After a rough go in a three-game series at Alabama last weekend, the now No. 4 Oklahoma softball team hopes to right the ship and get things headed back in the right direction when it hosts No. 15 Mississippi State over Easter weekend.
A month ago, the Sooners stood 28-0, were ranked No. 1 in the nation and had swept their first two SEC series. Thirteen games have been played since then, and Oklahoma has gone 8-5, including losing its last two SEC series to Tennessee and Alabama.
Sooners host Mississippi State for top-15 SEC softball series
After losing twice at Alabama last weekend, Oklahoma (36-5, 10-5) dropped two spots to No. 4 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
Mississippi State (33-11, 9-6) is coming off a series win over Missouri, winning two of three games at home over the Tigers. The Sooners also took two of three from Missouri a month ago.
OU and Mississippi State also have a common opponent this season in Tennessee. The Sooners and Bulldogs both lost two of three to Tennessee. Mississippi State failed to score, however, in its two losses to the Volunteers.
Prior to this weekend, Oklahoma and Mississippi State have met just eight times in softball. The Sooners have won all eight games. This will be the second time the two teams have played in Norman, but the first time at Love's Field.
Oklahoma won 5-3 in 2017 at Marita Hynes Field. The most recent game between OU and MSU was one year ago in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California, with the Sooners winning 9-3.
The two teams will play at 4 p.m. CT Friday evening at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, weather permitting (time was moved up because of inclement weather). Saturday and Sunday's games are set for 1 p.m back at Love's Field. The game on Saturday will be on SEC Network. Sunday's game will be available for viewing on SEC Network+.
What fans need to know
Oklahoma
- The Sooners led all of Division-I softball last season with a .362 team batting average. This year's OU team is not as good a hitting team. The Sooners' .333 team average through 41 games ranks 25th nationally. In the preceding two conference series with Tennessee and Alabama, however, OU hit just .226 and .190, respectively, as a team.
- Oklahoma leads the SEC in slugging percentage (.629), second in on-base percentage (.454), home runs (77) and walks (208), and is third in runs scored (327, eight per game).
- Sooner pitching ace Sam Landry's 1.77 ERA ranks fourth in the SEC, and she is seventh in the conference with 114 strikeouts.
- OU is 11-4 against top-25 teams. The Mississippi State series is the third straight SEC series against a ranked team, and the Sooners have No. 3 Texas and No. 7 Florida the next two weekends.
Mississippi State
- Senior outfielder Sierra Sacco leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally with a .504 batting average. She is second in the SEC in on-base percentage (.599), hits (66), runs scored (53) and doubles (14), and eighth in slugging percentage (.824).
- Junior outfielder Kiarra Sells and graduate pitcher Lexi Sosa lead the Bulldogs in the power department with 11 and 10 home runs, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of Mississippi State's runs production this season have come from home runs.
- Senior pitcher Raelin Chaffin has made 21 starts this season. She is 18-6 with a 2.55 ERA and 14 complete games. Sophomore pitcher Delainey Everett, who the Sooners will also see in this series, ranks fifth in the SEC with a 2.15 ERA.
- Mississippi State is 7-4 in true road games this season, including a pair of wins at Alabama, where OU lost two of three last weekend.