STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Drake University softball team looks to continue its strong start to the 2018 season as it travels to the February Freezer, hosted by Mississippi State, Feb. 16-18.
The Bulldogs starts the tournament Friday against Murray State at 12:30 p.m. before taking on host Mississippi State at 5:30 p.m. Drake opens Saturday with a 4 p.m. matchup versus the MSU Bulldogs again before playing the Racers again at 6:30 p.m. The team closes out the weekend Sunday with an 11 a.m. meeting against South Alabama. Both Mississippi State and South Alabama are receiving votes in the latest top-25 polls with Mississippi State tallying 47 and South Alabama with seven. Drake's game on Friday against Mississippi State will be broadcast on the SEC Network +/Watch ESPN with full coverage and live stats for every game available on GoDrakeBulldogs.com. This will be the first time Drake has ever faced Mississippi State, Murray State and South Alabama.
Drake (4-1) had a great opening weekend at the UNI Dome Classic, outscoring its five opponents, 29-4. The Bulldogs' wins came against South Dakota State, Southeast Missouri State and two over Green Bay. UMKC handed Drake its only loss of the weekend, narrowly defeating the Bulldogs, 2-1, in the tournament finale.
Redshirt junior pitcher
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) made her return to the circle after missing most of last season with an injury. Newman (2-0), who was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, earned wins over Green Bay and SEMO. In the season opener against Green Bay, she pitched four innings and allowed one hit with nine strikeouts and two walks in a 11-0, five-inning win. Newman pitched another four innings against SEMO, striking out 10 and allowing just two hits and zero walks in the 1-0 win.
Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) had a big weekend to open her senior-campaign, going 5-for-12 with six runs scored and four runs batted in. Wright hit two impact doubles to help lift the Bulldogs to their second victory over Green Bay, 6-0.
Murray State (1-3) opened its season last weekend at the Eagle Round Robin Invitational with a 16-6 (5 inn.) victory over East Tennessee State before dropping a rematch to East Tennessee State and falling to Georgia Southern and Radford. The Racers welcomed freshman Sierra Gilmore who hit .500 in her opening weekend with a 6-for-12 performance at the plate.
Mississippi State (4-0) kicked off its 2018 campaign with wins over Omaha, Missouri State and a pair over Mississippi Valley State. Freshman Mia Davidson earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after leading all SEC freshman with a .667 average in the opening weekend. The Mississippi State pitching unit has yet to give up an earned run, striking out 40 batters through the first four games. The Bulldogs will face off in a home matchup against UT Martin on Thursday before opening play in the February Freezer.
South Alabama (4-1) opened its season against No.10/11 Alabama, narrowly falling 0-1 to the Crimson Tide, before bouncing back with four wins at the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational. The Jaguars' pitching duo of Devin Brown and Alexis Reid have combined for a 0.80 earned run average and 30 strikeouts.
Following the conclusion of the February Freezer, Drake will travel to the USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla. hosted by South Florida (RV), Feb. 23-25.
