Scouting the Bulldogs: Can Mississippi State test OU softball?

Well, OU fans knew at least one familiar face was going to be returning this weekend for the Norman Super Regional.

But no, it is not Melyssa Lombardi and Oregon. The Ducks, the No. 14 overall seed, were ousted in their regional. Instead, here comes Mississippi State for an all-SEC matchup at Love’s Field this weekend. And welcome back Samantha Ricketts, leading the charge for the Dawgs.

Game 1 is set for noon on Friday on ESPN2. Game 2 at noon on Saturday on ESPN. If there is a Game 3, it will be Sunday at a time and TV spot to be determined.

OU and Mississippi State did not play this season, so it is a bit of a fresh matchup. And if you like strength vs. strength, this is a regional for you.

The Bulldogs pitching staff vs. that OU offense, buckle up and let’s go.

Mississippi State (41-18)

Best regular season wins: vs. Tennessee, at Georgia, at Florida, vs. Arkansas, vs. LSU (2x)
Won Eugene Regional: St. Mary’s 3-2 (8), Oregon 4-0, St. Mary’s 5-0

What to watch

Peja Goold is 15-10 with a 2.12 ERA. She has thrown just over 148 innings with 178 strikeouts and 12 complete games and three saves.

Then there’s Alyssa Faircloth, star of the Eugene Regional. She is 16-7 with a 2.28 ERA. In 169 innings, she has a ridiculous 261 strikeouts with 13 complete games and four saves. Faircloth threw a no-hitter in the victory against Oregon on Saturday.

The fact the duo has combined for seven saves is interesting. And maybe necessary. Do not be surprised if Ricketts just bounces Goold and Faircloth off each other all weekend. It is the best path to success. Trust them and see how far you can go.

As a team, MSU only has 63 home runs. Kiara Sells and Nadia Barbary are tied for the team lead with 14.

OU pitching efficient as it gets

The Sooners looked like a team that had been at a regional before. Outscoring their three foes 28-1, that is how is supposed to be.

Still, a very solid outing by the OU pitching staff. You cannot and will not answer all questions about that group in a regional, but it was nice to not come away with even more issues afterward.

“Watching these pitchers compete against the best hitters in the country,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “They’re standing right here in this stadium, so it’s trial by fire. It’s really tough to get our hitters out. But if they allow their mindset to stay where it needs to stay, maybe I threw a great pitch, but somebody hit it out, it’s still a great pitch. And Audrey is mature enough, and the rest of them now are mature enough to understand that.

“And so we really do put them out on the mound and have them go at our hitters for that reason. And as long as their mindset stays like, ‘OK, I missed that one, but I’m coming back to the next,’ and not just kind of let everything just take them down. I think that’s been the change. It’s not the pitches. They have quality pitches. It’s the mindset, and that has changed. I can see that change. So I am really, really comfortable with where we are right now with our pitching staff and going into a Super Regional.”

Softball America asks…

Does Mississippi State have the firepower to score on Oklahoma?

The Mississippi State duo of Alyssa Faircloth and Peja Goold has enough talent in the circle to take on the historic Oklahoma offense in a three-game set. However, what has plagued the Bulldogs for most of the season is a lack of run support.

Oklahoma’s pitching has been the weakest of its three facets, but it hasn’t been so glaring a weakness that it can’t handle a lower-tier offense. The Sooners also allowed only one run in three games in the Norman Regional against three solid offenses in Kansas, Michigan, and Binghamton. Oklahoma’s defense won’t give the Bulldogs any freebies either.