Before a team can beat the Georgias and Alabamas of the softball world, they must first test their mettle against the weaker competition.
That’s exactly what the Mississippi State softball team did in concluding its fall exhibition schedule by destroying three opponents this past weekend by a combined score of 68-0.
The Bulldogs defeated West Alabama and Jones County Junior College on Saturday and West Alabama and Copiah-Lincoln Community College on Sunday.
According to head coach Jay Miller, playing the fall games is an important step in having a good team in the spring.
“It’s a time to play the teams from around the state of Mississippi, the junior colleges,” said Miller. “We can see what they have recruiting-wise and we really can’t afford to play them in the springtime. It’s better than playing against ourselves all the time.”
Junior starting pitcher Melissa Massey, who pitched a perfect game Saturday against West Alabama, said that playing in the fall prepares her to pitch in the spring.
“It gives me a good repetition facing batters and mentally prepares me for game situations,” said Massey.
Miller has used the fall games as an opportunity to give the freshmen lots of playing time. Freshmen pitchers Sara Hickerson, Kelli Miller and Stephanie Comeaux all pitched complete game shutouts over the weekend and Katie Johnson, Keri McFarling, Blaire Geddings and Hayle Guess combined to hit at a .310 average over the four games.
“(I’m impressed with) the young kids,” said Miller. “Kelli Miller, Sara Hickerson and Stephanie Comeaux have all done a great job. Hayle Guess has come in and done a good job both defensively and offensively. I feel real good because we’re getting some at bats and innings for the freshmen and that’ll pay off down the road for us.”
Geddings said that playing the fall games has helped her make the transition from high school softball to college softball.
“It helps me figure out what I need to work on to get better for the spring,” said Geddings. “I know the competition is going to be a lot better in the spring but this lets me know the points that I need to work on to get better to play more in the spring. I think it does that for the rest of the team, too.”
Even though the Bulldogs rolled through the fall schedule uncontested, Miller still says there are areas the team needs to work on if they want to play well once the games start counting in the standings.
“We need to work a little bit more on focus, intensity and things like that,” said Miller. “We’re still making some mistakes but we’re getting better. We’re way ahead of where we were last year at this time and I think that we’re making good progress. We just need to keep working and keep getting better.”
Getting the freshmen playing time and working on focus are not the only benefits of playing the fall exhibition schedule according to Geddings.
Another advantage is team camaraderie.
“(I really enjoy) having fun with the girls,” said Geddings. “I think all the girls have become very close and, of course, winning’s always fun.”