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Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Softball Has More Than Bragging Rights on Line at Ole Miss

Mississippi State brings strong pitching, elite defense and postseason urgency into its regular-season finale at Ole Miss.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Outfielder/Pitcher Gretta Grassel (#1) during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Outfielder/Pitcher Gretta Grassel (#1) during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State is running out of runway, and the Bulldogs know it.

If they want to stay in the mix to host an NCAA Regional, they need wins this weekend. Playing Ole Miss only turns up the volume on a series that already matters.

That’s the backdrop as No. 18 Mississippi State heads to Oxford for a Thursday‑Saturday rivalry series to close the regular season.

The Bulldogs are coming off a big series win against LSU, just the second in program history, and they’ve put themselves squarely in the hosting debate.

Ole Miss, meanwhile, just took a series at Auburn and has shown it can make things difficult for anyone at home. Add in the rivalry piece, and the intensity should take care of itself.

Mississippi State has handled in‑state opponents well under Samantha Ricketts, going 31-6 against Mississippi teams. Five of those losses have come to Ole Miss over the last seven seasons, but the Bulldogs have won the last three series in the rivalry.

This weekend is another chance to add to the résumé.

Mississippi State is the only SEC team that played all eight of its league series against Quad 1 opponents, and it has just one loss outside Quad 1 all season. The strength of schedule is doing plenty of heavy lifting, but wins in Oxford would give the Bulldogs something more concrete.

If Mississippi State is going to make a push, it starts with the things that have carried them all year.

Peja Goold continues to be one of the best stories on the roster. She earned the final Golden Ticket for the AUSL Draft last weekend, making her the latest pitcher to develop into a pro under Ricketts and Taryne Mowatt‑McKinney. The Bulldogs also field it as well as anyone in the country. Their .984 fielding percentage ranks fifth nationally, and they’ve gone errorless in 33 of 51 games.

Alyssa Faircloth has been a strikeout machine with 210 punchouts, already fifth in single‑season program history. She’s six away from fourth and has been dominant at getting hitters looking.

Nadia Barbary continues to climb the career charts in doubles, homers, RBIs and total bases, and Kiarra Sells has been on base constantly, getting walked or hit 20 times in her last 20 games.

Ole Miss enters at 30-22 and 4-17 in SEC play, but the Rebels are coming off one of their best weekends of the season.

Freshman Madi George earned a sweep of national Freshman of the Week honors after going 7-for-11 with three homers and 10 RBIs at Auburn.

The Rebels also rank 11th nationally in double plays and have several defensive standouts, including Cassie Reasner and Kennedy Bunker.

Mississippi State sits at 36-15 and 8-13 in SEC play, currently tracking as the 10‑seed for next week’s SEC Tournament.

A sweep would match the program’s highest regular‑season win total under Ricketts, and it would give the Bulldogs a real boost heading into the postseason.

The stakes are clear. The rivalry is familiar. And for Mississippi State, the path to hosting starts with handling business in Oxford.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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