Mississippi State softball begins regional play on Friday. The 2-seed Bulldogs (37-17, 13-11 SEC) are in Lubbock, TX and will face the 3-seed Washington Huskies (34-17, 12-19 Big Ten) as they look to spark a postseason run. Here's how to watch...
Game time and TV channel for Mississippi State softball vs Washington in the Lubbock Regional
Mississippi State will begin regional play in primetime. The Bulldogs are set to face the Washington Huskies for their Lubbock Regional opener at 7:00 PM CT at Rocky Johnson Field. And fortunately for Mississippi State fans, the game will be broadcast over a traditional network. State's clash with the Huskies will air on ESPN2. For those without a TV or streaming provider, FuboTV will have you covered for this game and offers a free trial.
The Washington Huskies win with pitching
It was a bit of a reset year for traditional power Washington, but Heather Tarr's ball club still managed to make the postseason thanks to being one of the top pitching teams in a competitive Big Ten. The Huskies' team ERA of 2.83 with fourth-best in their league, and they posted the conferences third-best WHIP at 1.16. Their 3.77 strikeout to walk ratio ranks fifth nationally. Ace Sophia Ramuno owns a 2.16 ERA, a batting average allowed of .215, and allows just 1.4 walks per seven innings. Stevie Hansen and Morgan Reimer have both been strong too. This is a team that will make you earn it at the plate.
Alexis DeBoer brings power to the Washington lineup
While being a high-level team on the mound, Washington as a whole as been lackluster at the plate. They own a team batting average of just .286 and an on-base percentage of just .377. They're merely average when it comes to their power hitting numbers. In all, they rank 61st nationally with 5.8 runs per game. That said, their is one batter in particular to watch out for. 1st Team All-Conference and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis DeBoer is outstanding. She's batting .369 with 20 homers and 54 RBI. When UW's pitchers are rolling and DeBoer is providing some pop, the Huskies have enough to be a dangerous squad.