The Mississippi State softball team is ready to begin its 16th season today at home against Iowa State in the Bulldog Round-Robin, the only tournament that will be hosted on campus this season. The tournament will also feature games against Purdue and Kennesaw State.
“If students come, they’ll get to see an exciting brand of softball,” MSU head coach Jay Miller said. “Our games take an hour and a half to two hours to play, so it’s fast, and it’s got a lot of quick action. We’ve got some tremendous athletes here that you will probably see on the Olympic team four years to 10 years down the road.”
Fresh off a 33-28 record in 2006, the Lady Bulldogs are returning a veteran squad to reach what last year’s team could not – postseason play.
Last year, the Bulldogs had the best start in the program’s history, beginning the season 16-0.
However, the Dawgs went winless through the month of April and ended up with a dismal 7-22 Southeastern Conference record.
“I think we had a better team overall last year than we had a few years prior to that when we went to the NCAA tournament,” Miller said. “Unfortunately, the wins and losses came in bunches. But overall, I think we were better than we have been in the recent past.”
The 2007 squad returns a majority of its players from last season. The only two starters from last year not on the roster this season are second baseman Callye Williams, who graduated, and pitcher Ragan Blake, who transferred.
Williams will be replaced at second base by senior Katie Johnson, who will team with junior All-American shortstop Courtney Bures to control the Bulldog middle infield.
“Courtney and Katie give us one of the best middle infields in the country,” Miller said. “They both play excellent defense and are very good offensively. Both concentrate on what they need to be doing at all times and should click as one of the top double play combos.”
The rest of the infield includes Lindsay Hunley and sophomore Sammie Jo Bailey trading time at first base, and senior Michelle Kinney and redshirt sophomore Gina McCloud competing for the starting third base position.
“We have a lot of combinations [on the corners],” Miller said, “and I would imagine at the beginning of the year, we’ll experiment a little bit and see what combination gives us the best production, offensively and defensively.”
The left and center field positions will be locked down by returning starters Nakita Boyce and Hayle Guess, respectively. The returning duo combined for a .312 batting average last year and scored 72 of the team’s 217 total runs last season.
Right field will be anchored by either returning senior Katie Cooley or Michelle Kinney, depending on where the versatile Kinney falls in the lineup. Sophomore Rachel Hurley also saw action in right field during the fall, but according to Miller, the starting spot is still up for grabs.
Pitching for the Bulldogs will be a trio of seniors who are experienced and ready to carry the load of the team.
“This is the best pitching staff we’ve had since I’ve been here in my five years,” Miller said. “We’re a little deeper than we ever have been, and because they’re all seniors, they are very experienced.”
Stephanie Comeaux, who is known across the nation for her behind-the-back changeup pitch, finished last year with a 15-10 record and led the team with a 1.75 ERA.
She returns this season with a positive outlook on her pitching comrades.
“I think the pitching core is going to be stronger this year,” she said. “We have more pitchers than we have had recently, and I think we are all mature and solid. Last year, we seemed to be missing one piece constantly, and I think we found that and then some for this season.”
Comeaux will be supported by Sara Hickerson, who made several appearances last season, and Kelli Miller, who only made 10 appearances last season due to surgery but finished with a 2-0 record and a 2.70 ERA.
Behind the plate will be senior catcher Blair Hewett, who started 56 games as catcher last season and finished with a .278 batting average.
Hewett earned MSU’s MVP honors last season and set a school record with an incredible.997 fielding percentage.
MSU has scheduled 24 home games for the 2007 season and 25 games against NCAA tournament teams.
“We take each weekend one weekend at a time,” center fielder Hayle Guess said. “Of course, there’s always winning the conference and the SEC Tournament and going to the World Series and winning that, but we have to take one week at a time and work on getting better week after week.”
Twenty-nine regular season SEC games also highlight the 61-game schedule.
“The SEC is extremely tough,” Guess said. “We have the best teams, along with the Pac-10. Along with that, we have the best players in the nation. When you put the best players with the best teams in the nation, it’s great competition, and it can only make us better.”
“We’re just ready to get started,” Miller said. “It’s time to play somebody else besides ourselves.