The Mississippi State softball Bulldogs continues to roll as they won all five games of the Bulldog Classic this past weekend to improve their record to 14-5 on the season.
The Bulldogs have now won six straight and it is their largest winning streak since February 2009 when they ripped off eight in a row.
The team appears to be getting hot at the right moment considering next up for the Bulldogs is Southeastern Conference play starting with the No. 3 Florida Gators coming into town on Wednesday for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs are seeking to improve within the conference after coming off a disappointing 10-18 record in conference play last year. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs are excited about the challenge and conference play, head coach Vann Stuedeman said.
“We’ll welcome the Gators into town and have fun with that and have a good series,” she said. “We are eager to get started and really excited.”    
Four of the five games played in the classic were run-rule victories and have now recorded a school record of five total on the season in which the Bulldogs had built an eight run lead by the fifth inning in each of the games played. 
It was not until the last game of the classic when the Bulldogs did not reach the run-rule for the first time in five straight games as they defeated Samford 11-5 Sunday afternoon to wrap up a successful hosting of the Bulldog Classic.
Before entering the game against Samford, the team’s earned run average stood at 1.69, and Stuedeman said the performances of the pitching staff have been a big reason for this team’s early success.
“People are making a lot of adjustments with video these days, and the hitters have really caught up with the game with technology,” she said. “It’s nice to have a couple of different arms to put out there and give a different view.”
Junior pitcher Stephanie Becker recorded her team leading seventh victory this season compared to only one loss with her performance on Sunday and also struck out six to bring her total to 45 on the season which ties her for the team lead with junior pitcher Kylie Vry. Senior pitcher Lindsey Dunlap also had an outstanding performance in the Bulldogs’ win on Sunday when she entered an 8-5 ballgame in the top of the fifth inning. She closed out the final three innings striking out seven, allowing no hits and recording her first save since April 2010. Dunlap said she could not have succeeded alone.
“I have to give credit to K.K. (Smith) and Sam (Lenahan), our catchers. They called a great game, and I couldn’t ask for anything better,” she said. “I definitely would have given up hits if the defense had not been there behind me.”
Pitching is not the only reason State is off to a fast start. Their bats have been hot of late as well. The team has a total of 19 home runs on the season and has had two consecutive games with a school record of 16 hits in each. Assistant coach Alan Reach said he has noticed improvement in team hitting as the season has progressed.
“Our hitters have bought in and worked extremely hard. They have stayed hungry and when you do that you get a little confidence and start to roll a little bit,” he said.
Junior outfielder Jessica Cooley, who was named SEC Player of the Week Monday, has been one of those players on a roll recently. She has 10 hits, 11 runs batted in, five home runs and eight runs scored in her last 19 at bats. One of the home runs was a grand slam coming in the first inning of the Samford game on Sunday, which gave her a team-leading eight total home runs on the season. She also leads the team in RBIs with 23.
Cooley will look to continue her hot streak Wednesday against the Gators.