LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University softball program will get plenty of game action in during its stay in Starkville this weekend, playing two games apiece on Friday and Saturday before one final contest on Sunday.
The Lady Braves (2-4, 0-0 SWAC) face a challenging gauntlet of teams in this tournament as the hosts of Mississippi State are ranked #18 by Softball America, Western Kentucky is 6-1 and Ball State is a respectable 2-2.
Â
Scouting the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers (6-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Alcorn will open up the Invitational Friday morning at 10 a.m. against the Lady Toppers of WKU.
Western Kentucky's only blemish so far is a defeat versus Kennesaw State but they have taken care of business against Indiana State (3x), Chattanooga and Bowling Green by a combined margin of 52-16.
The Red and White are an offensive juggernaut in the early portion of 2021, ranking ninth in the nation for runs per game (8.29), top-15 in homers per game (1.71), top-20 in batting average (0.347) and slugging percentage (0.592) while also excelling in fielding percentage (0.980), ERA (2.23) and shutouts (3).
Friday's meeting between the two programs will be the first matchup ever in softball.
Â
Scouting the #18 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-5, 0-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs come into the tournament losers in three-of-four but those three defeats came against traditional powerhouses of Texas, Baylor and Alabama.
The Maroon and White are not elite in one single category, rather being good in many statistics.
MSU slots at 50th or better in the country for batting average (0.301), doubles per game (1.46), homers per game (1.23), scoring (6.08) and slugging percentage (0.494).
Alcorn has matched up against Mississippi State 11 times in the past with the Bulldogs winning each encounter.
The Lady Braves are 2-38 all-time against SEC competition with its two victories both coming over Ole Miss.
Â
Scouting the Ball State Cardinals (2-2, 0-0 MAC)
Ball State will be making the lengthy trip from Muncie, Indiana to Starkville, Mississippi after beating Saint Louis and Austin Peay while losing to DePaul and Southern Illinois in the Coach B Classic to start the season.
The Cards lead the Mid-American Conference in batting average (0.286), doubles per game (1.75), runs per game (4.75) and on-base percentage (0.363).
Similar to its ballgame with Western Kentucky, this will also be the first ever contest between these two programs.
Â
#FearTheBrave
Â
