April 16, 1999

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky softball team will play host to Mississippi State on Saturday at the UK Softball Complex.

The doubleheader between the Wildcats (20-29, 3-9) and Bulldogs is set tobegin at 1 p.m.

Sophomore Leslie Kwiatkowski continues to shine for UK at the plate. Thenative of South Bend, Ind. is hitting .400 this season and leads the teamin runs (33), hits (60), home runs (5), RBI (33), total bases (88), andslugging percentage (.587). In UK’s win over Morehead State on Thursday,she went 3-4 with two RBI and scored a run.

Keary Camunas is expected to get the start for the Wildcats. Camunas is11-12 this season with 113 strikeouts. She is tied for second in the SECwith 30 appearances.

Mississippi State (26-18, 8-8 SEC) has won 10 of its last 14 gamesincluding a two-game sweep over Georgia and a four-game sweep overArkansas. They currently sit in fourth place in the SEC Western Division.

The Bulldogs are led at the plate by Kellie Wilkerson who is second in theSEC with a batting average of .438. Wilkerson leads MSU in hits (56), homeruns (5), and RBI (36).

Autumn Anderson, the 1999 MVP of the SEC Tournament, is the Bulldogs toppitcher. Anderson is 15-9 this season with an earned run average of 1.62.Opponents are hitting just .224 off Anderson.

MSU and UK are two of the best hitting teams in the SEC. The Bulldogs arefourth in the league with a team batting average of .277 while the Wildcatsare fifth with an average of .275.

The Cats and Dogs have met once this season when they squared off at theFrost Cutlery Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn. UK came away with a 3-1victory.

Last year in Starkville, Miss., the Wildcats earned its first sweep over aSEC team with a pair of 1-0 wins over MSU. UK leads the overall seriesbetween the two schools, 3-2.

UK will play host to Ole Miss on Sunday, April 18 at 1 p.m. in adoubleheader.