, Jessup’s rights continue to be owned by the Riptide.

"This is a great honor for J.J.," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Over the last few years, if you look at the players that we have had come through here, it is a testament to the hard work and effort that she has put in. I know that she is real interested in playing professionally after this season and, with her being drafted by the NPF last season, it gives her a little negotiating power and she can sort of see what would be the best fit for her."

Over the last nine years, six Mississippi State players (including Jessup) have been drafted by professional organizations, including current third baseman Tanelda McDonald who was selected by the Harlem Diamonds organization in January.

Last season, three-time all-American Iyhia McMichael was the top overall pick in the NPF Senior Draft by the Akron Racers where she went on to take home league MVP and batting title honors in the inaugural season of the organization. Three players - McMichael, Kellie Wilkerson (NY/NJ Juggernaut) and Karrie Rider (Texas Thunder) - are currently playing with the NPF.

Wilkerson was the leading hitter (second overall among NPF leaders) on the Juggernaut squad that captured the NPF title in 2004.

Source: MSU Media Relations

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Riding its longest losing skid of the season, the Mississippi State softball team will attempt to right its ship once again this week as the Bulldogs embark on a five-game road trip to the state of Tennessee that will see them match-up with the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee, as well as the sixth-ranked Lady Volunteers.

Coming off a three-game series sweep at the hands of Georgia this past weekend in Starkville, the Bulldogs (17-11, 0-3 SEC) will face Middle Tennessee (3-13) for the first time in school history in a 3 p.m. ET doubleheader in Murfreesboro on Thursday, before heading to Knoxville for a three-game set at Tennessee (31-4, 4-1) on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s double dip with UT has been slated with a 1 p.m. ET first pitch, with Sunday’s series finale also tabbed with a 1 p.m. start time.

Although not broadcasting from Murfreesboro, all three games of State’s clash with the Orange can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties. State’s series in Knoxville can also be followed via a live stats link at the official Internet home of the MSU athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.

"We have to get back to playing good fundamental softball, get some injuries healed up and get loose and relaxed again," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We can’t go out and play tentative, no matter who we are playing against. That is one of the things we worked on this week in practice--getting relaxed a little bit more and getting back to playing our game."

Currently riding a 10-game losing streak, the Blue Raiders are coming off the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep at Alabama on Tuesday evening in which they allowed a combined 18 runs while scoring three of their own. Sporting a .237 team batting clip, Middle Tennessee is led by a trio of hitters at or above the .333 mark, including senior Liz Davis (.333, 5 RBI) who is one of two Blue Raiders with a pair of home runs on the campaign.

From the circle, Middle Tennessee has tallied a 4.96 team ERA through 16 outings, but has not gotten an overabundance of positive results. Senior righthander Crystal Bobo has an even 3-3 record (3.56 ERA), but has not seen action from the circle since pitching six and one-thirds innings of relief in MTSU’s loss to Saint Louis on March 6. Freshman righthander Ashley Katinas (0-10, 5.91) has pitched the last 24 innings for the Blue Raiders this season, but has yet to taste victory in 2005.

"Obviously, we want to get some confidence for both our hitters and our pitchers," Miller said. "Playing a midweek doubleheader against a non-conference opponent is an opportunity for us to do that. We need to get back on track and get on a roll going into a big conference series this weekend. That will be what we are looking for against Middle Tennessee. The key for us is to go out and play good ball."

Tennessee, which was rained out in its series finale with South Carolina Wednesday evening, has won 15 of its last 16 outings after dropping consecutive outings - then-No. 1 Cal, Notre Dame, and Providence - in the midst of a bout with the flu bug just more than three weeks ago. Having an equal balance in all phases of their game, the Lady Vols have tallied an SEC-leading .359 team batting average, while getting a combined 0.67 ERA from its three-armed pitching staff.

The Big Orange, who swept its series-opening doubleheader on Tuesday evening with the Gamecocks by 9-1 and 12-0 counts, are led by a trio of .400 hitters, including junior Kristi Durant who is hitting .455 with team-highs in both home runs (4) and RBI (44). Durant is the third-leading hitter on the Tennessee squad behind junior Sarah Fekete (.463, 7 RBI) and sophomore Lindsay Schutzler (.457, 23 RBI).

Lefthander Monica Abbott, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, leads Tennessee from the circle with a 21-1 mark and a 0.20 ERA. Abbott is holding opponents to a 0.96 batting clip.

"Tennessee is the best team in the conference in my opinion," Miller said. "They have got great pitching and they are hitting the ball very well and play good defense. They are also playing with a lot of confidence right now. It will be a tough series for us."

Following the road trip, MSU will begin a 10-game homestand on Tuesday evening when the Maroon and White battle UAB in the second half of a home-and-home doubleheader. First pitch of State’s tilt with the Blazers is set for 6 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated UAB, 8-3, on March 8 in Birmingham, Ala.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Outdoor Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams return to action March 17-20 at the Alabama Relays at the Sam Bailey Track & Field Complex on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

"This is a big meet for us," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "We’re going to try to win the men’s team title. They score the relays, so we’re going after that. We’re still beat up on the women’s side. We’re just going to do the best we can there."

Freshman Joseph Queen (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Prep) begins competition in the decathlon Thursday morning, while senior Jackie Rentschler (Pearl, Miss./Pearl) will run the wonmen’s 10,000-meter run Friday evening, followed by sophomore Shelby Nousain (Concord, Mich./Concord) in the men’s 10,000-meter run. The remaining events are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

At the first meet of the season, the Bulldogs traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. for the FSU Snowbird on March 4-5. On the first day of competition, State swept the top two spots in the long jump with freshman Calvin Wyche (Miami, Fla./Northwestern) taking top honors with a leap of 23-8 3/4. Junior Kendall Pyant II (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit HS) finished second with a jump of 23-6 3/4.

The Maroon and White’s distance medley relay team ran a winning time of 10 minutes, 06.19 seconds. In the sprint medley relay, the Bulldogs won with a time of 3:20.98.

In the final race of the day, freshman John Brigham (Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s HS) was the top collegiate finisher in the 5000-meter run (14:33.65). Brigham, who ran 10 laps of the race without his shoe, finished third overall.

Day two saw the 4x100-meter relay team winning with a regional qualifying mark of 40.52. State’s 4x400-meter relay squad followed with a winning time of 3:07.08, also a regional qualifying mark. In the shot put, sophomore Matt Whalen (West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs) won the event with a throw of 55-0, a regional qualifying mark. Senior Matt Denton (Hurley, Miss./East Central) won the high jump competition with a leap of 6-8 3/4.

On the women’s side, State is returning several experienced athletes from last season. Among those included are juniors Meggan Hodge (Beaumont, Alberta/Beaumont Composite), Zita Magloire (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) and Jennifer McPherson (Nampa, Idaho/Skyview). Hodge is the school record holder in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Senior Crystal Averitt (Boyd, Texas/Boyd) holds the school record in both the discus and hammer. Fellow senior Jennifer Johnstone (Chatham, Ontario/Chatham-Kent) and sophomores Christina Hernandez (Asheville, N.C./A.C. Reynolds) and Nicola Wilson (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) will add depth in the throwing events. In jumps, junior Lauren Johnson (Scottsboro, Ala./Scottsboro) will compete in the long jump. Junior Jasmine Walls (Picayune, Miss./Jackson State) is the Lady Bulldogs’ lone returning high jumper. Two seniors, Lacey Johnson (Port St. Joe, Fla./Chipola JC) and Jourdan Steinberg (Mandeville, La./Fotainebleau), are MSU’s returning pole vaulters. Johnson is the school record holder in the event.

Last season in Tuscaloosa, the Lady Bulldogs won the distance medley relay team of Magloire, Nicole Dunn, Tiffany McWilliams and McPherson won in 11:45.91. MSU also won the 4x1500-meter relay (18:47.44), run by McPherson, Mina Thorstenson, McWilliams and Joy Griffith. On the men’s side, J.D. Erickson won the shot put (52-11 1/2).

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/16/05
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Winners of seven of their last eight matches, including a 4-0 start to the Southeastern Conference season in the last two weeks, Mississippi State's men's tennis team climbed to 19th nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, released Tuesday. The ranking is MSU's highest since a No. 13 mark in late February 2002 and its first top 25 rating since February 2003.

After starting the season 5-3, State has climbed from 39th to 19th in the country in the last two weeks due to consecutive conference wins over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Alabama, the first three being upsets. The 4-0 mark is MSU's best league opening since 1997 when it started 6-0 in the SEC. MSU's current 9-3 overall record is its best record after 12 matches since the 1998 Bulldog squad started 10-2.

State joins No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Mississippi, No. 8 Florida and No. 14 Tennessee as the only undefeated teams in the SEC at present.

"Our guys have been working very hard so far this season," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We have been steadily improving and that has been evident in our results lately. We are proud to be back in the top 25, but we have a lot of work left to do this season. This is the SEC where you have to earn every win you get, and we have a very tough schedule still in front of us. But we are looking forward to the challenges that are coming up."

The Bulldogs are off from competition this weekend, but will resume a five-match SEC road swing on Friday, March 25, when they travel to meet fifth-ranked Georgia in Athens. MSU then visits No. 14 Tennessee (March 27) and No. 61 Arkansas (Apr. 1). The Bulldogs return home Apr. 3 to welcome No. 20 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season slate.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/14/05
Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Thirteenth-ranked Georgia turned in its 11th double-digit hitting tally of the season behind four-plus innings of work from reliever Michelle Green to finish off its series sweep of homestanding Mississippi State with a 7-1 victory Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.

Green helped her own cause with a three-run homer in the fifth and the Red and Black (19-7, 3-0 SEC) got a 3-for-3 hitting line from Megan McAllister to extend its season-long win streak out to seven games as well as post its first series sweep of the Bulldogs in school history. Callye Williams drove in a run on a 2-for-3 day at the plate for Mississippi State (17-11, 0-3) who dropped its fourth-straight outing and its sixth consecutive setback to UGA.

Stephanie Comeaux (6-3) dropped her second outing in as many days by allowing two earned runs on four hits and a trio of walks in three innings from the circle, but MSU got another good outing from Sara Hickerson who struck out a pair and scattered three hits over the last two and two-thirds innings of the contest. Green (8-2) came on in relief of UGA starter Katie Griffith in the third and struck out five while surrendering two hits and a pair of walks. Griffith allowed four hits and the lone MSU run in two and two-thirds innings from the circle, but got the no decision.

"We had bases loaded in the first inning with an opportunity to open things up a little bit," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "That hurts a little bit when you lose an opportunity like that. That was the difference. You have to take advantage of opportunities when you get them and Georgia did that this weekend. They got people on base, they moved them over and they drove them in. When we got people on base, we didn’t execute and we didn’t drive them in. That was the difference."

Despite two consecutive outs in its half of the first, State loaded the bases with its next three at-bats to put together its best scoring chance of the contest. However, Griffith got out of the jam with the next at-bat on a check swing from Williams that produced a slow roller to Kim Wendland at first base. Georgia would score single runs in each of the next two innings on RBI knocks by Jessica Doucette and Ashley Godfrey, but the Maroon and White answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the third on Williams’ single to center field that made the score 2-1.

The Red and Black got a solo homer from Jessica Doucette in the fourth and plated a trio of runs in the fifth on Green’s homer to put the game out of reach. Hickerson’s wild pitch in the sixth with the bases loaded plated an insurance run for the visiting Bulldogs and provided the final.

Mississippi State will return to action on Thursday when the Bulldogs begin a five-game roadtrip with an afternoon doubleheader at Middle Tennessee (3-11). State will then remain on the road for a three-game set at No. 4 Tennessee (29-4, 2-1) on Saturday and Sunday.

"Tennessee is playing the best ball out of anybody in the conference right now," Miller said. "It's a tough stretch for us, but you deal with what you have. Without classes this week, we can regroup a little bit and get an opportunity to work on some things practice-wise. Hopefully we can get some games under our belt midweek that will give us a little momentum going into the weekend."

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team kept its excellent play of late intact Sunday, as the 26th-ranked Bulldogs claimed their seventh win in eight outings, notching a 5-2 victory over No. 50 Alabama on the road. State improved to 9-3 overall and remained perfect (4-0) early on in the Southeastern Conference schedule.

State's 9-3 mark is its best 12 matches into a season since the 1998 NCAA semifinal team started 10-2, and the Bulldogs' 4-0 SEC mark is the best league opening since 1997 when MSU started 6-0 in the conference. The win marked State's third in its last four meetings with Alabama, which dropped to 5-8, 0-4 in the SEC.

MSU gained first point of Sunday's match by sweeping doubles action, only the second time this season the Bulldogs had claimed all three doubles contests. In singles, Alabama put pressure on the Bulldogs early, but State would eventually claim the first three matches complete in straight sets to clinch the victory.

Florent Girod maintained his spotless 2005 dual match record while upping State's lead to 2-0. The junior from Belfort, France, registered a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over the Crimson Tide's R.J. Murray at the No. 5 position to improve to 10-0 in team singles play this season. The Bulldogs gained a 3-0 lead in the contest when rookie Pierre Mouillon took a close first set from UA's Billy Mertz at No. 4 and then rolled on to a 7-5, 6-0 win, his sixth in a row.

The match clincher would come at the No. 6 spot, where State sophomore Arnaud Roussel rallied from a 4-1, first-set deficit to best the Tide's Andrew Felsenthal 6-4, 7-6(3).

Alabama would claim two of the last three matchups on the day. UA's 73rd-ranked Luigi D'Agord edged MSU's Luiz Carvalho at the No. 1 position 6-4, 7-5 and Eric Molnar pulled out a 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 win over Bulldog Jose-Carlos Pinto at No. 3. In the last match of the day, State sophomore Ivan Bjelica came back from losing the first set 6-1, to upset UA's 99th-ranked Joseph Jung 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Bulldog true freshman Philippe Frayssinoux, who had been plagued with the flu most of the week and was out of the lineup in State's upset of No. 20 Auburn Friday, returned to the doubles lineup Sunday, but did not play singles.

"This was another excellent win for our team," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Alabama has struggled a little this season but they have been very close in every match they have lost lately. To beat any SEC team on the road is an accomplishment and we are happy to get out of here with a victory. Now we will practice some during the spring break holiday and then take some time off before getting back into the schedule in two weeks.

"I am very proud of the way our guys have worked and fought during the past few weeks. We are beginning to become the team I knew we could be going into the year. The season is far from over, but we have done about as well as we can do to this point. We look forward to continuing the season in a couple of weeks."

State now has a two-week break from competition before it continues its current five-match road swing through the SEC. Following the break, MSU travels to No. 6 Georgia (March 25), No. 21 Tennessee (March 27) and No. 49 Arkansas (Apr. 1). MSU then returns home Apr. 3 to host No. 17 LSU to start a four-match homestand that will end the regular season.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 54th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team defeated the 26th-ranked Crimson Tide of Alabama, 6-1, on Sunday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Lady Bulldogs increased their record to 8-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, and Alabama fell to 5-7, 1-3 on the season.

State won the doubles point with a sweep for the second match in a row. Polina Kokoulina and Magdi Rekasi downed Andrea Brenes and Maria Muller, 8-3, at No. 3. At the second spot, Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman secured the doubles point for MSU with their win over Ashley Bentley and Melissa Minor, 8-3. State's 38th-ranked Zsuzsanna Fodor and Anastasia Kugakolova won their match at the top spot when Natalie McElveen and Robin Stephenson retired with the score 6-5, in favor of the Lady Bulldogs.

In singles action, lone senior Rekasi won the first singles match of the day for MSU, downing Brenes, 7-5, 6-0, at the fifth position. Next, Kokoulina fell, 6-2, 6-3, to Minor at No. 3, making the team score 2-1 for MSU. On court one, 27th-ranked Fodor defeated seventh-ranked Stephenson, 7-5, 6-2, the highest ranked player she has defeated in her collegiate career.

Tarryn Rudman shutout Muller, 6-0, in the first set, but Muller came back and took the second set, 6-3. Rudman came from behind to tie the third set up 6-6 and won the match in a 7-4 tiebreaker, clinching the win for State. Kugakolova's and Renee Joseph's matches were suspended following Rudman's win. At No. 2, Kugakolova took her match over tied for 73rd-ranked Bentley, 6-4, 5-7, 1-1 (susp.), and Joseph downed McElveen, 6-4, 3-6, 1-1 (susp.), at the sixth spot.

Next, the squad takes off a week before hosting third-ranked Georgia on Friday, March 25, at 3.p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State’s men’s golf team conclude play at the Conrad Rehling Invitational with a seventh place finish. The Bulldogs posted a final round score of 313 at Ol’ Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala. MSU finished the three-day tournament with a total of 924.

Senior Joe Deraney registered his sixth top-20 finish of the campaign to lead all Maroon and White individuals. The Statesboro, Ga. product fired a 79 on Sunday.

In the final round, State was led by senior Tim Satow’s four-over-par 76. He finished the tournament in 25th place. Sophomore Josh Oller concluded the tournament with a 78 to finish 45th. Jared Jimenez and Greg Huxman carded scores of 80 and 83 respectively. Both individuals finished tied for 50th.

Alabama captured the team title for the second consecutive season. The Crimson Tide held on to its 36-hole lead, carding a 292. Georgia State finished second after posting the round of the day of 282. UAB, Michigan State and Tulane rounded out the top-five teams in the 13-team field. MSU finished one stroke back of Memphis and two strokes ahead of Michigan and Mississippi.

GSU’s Steve Tiley took home individual honors after shooting a final round 66 to win the event by six stokes.

The Bulldogs will close out their third-straight week of tournament action on March 21-22 in the South Alabama Invitational held at Azalea City Golf Course in Mobile, Ala.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/13/05
Softball
(Game 1) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Georgia rallied for multi-runs in each of the last three innings to break open an otherwise close game as the Red and Black extended its series winning streak over Mississippi State to four with an 8-0 triumph in the series opener Saturday afternoon at the MSU Softball Field.

Mississippi State (17-9, 0-1 SEC) got a 2-for-3 hitting line from Callye Williams to lead a lethargic offense that managed to string together more than one hit in just the fourth inning. Senior Jennifer Jessup tallied MSU's only other hit on a single in the frame. Georgia (17-7, 1-0) got four hits from Kim Wendland (4-for-4, RBI) and three base knocks from Jessica Gilmore (3-for-4, 3 R, RBI).

MSU starter Melissa Massey (6-3) took the loss for the Maroon and White, despite allowing just three hits through four innings of play. The senior finished the game allowing eight earned runs on 12 hits and a walk in the setback. Georgia righthander Michelle Green scattered three hits and struck out 12 to pick up the win for the Red and Black.

"After the third inning, both teams had three hits. The bottom line is, they adjusted and we didn't," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We didn't have very good at-bats and we swung at a lot of bad pitches. The pitches we could handle, we weren't aggressive with."

After putting together a mild scoring threat in each of the first two innings, Georgia capitalized on its chances in the third, getting Gilmore aboard on a two-out single before Wendland drove in her in on a double one batter later. The Red and Black got a run-scoring double from Gilmore in the fifth and followed with a fielder's choice RBI from Megan McAllister, before Courtney Knight's two-run double in the sixth put the game out of reach.

Godfrey's double to the gap in right field in the top half of the seventh drove in a pair of insurance runs and provided the final.

(Game 2) STARKVILLE, Miss. - Ashley Godfrey's grand slam capped off a six-run second inning for visiting Georgia as the Red and Black rallied for nine-runs in the first three innings of play to clinch its series with homestanding MSU on a 9-4 win in the back end of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at the MSU Softball Field.

Madison native Tanelda McDonald doubled twice and drove in a run on a 3-for-3 tally at the plate that keyed State's (17-10, 0-2 SEC) 12th double-digit hitting performance of the season. Freshmen Courtney Bures (2-for-4, R) and Lindsay Hunley (2-for-3, R) also turned in multi-hit tallies for the Maroon and White. Godfrey's grand slam - her fourth homer of the season - was the junior's only hit of the game in four trips to the plate for the Red and Black (18-7, 2-0).

Georgia scored nine runs on seven hits off a pair of MSU hurlers, with starter Stephanie Comeaux (6-2) saddling the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and a walk in five outs of work. Sophomore Sara Hickerson - MSU's third pitcher of the contest - allowed one hit over the last four innings of work but got the no decision for MState. Starter Kasi Carroll (5-2) was awarded the victory for UGA despite surrendering four runs on 10 hits.

Godfrey's grand slam was the third allowed by the MSU pitching staff in seven days. Comeaux allowed the first in MSU's win over Troy on March 5 at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, while Kelli Miller surrendered the same feat to Ohio State just more than 12 hours later. Rookie Ragan Blake was on the wrong end of Godfrey's blast on Saturday.

"We have to come in and compete and we didn't do that," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "You need to be ready to go when you are called upon. I was real proud of Sara today. She came in after struggling last weekend and gave us an opportunity to get back in the game by shutting them down. She worked hard all week and I think today was a good sign for her."

Georgia utilized a fielding error and an RBI single from Megan McAllister to take a quick lead, but MSU answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning after lax fielding by the Red and Black defense. Katie Cooley reached with one out in the bottom of the frame after a mental miscue by catcher Charvi Greer allowed her to reach on a passed ball. State would later get an RBI double from McDonald to knot the game back up heading to the second.

Carroll and Courtney Knight each reached safely with two outs in the second, before Jessica Gilmore snagged the lead back for Georgia on a two-run double to the gap in right field that chased Comeaux from the circle. Blake issued free passes to the next two batters for Georgia to juice the bases and set the table for Godfrey's blast over the scoreboard in left field.

State would get an RBI single from Cooley and a two-run double from Bures in its half of the second to cut its deficit to three runs, 7-4, but the Red and Black posted two more runs in the third on Knight's double and Gilmore's sac fly.

State will look to salvage its series with Georgia Sunday afternoon when the squads meet in the series finale at the MSU Softball Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and the game can be heard live on WMSV 91.1 with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State jumped two spots to sixth place on the team leaderboard on Saturday in the second round of the Conrad Rehling Invitational at Ol' Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Bulldogs turned in the fourth-best round of the day with an 11 over-par 299.

The Maroon and White's low-rounds of day were carded by seniors Joe Deraney and Tim Satow, both shot a one-over-par 73. Deraney ranks tenth in the individual standings. The Statesboro, Ga. native is just four shots out of the lead. Alabama's Thomas Hagler turned in a three-under-par 69 to take over the top spot. Satow is currently 21st after his second round performance. He rebounded from an opening day 80 on Friday. The duo of Deraney and Satow recorded seven birdies on the day. As a team, the Bulldogs had 29 birdies on Saturday.

Jared Jimenez registered a solid three-over-par 75 to jump start MSU's team score. Greg Huxman and Josh Oller both posted scores of 78 to close out the Bulldog scorecard.

Alabama took advantage of playing its home course, posting the low-round of the tournament so far with a 286. The Crimson Tide has a ten-shot advantage over first-round leader Michigan State. The Blazers of UAB jumped a spot to third with a 294 team score. Georgia State and Tulane round out the top-five squads. MSU is just one shot back of the Green Wave and hold an eight-shot lead over in-state rival Mississippi.

State will conclude the 54-hole event on Sunday, teeing off No. 1 at 8:20 CT. The Alabama Golf Association will provide live scoring of the event at www.bamagolf.com.

Source: MSU Media Relations

3/12/05
Women's Indoor Track & Field
FAYETTEVILLE.Ark. - Mississippi State University junior Jennifer McPherson wrapped up her 2005 indoor season Friday evening at the NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Nampa, Idaho-native failed to qualify out of the mile run preliminaries, running a time of 5 minutes, 1.24 seconds. The event continues through Saturday at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track and Field Complex in Fayetteville, Ark.

"She led early on in the race, and that might not have been a good idea," said MSU Head Coach Al Schmidt. "Her leg is still bothering her a little, and she's limping. At the end of January, she was running as good as anyone in the country. But, since the injury, we haven't been able to train as much."

State's outdoor teams return to action March 18-20 at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State's men's golf team battled through tough weather conditions to shoot a 312 on the opening day of the Conrad Rehling Invitational at Ol' Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Bulldogs currently sit in a three-way tie for eighth in the 13-team field. MSU is just 13 strokes off the pace set by Michigan State, who opened with a 299, and eight shots out of third place.

State was led by Joe Deraney's three-over-par 75. The senior from Statesboro, Ga. opened the front nine with a 39, but bounced back to fire a 36 on the back. He stands in a six-way tie for 12th on the individual leaderboard. The Maroon and White got a solid round from sophomore Greg Huxman, who posted a five-over-par 77. The Miami, Fla. product heads into the second round of competition tied for 21st in the field.

"Joe (Deraney) did not hit the ball that well today, but he did a good job on the back nine to finish strong," said MSU head coach Clay Homan. "He is still in the hunt with the leader shooting 70."

Sophomore Josh Oller and senior Tim Satow both shot 80 in the opening 18 holes. Junior Jared Jimenez closed out the MSU scorecard with an 83.

The average score on the opening day was a 78.75. Georgia State's Steve Tiley was the only competitor to card a round under par. He fired a two-under-par 70 to take a two-shot lead into Saturday's play.

The Panthers of GSU are in the clubhouse in second place, followed by Alabama, UAB and Mississippi to round out the top-five teams.

Saturday's second round will get under way at 8 a.m. CT with groups teeing off from No. 1 and No. 10. The Alabama Golf Association will provide live scoring of the event at www.bamagolf.com.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 54th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team downed the 73rd-ranked Tigers of Auburn, 6-1, on Friday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU improved to 7-2, 1-2 on the season, and Auburn dropped to 6-5, 0-3.

State won the doubles point to start the match with a sweep on all three courts. MSU's 38th-ranked duo of Zsuzsanna Fodor and Anastasia Kugakolova defeated Auburn's 58th-ranked tandem of Petra Bercik and Isabel Rosenbrock in an 8-3 decision on court one. Randpark, South Africa, natives Hayley Rudman and Tarryn Rudman took their match, 8-6, against Jelena Jovic and Tori Almagno at No. 2. At the third spot, Polina Kokoulina and Magdi Rekasi won their match over Sarah Suitor and Ashley Cowart, 8-4.

In singles, Kugakolova defeated Bercik at the second spot, 6-0, 6-2, winning the first singles point for the Lady Bulldogs. Next, freshman Renee Joseph won her match, 6-1, 6-0, over Almagno at the sixth position. Clinching the match, 27th-ranked Fodor took her match over Jovic in a 6-4, 6-1, decision, giving MSU its first SEC win of the season.

Kokoulina defeated Cowart, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 4, and Rekasi downed Nancy Peaden in a comeback win, 6-2, 7-5, at the fifth spot. Tarryn Rudman fell, 7-6(8), 6-4, at No. 3 to Rosenbrock.

Next, the Lady Bulldogs host 26th-ranked Alabama at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Sunday, March 13.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
AUBURN, Ala. - With three-set victories in three of the last four matches on court, Mississippi State's 26th-ranked men's tennis team registered its third straight upset Friday, upending 20th-ranked Auburn 4-3 in the first match of a five-match Southeastern Conference roadswing for the Bulldogs. With the victory, State improved to 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1998.

MSU, now 8-3 overall this season (its best start in four years under head coach Sylvain Guichard), also grabbed its sixth win in seven outings. With the loss, Auburn (8-3, 0-3 SEC) dropped its third straight affair, all coming in SEC action. State evened the series with Auburn at 17-17 (since 1969) while posting its first SEC road win in two years.

Auburn gained the first point of the day by sweeping doubles play. The Tigers were led by the 21st-ranked duo of Gabor Zoltan Pelva and Alex Schweizer, who downed 32nd-ranked Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto 8-3 at the top position.

AU took a 2-0 lead in the contest when the 67th-ranked Pelva finished a 6-0, 6-3 win over State's Carvalho at the No. 1 singles position. State got on the board when Pinto claimed a 7-5, 6-3 win over Tiger Robbert Lathouwers at No. 3. It marked the MSU junior's fifth consecutive win. After the teams exchanged those straight-set wins, MSU and AU would play three-set affairs at the remaining four spots to decide the match and State would claim the first three of the four.

Evening the score at 2-2 for State would be true freshman Pierre Mouillon, who also notched his fifth straight triumph, downing Auburn's Nick Lane in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 battle at the No. 4 position.

The Bulldogs would then get comeback victories from Ivan Bjelica and Florent Girod to secure the team win, as both overcame losing the first set to claim triumphs in their matchups. The sophomore Bjelica rallied to down Schweizer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2. Girod, a junior, then completed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 decision over Tiger Brett Hunter at No. 5. That win kept Girod's undefeated record this season intact, as he moved to 9-0 in dual match play.

In the last match to finish, Auburn's Tom George ultimately claimed a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Bulldog Arnaud Roussel at the No. 6 position.

State was without the services of Philippe Frayssinoux Friday. The rookie, who has been MSU's No. 2 player of late, has been out with the flu. He is expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday in MSU's match at Alabama.

"Well, our team did it again, but this time they did it by coming from behind after getting down in singles, and they did it with one of our best players out of the lineup," Guichard said of his team's effort. "Auburn had the advantage in this match early and we did an outstanding job of both finishing the matches we had established leads in and continuing to fight in the ones we didn't.

"We are proud to be 3-0 in the SEC at this point, but we cannot let down. We have to continue to work hard like we have been lately if we expect to keep this level of success going. Alabama will be yet another tough test for us on Sunday in Tuscaloosa."

State continues its road swing through the SEC Sunday, meeting the 50th-ranked Crimson Tide at 1 p.m. that day at UA's Tennis Stadium. After a weekend off, MSU then goes to No. 6 Georgia (March 25) and No. 21 Tennessee (March 27) and No. 49 Arkansas (Apr. 1).

Source: MSU Media Relations

Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Having secured one of the best 25-game starts in the history of its program, the Mississippi State softball team will step into conference play for the first time this weekend as the Maroon and White welcomes SEC Eastern Division foe Georgia to Starkville for a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field.

The squads will renew their series for the 26th time in a 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon doubleheader, before concluding the set on Sunday with a single game that has also been slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all 2005 MSU softball home games is free.

All three meetings of the set will be broadcast locally, as well as over the Internet, by WMSV 91.1 FM with Anthony Craven handling the play-by-play duties. Live in-game statistics will also be available via a link at the official Internet home for the Mississippi State athletic department, www.MStateAthletics.com.

Coming off a rare midweek trip to UAB, Mississippi State (17-8) is off to one of its best 25-game starts in school history, falling percentage points short of 18-7 starts by both the 2000 and 2003 squads. The Bulldogs used an eight-run third inning to defeat the Blazers Tuesday evening at George Ward Park after turning in a 4-2 weekend at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic.

Like the Maroon and White, Georgia (16-7) is fresh off a midweek tilt as well, defeating visiting Charlotte by 7-1 and 23-0 scores at the Georgia Softball Complex Wednesday evening. In the back end of the twinbill, the Red and Black got 22 hits from its batting order behind a combined no-hitter by three of its hurlers.

"We face two very tough opponents (Georgia, Tennessee) to open our conference schedule, but that's what was dealt to us," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Georgia has got a good club. They are very aggressive offensively and they have all of their pitchers back from last year. That's going to be a key for them. They hit the ball very well and we have got to be ready for that and ready to compete this weekend."

Having battled injury and illness for a better part of the early portion of its schedule, the Maroon and White Bulldogs have gotten an equal balance from its hitting and pitching in its early season success. MState is led by a pair of .400 hitters in sixth-year senior Jennifer Jessup (.426, 3 HR, 17 RBI) and freshman Courtney Bures (.400, 10 HR, 30 RBI), but have an array of consistent hitting behind them as well. Sporting a team clip of .311, MSU has six batters in its order that have posted a .297 or better average through 25 games, with another pair hitting at or above .269.

From the circle, MState has gotten 30 or more innings from four of its pitchers with both sophomore Stephanie Comeaux (6-1, 1.96 ERA) and Melissa Massey (6-2, 2.13) pacing the team in the win column. State's five-armed staff will bring a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 into the weekend.

"Our start hasn't been too bad," Miller said. "Defensively, we have had some letdowns that have gotten in the way of winning a few more games. But, overall, I am pleased with where we are right now, especially with the way we have been hitting the ball. I have been pleased with our pitching as well. We're right where we need to be."

Georgia will bring a team into Starkville that is more dangerous than the record