Mississippi State Softball: Bulldogs Ranked No. 18 in RPI

Mississippi State Softball Ranked High in Initial RPI

Vann Stuedeman and the Mississippi State softball team have started this season in incredible fashion. The Bulldogs have seen themselves rise up in the polls. Currently, Mississippi State is currently ranked at 20 and 21 in both major college softball polls.

Now, the Mississippi State softball team has found itself ranked pretty dang high in the first RPI rankings of the season. As the No. 20/21 Bulldogs are 25-4 and hold a winning percentage of 86.2% through their first 29 games, MSU also holds the 18th spot in the RPI rankings.

The Bulldogs have gotten to this point thanks to a strong offense and one of the best pitching staffs in the SEC.

As a team, MSU is hitting .337 and is slugging .542. That pitching staff is headlined by senior Holly Ward and her 0.73 ERA. Nobody on the entire staff has an ERA over Cassady Knudsen’s solid ERA of 1.66. The duo of Knudsen and Ward have a combined 173 strikeouts this year and a record of 18-4.

This past weekend, Mississippi State claimed a series from Missouri. That happened to be the Bulldogs’ first SEC opening series win since 2011. The 20th/21st ranked Bulldogs have done well and have high goals for this season, as they are aiming to see how far they can go this season.

In previous seasons under Stuedeman’s lead, Mississippi State has only ever made it into the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

As coach Stuedeman continues to build her program in Starkville, Mississippi State looks to continue winning this season and make it to a Super Regional. Hopefully, the Bulldogs will go even further. If MSU can continue playing this season like they have to start it, then they can certainly go pretty far this year.