The Vann Stuedeman era started off in thrilling fashion for the Mississippi State softball team as it won its first four games, including two come-from-behind victories in late innings.
Trailing South Alabama 2-1 in the seventh inning of the season-opener on Thursday, senior designated player Brittany Bell launched a grand slam to put MSU ahead, and two more Bulldog runs sealed Stuedeman’s first victory as a head coach.
MSU also came from behind on Sunday to beat Memphis on an eight-run frame in the sixth inning. Stuedeman said the late-inning victories reflect a change in mindset for her team.
“Last year, I think they lost eight one-run games, so we’ve been really hammering in that we would like to compete from beginning to end and really play hard innings one through seven,” Stuedeman said. “The girls just believe in themselves; they believe in each other. They never quit, they keep fighting, and I think that they believe they’re going to score and get it done.”
The Bulldogs did not need a comeback to win on Friday and Saturday as junior pitcher Kylie Vry held Jacksonville State and Lipscomb to one run in back-to-back complete game performances. Shelby Fisher led the Bulldogs at the plate with a four-RBI performance against Jacksonville State in the Bulldogs’ 7-1 victory and a two-run homerun by right fielder Jessica Cooley propelled MSU to a 3-1 win over Lipscomb. Vry now boasts 1.72 ERA in her last seven outings, which date back to 2011. Vry also picked up the save in MSU’s win over Memphis.
“I was proud to see her have some success,” Stuedeman said. “She’s a talented pitcher, and she went out with confidence and was able to rely on some defensive plays in that first game. We made 10 ground ball outs for her and she had six strikeouts, so that’s 16 of the 21 outs right there. She just has proven to herself and her teammates that she’s someone to be reckoned with.”
The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to a midweek matchup with Samford on Tuesday. Stuedeman said she is very familiar with the coaching staff, some of which have connections to Alabama, where Stuedeman was an assistant coach before coming to MSU.
As far as areas Stuedeman hopes her team improves, she said pitch selection and defensive miscues will be the focus for improvement this week.