Softball Heads to Mississippi for The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament

Friday, March 3

Starkville, Miss.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Murray State

Maddie Katona softball action in game two against Brown

Photo by: Doug Austin

Softball Heads to Mississippi for The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament

3/2/2023 1:30:00 PM | Softball

Watch (vs. Mississippi State)Live Stats (vs. Murray State: Game 1)Live Stats (vs. Mississippi State)Live Stats (vs. Murray State: Game 2)Live Stats (vs. ACU: Game 1)Live Stats (vs. ACU: Game 2)Notes (PDF)

The Big Green will take on Mississippi State, Murray State and Abilene Christian in Starkville

By: Francis Forte

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth softball team heads to Starkville, Mississippi for The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament. The Big Green will take on Murray State, Abilene Christian and host Mississippi State in their second weekend of the 2023 season.

LAST TIME OUT
Dartmouth opened the season in Madeira Beach, Florida last weekend at the Spring Games event. The Big Green earned their second 3-0 start in program history and first since 2009 with wins over FIU, UT Martin and Valparaiso to open the weekend.

The Big Green's momentum was halted by Siena, dropping its first game of the year by a score of 5-3. Dartmouth was unable to defeat Notre Dame Sunday afternoon, falling to the Fighting Irish, 7-4.

Kate Farren, Mary Beth Cahalan and Leila Hennessy each recorded home runs over the weekend. Maddie Katona was strong offensively throughout the weekend, recording five hits in 11 at-bats, while Farren picked up six RBIs in five games.

Rachel McCarroll and Stella Bale were featured in the circle for Dartmouth. McCarroll finished the weekend with a 3-1 record, including a complete-game victory over FIU in Dartmouth's season-opener. Bale appeared in four games, recording 16 strikeouts in 16.1 innings of action.

WAIT, HAVE WE MET?
Dartmouth will face off with three opponents for the first time in program history this weekend. This has been a common theme for the Big Green this season, as they have battled two unfamiliar opponents already and are set to face one more following this weekend.

The Big Green are 1-1 against first-time opponents this season. Dartmouth met Valparaiso last weekend at the Spring Games, defeating the Beacons by a score of 5-2. The Big Green also faced off with Notre Dame for the first time in Madeira Beach, Florida, falling short by a score of 7-4.

Dartmouth travels to Mississippi for the first time in program history. While the Big Green open the year in the south most seasons, the Magnolia State has alluded the program. Dartmouth holds an 0-1 record against teams from Mississippi, as the Big Green fell to Mississippi Valley State in a neutral-site game in 2017.

Following this weekend, Dartmouth is scheduled to face one more first-time foe. The Big Green travel to Moraga, California for a pair of games against St. Mary's from March 17-18.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs are set to host The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament with a record of 12-4 to start the season. Mississippi State is receiving votes in both major polls.

MSU comes off a successful 2022 campaign, capped off by hosting a Super Regional in Starkville. The Bulldogs earned their first Super Regional berth in program history by defeating No. 2 Florida State twice in Tallahassee.

The Bulldogs have won six games in a row heading into the tournament. This includes a win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday in their first home contest of the year.

SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
Murray State enters the weekend with a record of 8-6 and have won four of its last five games. The Racers protected their home field well last weekend in the Velvet Milkman Invitational, picking up wins over Ball State, Loyola Chicago and Bellarmine.

The Racers captured their first conference tournament title last season, earning a bid to the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament. Returning senior Gracie Osbron picked up where she left off a season ago, holding a batting average of .442 and leads her team with 19 hits, three home runs and 15 RBIs through 14 games.

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Abilene Christian has not shied away from tough competition thus far in 2023, as the Wildcats have faced off with ranked opponents three times. ACU took part in the Lone Star State Invitational last weekend, which featured a pair of matchups against then-No. 10/12 Virginia Tech and a contest against No. 9/13 Texas.

The Wildcats played Virginia Tech close in its final game of the weekend, falling by a score of 4-1. Abilene Christian showed marked improvement after dropping an 11-0 tilt to the Hokies two days prior.

ABOUT ALEX WILCOX
The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament honors the legendary spirit of the late Alex Wilcox. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, Wilcox defied the odds and continued to play softball during her treatments, leading Brantley High School to a pair of Alabama state championships.

As a freshman at Mississippi State, Wilcox continued to battle cancer while pursuing her dream of playing collegiate softball. She appeared in eight games, starting three during her freshman season.

The Bulldogs immortalized Wilcox following her passing in 2018, making her the first female student-athlete to have her jersey retired on September 18, 2018. MSU re-branded its annual February tournament to honor Wilcox's memory.

FOLLOW ALONG
All of Dartmouth's games will have live stats with links available on the softball team's schedule page. The Big Green's game against Mississippi State Friday at 1:30 p.m. will be streamed on SEC Network +.