The softball Bulldogs handed head coach Jay Miller his 221st win Friday, making him the winningest coach at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs defeated No. 23 Purdue 4-3 at the Sunshine Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. The win brought the Bulldogs to a 6-2 record on the season. Last week, Miller was named the head coach of the United States national softball team.
“Obviously it’s a tremendous honor and responsibility being named the head coach of the national team, but right now, I’m mostly concerned with finishing this season and winning some games,” Miller said.
With a strong start and a solid performance at the Sunshine Classic, the Bulldogs look forward to a promising season. The team has already received votes to be ranked in the top 25, and Miller said he expects great things from this year’s team.
“I’m really excited about the rest of the season. We’ve got a great group of youngsters, and our team is getting better with each weekend,” he said.
Senior Kelsey Nurnberg is the oldest of only four upperclassmen on the MSU softball team. She said it is a different experience being one of the oldest girls. She also said the younger girls have stepped up to the plate.
“The girls have been so malleable and willing to adjust,” Nurnberg said. “They have been wonderful. We really couldn’t be happier.”
As a pitcher, Nurnberg proved a strong asset to last year’s team, and Miller said he expects much consistency from her this season. He said he feels confident about her performances in the circle.
Miller said the Bulldogs’ tough defense and experienced pitchers are the greatest strengths of this year’s team.
“Our defense is playing really good right now and I feel great about our pitching staff,” he said. “We have great pitchers, the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”
In addition to a talented defense, the Bulldogs are equipped with several offensive superstars.
Junior Chelsea Bramlett is a two-time first team All-American and Division 1 Catcher of the Year.
Miller said he looks to Nurnberg and Bramlett to lead the Bulldogs to victory this weekend at the Bulldog Classic.
Mississippi State will host Evansville, Rutgers and SIU-Edwardsville today, Saturday and Sunday.
Miller said he expects a strong performance from the Bulldogs and hopes injuries will not hold them back.
“We need to stay healthy. We don’t have a lot of depth,” he said. “We only have 16 players and four of them are pitchers. The key thing is to avoid injuries.”
Nurnberg and Bramlett said they are concerned the team will struggle to play at its highest level despite whoever the competition may be.
“We try to look at each team as if they are the best, but we worry that we will play down to the level of our competition,” Nurnberg said.
Bramlett said her team hopes to play as well as it did last weekend.
“If we play like we did last weekend, I think we can beat anybody,” Bramlett said.
Both girls agree the Bulldogs should be victorious in the tournament this weekend. They said they feel the season has started off well, and if the team keeps playing like it has been, then it should perform very strong this weekend and the rest of the season.