The Mississippi State softball team will hold it’s first fall scrimmage this. Saturday at Nusz Park in preparation for the upcoming 2017 season.
Last year, the Bulldogs finished the season with a 26-31 record, placing 12 out of 13 in the South Eastern Conference with an SEC record of 3-21. Head coach Vann Stuedeman plans to have a better, much improved season, using this weekend and the following fall games as observation and feedback.
“This is our first time playing against pitchers and hitters that aren’t our own,” Stuedeman said. “These scrimmages give us a chance to show us what they can do in other positions that we see secondary to us.”
She continued to explain the importance and impact of the scrimmages to get her slate of fresh faces adjusted to their new platform of playing Division I softball as Bulldogs. Of the 24-player roster, six are freshmen.
“It allows them to put on the uniform, get in front of our crowd and know what it feels like to be a Bulldog,” coach Stuedeman said. “The scrimmage easily gets all the jitters out that may be anticipation or plain excitement.”
Stuedeman expects the Bulldog veterans to lead the team and perform well this season.
“I’ve already seen a transition and a mental connection that many of us coaches, we beg for them their freshmen year to flip that mental switch,” Stuedeman said. “Most come back successfully connecting dots.”
The softball coaching staff is excited to see veterans like utility player Kat Moore, who hit .206 as a freshman and outfielder Sarai Niu, who hit .178 with three home runs “flipping their switch,” as Stuedeman noted their growth amongst players.
Last season, both Niu and Moore made notable contributions to the team and will be on the spotlight this year, as the Bulldogs lost dominant player Kayla Winkfield to the National Professional Fastpitch League, and Stuedeman looks to find players to fill such big shoes.
The Bulldogs will kick off the fall schedule with Chipola College at noon and at 2:30pm. On Sunday, they will compete against Southern Union State Community College at 3 p.m.
Following this weekend, the Bulldogs will pick back up Oct. 7 to compete against Mississippi College at Nusz Park, then they will head to Cullowhee, North Carolina for a four-game scrimmage to complete their fall schedule.
