Mississippi State softball concluded the fall portion of its schedule Sunday with an unblemished record, going 8-0. However, the major victory for head coach Jay Miller’s club is the integration of the team’s freshmen into the collegiate game.
“I thought our freshmen played very well this fall,” Miller said. “Of course, the big adjustment will come in the spring in SEC play. Obviously what they did this fall was against limited competition, but it gives them a chance to play and the pitchers to get some innings. It also gives us a chance to see who can play where.”
The leap from high school or summer league ball to the Division 1 level is a tough adjustment for any young athlete, but the freshmen of MSU softball showed little sign of being overwhelmed by the change.
Freshman Courtney Bures of Haymarket, Va., tallied a team-high 13 RBIs in the two fall tournaments to go with her 19 total bases and .379 batting average.
Fellow freshman Nakita Boyce led the team in batting average with a .600 average in 10 plate appearances.
On the defensive side of the ball, freshman pitcher Ragan Blake finished with a .47 ERA in 15 innings, going 2-0 and leading the team in strikeouts with 21.
While their transitions appear seamless on the field, the rookies are not completely comfortable in their new surroundings.
Bures said adjusting to the different position of the mound (3 feet farther from the plate than high school) was difficult. She added there is a big diffenrence in team attitude.
“The maturity level is much different here,” Bures says. “All these girls are here to do the same thing as you are. They are always trying to find ways to improve and win. In high school, that was not always the case.”
Blake said her toughest adjustment was coming to a team where she did not know anyone. However, she soon felt comfortable thanks to the help of some of her older teammates.
“They have been great,” Blake says. “They’ve really helped me out and showed me the ropes. They are always there to pick me up if I’m having a bad day.”
Sophomore Hayle Guess remembered what it was like to be in freshmen shoes. She came to Mississippi State just one year ago and went through many of the same adjustments they rookies are going through now. She said she tries to encourage them and tells them just to stay focused.
” I tell them to be enthusiastic,” Guess said. “They’ve done great so far, and hopefully they’ll be even better come spring.”