Softball | 2/27/2020 2:34:00 PM

Alcorn Preps for Alex Wilcox Memorial at Mississippi State

Alcorn Game Notes

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Alcorn State University softball program will partake in The Snowman Alex Wilcox Memorial with five games over the weekend at Nusz Park, hosted by Mississippi State.
 
The Lady Braves (5-14) will begin with games against UT-Martin at 2 p.m. and UAB at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Alcorn will take on UT-Martin at 10 a.m. and Mississippi State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Braves will conclude the weekend with a 12:30 p.m. game against Mississippi State on Sunday.
 
Both games against the Bulldogs will be streamed for free on the SEC Network Plus or ESPN3.
 
"This weekend is another opportunity for us to compete. We are finally on the back end of this non-conference schedule. It's been tough. We are playing some quality opponents and hopefully we are learning what it really takes," said Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin.
 
Alcorn is coming off a doubleheader against Southern Miss on Wednesday where the Lady Braves led the Golden Eagles 2-1 after five innings. Though, USM came back with a five-run inning in the sixth to take game one 6-2, and then stayed hot in game two for a 9-1 final.
 
The highlight of the day was a base-clearing triple by junior Desirea Lindsey. She came up to the plate with two outs and delivered a shot to left center to give the Lady Braves a 2-1 lead. In game two, Alcorn scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Malea Dickerson.
 
"We have to be strong from the first inning to the last inning. That sounds like a cliché or coach talk, but that's a challenging task. We were close yesterday for 5.2 innings, but we just did not finish," Rankin said.
 
Senior Simone McKinney leads the team with a .377 average and a team-high seven multi-hit games. She's on a nine-game reached base streak and a four-game hitting-streak. McKinney one of three Lady Braves hitting over .300 along with juniors Ashley Arnold (.375) and Lindsey (.302).
 
Junior Amari Ramsey is seven hits away from reaching 100 in her career. She'd become the 15th student-athlete in program history to reach that milestone.
 
Alcorn head coach Josef Rankin, who is in his sixth season, has mixed and matched his lineups as he's been known to do. The Lady Braves have used 19 different batting orders in 19 games.
 
UTM (9-7) is off to a strong start this year. The Skyhawks are 3-0 against the SWAC with wins over Alabama State 5-0 and 6-0, and Grambling State 9-1. UTM nearly defeated No. 20 Tennessee in its last outing on Tuesday but fell 3-2.
 
UAB (8-7) nearly knocked off No. 1 Washington this year but fell 8-7. The Blazers have a road win at Georgia Tech 9-3. The only meeting between Alcorn and UAB came in the 2010 NCAA Regionals where the Blazers topped the Lady Braves 10-1.
 
Mississippi State (13-3) defeated Alabama State 16-2 in five innings earlier this year in its only game against the SWAC. The Bulldogs also have wins this year over Louisville, N.C. State, Oregon State and San Diego State. MSU was 21-8 at Nusz Park last year, and 6-1 so far this season.
 
"It's an honor to be apart of this tournament. Alex Wilcox, such an inspiration – an all-time heroine," Rankin said.
 
About Alex Wilcox
Alex Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball program who inspired many across the nation with her courageous battle against ovarian cancer. That fight ultimately took her life that summer at the age of 18.
 
MSU immortalized Wilcox last fall by retiring her No. 8 jersey on Sept. 15, 2019, making Wilcox the first female student-athlete in Mississippi State history to have her jersey retired. The Bulldogs will continue their "No One Fights Alone" campaign throughout the 2020 softball season to honor Wilcox by wearing teal uniforms on midweek games and in the opening game of The Snowman.
 
Wilcox's final career at-bat came against Alcorn on April 18, 2018. After the game, Rankin said "Putting softball aside, the most significant thing that happened to us tonight was we were on the same field as Alex Wilcox. That's the opportunity we are proud of. She's an awesome young lady who is pushing us all to appreciate the opportunities we have, and quite frankly, learn how to deal with whatever life throws at us and keep pressing. She's amazing and Alcorn softball will continue to stand with her in her fight."
 
#FearTheBrave