HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Mississippi Valley State University softball program has a chance to clinch a spot in the SWAC Tournament and can earn as high as a two-seed in the East with a sweep plus JSU getting swept versus B-CU but would most likely slot in the third or fourth slot depending on how many games Valley wins compared to the ASU-FAMU series.
What You Need to Know
Time and Dates: Friday, April 29 (12 & 2 p.m.) | Saturday, April 30 (12 p.m. & 2 p.m.)
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Records: Mississippi Valley State (11-22, 9-11 SWAC) | Alabama A&M (12-24, 6-14 SWAC)
Location: Huntsville, Alabama – Bulldog Field
Series History: Mississippi Valley State Leads 53-44
Last Meetings: March 11-12, 2022 | Mississippi Valley State Swept Series 2-0 (Combined 6-4) | Itta Bena, Mississippi (MVSU Softball Field)
Winning Streak: Mississippi Valley State (W2) | Alabama A&M’s Last Win: May 1, 2021 (4-1, Game Two)
Mississippi Valley State Overview
The Green and White are looking to return to the conference tournament for the first time in five seasons, where it lost both outings as the fourth seed in the East after a .500 regular season (9-9 SWAC).
Brianna Alston and Jaylon Davis have taken the mantle of veteran leadership on the offense, providing 50 hits, 18 steals, 14 walks, nine extra-base hits, and nine RBIs.
Shelby Carson has been the run producer for Coach Buckner, driving home a team-high 11 runs batted in while scoring a team-most 15 runs.
Daisy Page has been as close to an automatic win in conference play, as the team has gone 5-2 in weekend series openers which she usually starts.
Scouting The Opponent: Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs
Alabama A&M has officially been eliminated from contention so it will have to accept the role of spoiler.
In one of the more miscellaneous stats tracked by the NCAA, hit batters by a pitching staff is one that not many people pay attention to. However, the Maroon and White have plunked the second-fewest batters in the nation this season, beaning seven opponents, second only to Murray State who has done it six times.
In a conference full of base stealers, Lauryn Gross is the best of the best, averaging 0.78 per game to rank seventh in the country. Gross also leads the SWAC for runs scored a contest (0.89) and walks per contest (0.70) to go along with the second-highest on-base percentage (0.485) league-wide.
Allyson Riches has a top-five SWAC mark in both batting average (0.386) plus on-base percentage (0.469) with Alyssa Lopez being the top hurler on the pitching staff, sporting an ERA just north of 3.50 (3.52) on top of nearly 50 strikeouts (47).
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