The Mississippi State softball team is heading into this weekend’s home stand on a two-game winning streak and riding a 13-1 home record. The Lady Dawgs will look to continue their hot play at home afainst rival Ole Miss in a three-game series.
Head coach Jay Miller’s team has had SEC series wins already this year over South Carolina and Arkansas. The Bulldogs (17-15, 5-5 SEC) also beat a talented Florida State team twice earlier this season. Their most recent wins came Tuesday afternoon as they routed Alcorn State in a double-header 11-2 and 10-1.
Kylie Vry and Stephanie Becker got the wins on the mound for State as they gave up only two hits and one hit, respectively. Although the Bulldog pitching has been a little inconsistent at times, the girls have made great strides on the mound from last year to this season. Vry said the coaches have done an excellent job improving the team’s pitching.
“We all feel a lot more confident this year with our team behind us. They’re getting hits, and our offense is doing great,” Vry said. “We came in knowing we needed to change, worked very hard, and now it is paying off.”
Contributing the most to the scoring from State was senior Chelsea Raines, who hit two home runs on the day. Shelby Fisher added three RBIs in game one as the Lady Dawgs totaled twelve hits. Game two saw another three-RBI performance but this time by Sam Lenahan. Coach Jay Miller said these two wins were key for the team heading into a big series this weekend.
“We had a tough series at Kentucky last weekend in the cold and rain, so it was good to get that confidence back, both for our pitchers and our hitters,” Miller said. “We hit the ball very well throughout the lineup, so that was a good sign going into Ole Miss this weekend.”
A key for the team this year has been the solid play of their seniors. Ali Bainbridge was moved from second to shortstop this season and has done a great job commanding the infield. Also, Courtney Nesbit at first has played a big role on the team. When injury struck, Raines stepped in at third and has done a solid job at the hot corner.
At the plate, Bainbridge is leading the team batting .389, and Nesbit is not far behind with a .323 average. Nesbit leads the team with seven home runs and 28 RBIs, but is followed closely by Raines with six home runs and 22 RBIs.
These seniors have also done well leading the team this year. This year the team has started meeting together after tough weekends just to make sure everyone is focused and on the same page before the next games are played. Bainbridge said this has transformed into much-needed chemistry for the girls.
“Most of our motivation comes from within the team,” Bainbridge said. “We are so close as a team, which is very important; we really help each other, and it’s great not having to worry about any tension within the team.”
This production on and off the field by the seniors must continue and spread to the rest of the team if the girls plan on making a run in the SEC. The schedule looks promising with home games the next two weekends hosting Ole Miss starting today and Auburn over Super Bulldog Weekend.
The Lady Bulldogs are close to being a team to beat in the West, and Miller believes defense is the key for State.
“We’ve got to tighten up a little bit defensively,” Miller said. “When you play the better teams and you give them extra outs and extra at bats, that comes back to haunt you. If we can tighten up defensively and get more consistent pitching, I think we will be fine.”
Game times for this weekend are today at 5 p.m. and a 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.