As the Mississippi State softball coaching staff settles into its second year with the team, more new faces have joined the talented Bulldog squad who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.
Head coach Vann Stuedeman said she was told year two was much harder for coaches, but she has accepted the challenge and, along with the team, is eager to get started.
“Last year there was such newness about everything. Now, it’s how much can we learn and an eagerness about them to represent,” Stuedeman said. “There’s still a lot of newness and excitement around the program. I think they’re very excited about year two.”
Sophomore Julia Echols and junior Alison Owen transferred from the University of Georgia and, after sitting out a year due to the SEC transfer rules, both girls will be eligible to play this spring.
Echols will battle for the job at third base, while Owen adds depth to State’s pitching staff. Owen pitched four games in the 2010 Women’s College World Series, finishing the season with a 13-2 record to go along with three saves.
Logan Foulks rounds out the list of transfers. The standout hitter from the University of North Carolina finished the 2012 season second in the ACC with a .596 slugging percentage. Foulks’s transfer to MSU was one of the biggest additions to any team in college softball this year.
Stuedeman said the three girls have fully embraced the team’s philosophy and transitioned rather easily.
“Alison and Julia came just one semester after me, so we’re all very eager to get them into their uniform and on the field since they’ve been here for a full year,” Stuedeman said. “Logan is full of personality and fits right in, and it’s like she was a long-lost sister you just instantly find and have a relationship with. The girls have accepted her, and we’re excited about her choosing Mississippi State.”
Alan Reach, assistant coach, echoed Stuedeman and said Foulks fits in well with the team and he is thrilled to have her.
“You can just kind of see who’s a hitter by their body language and the way they approach batting practice, and she approaches hitting with a strong mentality,” Reach said. “She has a really good swing and experience in the ACC and experience in the SEC just playing out of conference.”
Foulks started every game for the Tarheels last season at either catcher or third base. She hit .302 with 12 homeruns and 37 RBIs. Foulks said Starkville feels like where she grew up, and she feels very welcomed on the MSU softball team.
“Growing up in Douglasville, Ga., you come in and you see ponds and pastures and lakes, and I fell in love before I ever saw the campus,” Foulks said. “But also the team- – they’re awesome. I can’t get enough of it, so it’s good to be here.”
Foulks will not be the only big bat in State’s lineup. Senior Jessica Cooley is coming off a career year in which she blasted 15 homeruns and drove in 41 runs to lead the team. Cooley, along with junior catcher Sam Lenahan, will add to the heart of State’s lineup.
Cooley said the goal offensively for the Dogs is simple: to score as many runs as possible.
“Everybody is doing a great job and giving 100 percent, so all around I think that anybody at any given moment can step up and do the job,” Cooley said. “There’s no selfish person on this team; you truly want the other person to succeed. The past years have been the best teams I’ve been a part of.”
At the team’s media day, several of the girls spoke of the high expectations they have for themselves. After finishing 33-24 last year, the team looks to advance further in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
Senior pitcher Stephanie Becker, who finished last season with an 18-10 recored and 2.49 ERA, said having a year with the coaching staff under her belt has made the transition to this year much easier.
“We all worked really hard in the fall, and I feel like this spring is going to be a really good season,” Becker said. “Every year we all just try to give our best, but it is in my mind that this is my last year, so I want to give even more and try to make this my best year.”
The team kicks off the season Feb. 7 when the Dogs host South Alabama, Troy, Tennessee State and Georgia State in the Kickoff Classic.