Softball to Open NCAA Regional with Mississippi State Friday Afternoon

Friday, May 21

Stillwater, OK

4:30 PM ET

Boston University

Mississippi State (NCAA Regional)

Softball to Open NCAA Regional with Mississippi State Friday Afternoon

May 20, 2021 | Softball

Watch (Friday)Live Stats (Friday)Game Notes

2021 NCAA Stillwater (Okla.) Regional
#1 Oklahoma State (42-9)
#2 Mississippi State (33-23)
#3 Boston University (36-2)
#4 Campbell (27-17)

Friday, May 21
Game 1 - No. 5 Oklahoma St. vs. Campbell, 2 p.m. ET
Game 2 - Mississippi State vs. Boston University, 4:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 22
Game 3 - Winner of G1 vs. Winner of G2
Game 4 - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2
Game 5 - Winner G4 vs. Loser G3

Sunday, May 22
Game 6 - Winner G3 vs. Winner G6
Game 7 - Winner G6 vs. Loser G6 (if necessary)

Watch: ESPN3
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball
Rosters: BU | MSU | OSU | Campbell
Schedule: BU | MSU | OSU | Campbell
Stats: BU | MSU | OSU | Campbell

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STILLWATER, Okla. – Riding an 18-game win streak, the Patriot League champion and No. 3 seeded Boston University softball team will face No. 2 Mississippi State in the opening round of the double-elimination NCAA Stillwater Regional on Friday afternoon with the ESPN3 broadcast slated for 4:30 p.m. ET. The top-seeded and host Oklahoma State, who ranks as high as fifth nationally, will first face No. 4 and Big South champion Campbell at 2 p.m. ET.

The Terriers enter the tournament with the nation's second longest active win streak after winning all three PL tournament games last weekend at home by a combined score of 23-7 for their 14th overall conference title and 11th automatic NCAA berth. Sitting at 36-2 with an RPI ranking of 43, they are a No. 3 seed for the second time in program history after accomplishing the feat in 2012. Overall, BU has lost its last seven NCAA games after eliminating then-AAC champion Louisville, 8-3, in the 2014 Tucson Regional.

BU is batting .323 for 18th place in the nation and has four 2021 NFCA All-Region honorees batting over .390. Senior Jen Horita was named to the first team Thursday after batting .443 through the first 38 games of the season and owns 21 RBIs along with 20 runs scored, while sophomore and reigning PL Player of the Year Caitlin Coker (.410) ranks 13th nationally at 1.13 runs per game (43 total). She also owns 17 stolen bases and a .514 on-base percentage, just ahead of junior Nicole Amodio (.400), who leads BU with 33 RBIs, 11 doubles and three homers. PL Tournament MVP Lauren Nett is fourth on the team at .392 after batting 4-of-8 last weekend to move ahead of junior Emily Gant (.391), who has 23 RBIs and 31 runs.

Gant is a two-time All-Region honoree with the help of her work in the circle, as she owns a 5-2 record and 1.18 ERA with opponents batting just .173. Senior and three-time PL Pitcher of the Year Ali DuBois leads the staff with a 25-0 record and is just the second three-time First Team All-Region pitcher for the Terriers after former All-American Audrey West ('96) accomplished the feat. DuBois is currently tied-for-first in the program record book at 85 wins and is second all-time in the PL at 30 shutouts, one shy of the record. Sophomore Allison Boaz has made her mark as well this year with a 5-0 record and 1.94 ERA.

BU is 0-7 all-time against the other three NCAA regional participants, including a 0-1 mark against Mississippi State (33-23) following a 4-2 loss in 2000. With an RPI ranking of 28, the Bulldogs are making their 16th NCAA appearance since 2000 and feature three players who have combined for 45 homers, led by Fa Leilua (.340)'s 18 homers, 45 RBIs and 46 walks. Carter Spexarth (.333) and Mia Davidson (.307) have totaled 39 RBIs apiece for a team that went 8-15 in the SEC, which had 12 of 13 teams reach the NCAAs. In the circle, Annie Willis (16-9, 2.59 ERA) leads the way with 144 strikeouts in 132.1 innings, while Emily Williams (8-5, 3.59 ERA) owns 124 strikeouts in 101.1 innings.

The Big 12 tournament runner-up Cowgirls (42-9) also rely heavily on the long ball with 79 combined homers and are making their 23rd overall NCAA appearance after reaching the Women's College World Series in 2019. Chelsea Alexander leads OSU at .414, while Alysen Febrey (.400) has 13 doubles, 16 homers and 51 RBIs. Carrie Eberle (21-3, 1.83 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 136 strikeouts in 152.2 innings, while Kelly Maxwell (14-3, 2.03 ERA) owns 129 strikeouts in 102.0 innings. OSU is 4-0 all-time against BU, winning the first-ever meeting in the 2003 NCAA Regionals (1-0) and the last matchup in 2013, 7-1.

Campbell (27-17) owns 73 stolen bases and is batting .275 as a team with Bri Bryant hitting .366 alongside six homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBIs. Claudia Ware (.342) and Claire Blount (.286) also own double-digit doubles as well, while Kayla Fredenall (.236) has seven homers. In the circle, Megan Richards (8-7, 1.72 ERA) and Georgeanna Barefoot (13-6, 2.43 ERA) are holding opponents to an identical .219 batting average. BU lost to the Camels by one run in both 2000 (1-0) and 2003 (6-5) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The winner of the regional will advance to next weekend's Super Regional matchup against the winner of the Austin (Texas) Regional hosted by the No. 12 national-seeded Longhorns.