The teams will be seeded after three games of round robin play. Games four and five will be bracket play as play on Sunday concludes with a consolation and championship game.
First pitch from Starkville, Miss., for the Red and White is at 10 a.m. CT on Friday against Alcorn State on Friday. The only games available to stream will be against Mississippi State, which will be on SECN+.
GAMES 8-12
WKU (6-1) vs. Alcorn State (2-4)
March 5, 2021 | 10 a.m. CT
Livestats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=329583
Nusz Park | Starkville, Miss.
WKU vs. Ball State (2-2)
March 5, 2021 | 12:30 p.m. CT
Livestats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=329584
Nusz Park | Starkville, Miss.
WKU vs. Mississippi State (8-5)
March 6, 2021 | 12:30 p.m. CT
Livestats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=329588
SEC Network + Stream: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=3736430
Nusz Park | Starkville, Miss.
WKU vs. 1 vs. 4 or 2 vs. 3
March 6, 2021 | 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.
Livestats: 1 vs. 4 Game | 2 vs. 3 Game
Nusz Park | Starkville, Miss.
WKU vs. Consolation or Championship
March 7, 2021 | 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
Livestats: Consolation | Championship
Nusz Park | Starkville, Miss.
BROADCAST
Watch: SECN+ for any games against Mississippi State
Game Notes: WKU | Alcorn State | Ball State | Mississippi State
TOP STORYLINES
The last time WKU played Mississippi State was in 2017, when the Hilltoppers claimed a 1-0 win in Starkville. WKU's overall record against Mississippi State is 3-3 with three games from Nusz Park and three neutral tilts.
- WKU and Alcorn State have never met prior to this weekend.
- The Hilltoppers have faced Ball State a total of seven games in program history and own an overall record of 4-3 against the Cardinals. The sides met twice during the shortened 2020 campaign.
- While the Hilltoppers enter the weekend with a 6-1 record, the squad has already had six games canceled this season between COVID-19 contact tracing by an opponent and inclement weather.
- Redshirt Senior Paige Carter appeared on WKU Athletics' Beyond the Hill podcast a couple weeks ago to discuss being a fifth-year senior, the team's 4-1 start and much more. Listen HERE.
- Entering this weekend, Paige Carter tied for eighth in all of NCAA Softball in quality at bat percentage. Her 0.679 rate was calculated with objective metrics including hits, walks, hit by pitch, any sacrifice, reaching on errors, any run scored via contact, and 7+ pitch plate appearances.
- WKU redshirt-junior catcher Kendall Smith was named one of 30 candidates named by the Senior CLASS Award in early February. She joins fellow Hilltopper Kelsey Aikey as two of the program's three selections to the prestigious list.
- WKU Softball was predicted to win the Conference USA East Division by league coaches, receiving eight first place votes. Individually, pitchers Kelsey Aikey and Shelby Nunn, along with catcher Kendall Smith have been named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
