SCHEDULED GAME TIME
Friday, 6 p.m. at Bogle Park (3,200) in Fayetteville
RANK/RECORDS
No. 17 Arkansas: 23-6 (2-1 SEC)
No. 20 Mississippi State: 22-6 (3-3 SEC)
STREAKS
Arkansas won 1; Mississippi State won 2
COACHES
Arkansas: Courtney Deifel — 301-153 in ninth season at Arkansas and 328-180 in 10th season overall.
Mississippi State: Samantha Ricketts — 147-86 in fifth season at Mississippi State and overall.
SERIES HISTORY
Mississippi State leads 38-35 but Arkansas is 16-19 when the teams have played in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks have won nine consecutive games in the series.
LAST MEETING
Arkansas defeated Mississippi State 5-4 on April 2, 2023, to sweep a three-game series in Starkville, Miss.
TELEVISION
The game will be streamed by SEC Network+. It can be accessed on WatchESPN.com and via the ESPN app (carrier login required). Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and KB Sides (analyst) will be on the call.
TEAM COMPARISONS
Earned Run Avg.: Arkansas 1.85; Mississippi State 2.39
Runs Per Game: Arkansas 6.17; Mississippi State 7.11
Batting Avg.: Arkansas .311; Mississippi State .339
Opp. Batting Avg.: Arkansas .205; Mississippi State .210
Slugging Pct.: Arkansas .513; Mississippi State .542
On-Base Pct.: Arkansas .393; Mississippi State .455
Fielding Pct.: Arkansas .980; Mississippi State .953
FORECAST
According to the National Weather Service, it will be mostly cloudy Friday evening in Fayetteville with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. North winds are expected to blow 10-15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
WHAT TO KNOW
• Arkansas won 2 of 3 games in its SEC-opening series at Auburn. Mississippi State won a series at Ole Miss and lost a series against Texas A&M.
• The Razorbacks will be playing their first SEC home series. Arkansas is 12-3 at home.
• Mississippi State ranks third in the SEC with a .339 team batting average. The Bulldogs’ 199 runs scored are second most in the conference.
• Arkansas had turned 17 double plays, which leads the SEC. The Razorbacks’ .980 fielding percentage ranks second in the league and their 1.85 ERA is sixth.
• The Bulldogs rank 12th in the SEC with a 2.39 ERA over 172 2/3 innings pitched. Right-handers Josey Marron (2.37 ERA over 59 innings pitched) and Aspen Wesley (2.90, 48 1/3) are Mississippi State’s top pitchers.
• Arkansas right-hander Morgan Leinstock (1.22 ERA over 63 innings pitched, 6-0) is the Razorbacks’ top pitching option. Left-hander Robyn Herron (1.72 ERA over 69 innings pitched) suffered a “day-to-day” injury in the first inning of Arkansas’ 2-1 loss at Auburn last Sunday.
• Freshman catcher Kennedy Miller leads Arkansas with a .448 batting average and is second on the team with 25 RBI. Miller, who was named SEC freshman of the week, is third in the league in batting average and 13th with a .776 slugging percentage.
• Arkansas junior first baseman Bri Ellis became the first Razorback to win back-to-back SEC player of the week honors. She ranks third in the SEC with 10 home runs and her 34 RBI ranks fourth.
• Mississippi State fifth-year infielder Madisyn Kennedy was named the NFCA and NCAA national player of the week. She ranks third nationally with a 1.05 slugging percentage and leads the Bulldogs in batting average (.421), home runs (11) and RBI (35).
• Arkansas sophomore shortstop Atalyia Rijo will be redshirting this season, coach Courtney Deifel said Thursday. Rijo had surgery before the season started and appeared in nine games.
• The Razorbacks have four players — Ellis (10 home runs), Hannah Gammill (7), Cylie Halvorson (6), Miller (6) — with at least six home runs.
• Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts was first baseman for Oklahoma from 2006-09. Deifel was a graduate assistant for the Sooners from 2008-09.