After its most successful season in 10 years, the Mississippi State University softball team returns to the diamond for the third season under head coach Vann Stuedeman. 
After finishing the 2013 campaign with a 32-24 record and winning its first postseason game since 2008, Stuedeman said her coaching staff set high goals for the 2014 squad.
“We are looking for another Vanntastic season,” Stuedeman said. “We have some high expectations of this group. We are very senior-heavy, and we have a strong freshmen class.”
After an early exit to last year’s NCAA Tournament, Stuedeman said the Bulldogs seek to improve and still hold championships as a season’s goal.
“This year, it’s the same team basically. We do have a little different pitching staff, but beyond that, we’re one year smarter, one year wiser, and I look for really big things,” Stuedeman said. “I’m not going to set a limit on this group. The sky is the limit for this group, and they’re going to go as far as they want to go.”
Stuedeman also said a key to success for the season will be the leadership of the seniors. The Bulldogs return 13 letterwinners from a year ago, including seven seniors. 
Stuedeman said having her veterans play a role in coaching is essential to the underclassmen’s development.
“This group of girls have been here three years with me now. We always tell them that as soon as they start coaching the team and as soon as they become an extension of the coaching staff, we know we’re headed in the right direction,” she said. “They’ve got to continue doing what they’re doing, keep getting better every time they go out there and keep coaching and teaching.”
Senior catcher Sam Lenahan returns as the squad’s leader in batting average, doubles, RBIs and on-base percentage. Lenahan said the Bulldogs have set high standards for the new season and work toward advancing further than it has ever been. 
“I think we’re going to go further this year than we have in the past. We have a great senior class. It’s our third year under Vann, and we’ve learned a lot,” she said. “We have a great freshman class coming in and they bring a lot to the table and have a lot of potential. I think we’re definitely going to Super Regionals and beyond this year. That’s one of our goals.”
MSU welcomes six freshmen and one junior college transfer to the team. 
Freshman infielder Caroline Seitz and pitchers Alexis Silkwood and Mackenzie Toler seek to make an immediate impact in their debut season in the Maroon and White. 
With the addition of seven newcomers, senior outfielder Jessica Offutt said the Bulldogs continue to build depth, which will pay off down the stretch of a long season.
“We have seven outfielders out there, but three of them can play infield. We have a lot of players that are really versatile and can do a lot of things,” she said. “Our freshman class is very athletic. They’re very talented and work very hard. Depth is really important throughout the season. If there is an injury, we’ll have plenty of players to go to.”
MSU was picked to finish No. 12 in the SEC, which had eight teams voted in the top 25 preseason poll, and with six conference series against preseason-ranked opponents, Stuedeman said facing a difficult schedule prepares the Dogs for the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s why you come to school here. It is exactly why I coach in the SEC. It’s an incredible opportunity to play the best and be one of the best,” she said. “It’s about confidence. The biggest thing is to keep your girls confident, keep them focused on their skills and not who the opponent is. The opponent is the game. I think it might be harder to win the regular season SEC championship than it would be to win the World Series. Our conference prepares us for postseason, which is the way we look at it. Every weekend we’re going into a Super Regional. We are ready for the postseason when the postseason comes along.”
The Bulldogs start the season Friday with the 2014 Bulldog Kickoff Classic. 
MSU will host Mississippi Valley State and Northern Kentucky Friday at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The Dogs will return to the diamond Saturday against Northern Kentucky and Jacksonville State before closing the weekend against Jacksonville State on Sunday.