CONWAY, Ark. – Fresh off of a series win over Austin Peay over the weekend, the Central Arkansas softball team heads back on the road for another midweek, taking on SEC foe No. 18 Mississippi State on Tuesday. First pitch against the Bulldogs is set for 5 p.m.
 
The Bears (17-19, 5-3 ASUN) won their first home series of the ASUN season, winning a shootout of all shootouts in game one before trading run-rule wins in games two and three, downing Austin Peay 12-3 in game three. In a series that saw the teams combine for 56 runs, Central Arkansas scored 29 over three games. In five games last week, senior Madi Young batted .583, recording seven hits and drawing eight walks for an OBP of .750. The Derby, Kansas native had zero strikeouts in 20 plate appearances, and leads the team with 22 bases on balls this season, with only four strikeouts, a team-low among full-time starters.
 
As ASUN play continues, the Bears' numbers have continued to climb, now hitting .327 in eight ASUN games. Kylie Griffin continues to lead the way at the plate, hitting .484 in conference games and .395 overall. She is the first Bear to reach 50 hits this season, and has moved into second all-time at Central Arkansas with 230 career hits. She now trails one former Bear, Sam Forrest, who had 260 hits in her career.
 
The Bears and Bulldogs have faced off 12 times in program history, with Central Arkansas winning two of the matchups. The teams last played in a tournament in Starkville in 2022, with the teams splitting the two games. After getting run ruled in the first meeting, the Bears bounced back, holding the Bulldogs to three runs and six hits, winning 5-3.
 
Mississippi State (29-8, 6-3 SEC) is enjoying a nationally ranked season, and most recently took game one in the SEC series against No. 1 Texas, the third time in program history that the Bulldogs have defeated a No. 1 team. MSU scored a run in each of the second, third, sixth and a walk-off in the seventh, the last coming off the bat of Paige Ernstes.
 
The Bulldogs are led this season by Sierra Sacco, who holds a .486 batting average in 111 at bats. The senior outfielder has 54 hits on the year, with 20 of them going for extra bases, and leads the team with 13 stolen bases. Her 28 walks also top the roster, and she holds an OBP of .589.
 
Mississippi State has 50 home runs this season, with ten players contributing to the total, led by Lexi Sosa's nine. Of the ten players with at least one, six have five or more homers, and that has helped the Bulldogs outscore its opponents 255-113 this season. In the circle, MSU holds a staff ERA of 2.81, led by Delainey Everett's 1.48 in 42.2 innings.
 
First pitch against Mississippi State is set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be streamed on SECN+, with live stats available online.