The Mississippi State softball team opened its 21st season by hosting five teams for the 14th annual Bulldog Kickoff Classic last weekend.
The teams included MSU, South Alabama, Troy, Georgia State, Tennessee State and SIU-Edwardsville. The Bulldogs were a combined 16-2 all-time against the teams in the tournament, including a 10-1 record at home.
The Bulldogs debuted transfers Alison Owen (right-handed pitcher), Julia Echols (third baseman) and Logan Foulks (infielder/center). Owens has pitched in the Women’s College World Series while at the University of Georgia, and Echols also has SEC experience playing with Owens at Georgia.
Foulks finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year in slugging percentage at North Carolina.
The home opener for the Bulldogs featured a battle of 2012 NCAA Tournament teams as MSU fell to the USA Jaguars by a slim margin of 3-2. Owen broke the school record for strikeouts in a season opener with nine and walked none, marking a complete debut.
Junior Sam Lenahan put the Bulldogs on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning, but it would not be enough as Farish Beard picked up the win for the Jags with two earned runs given up in four innings. Senior Jessica Cooley, junior Heidi Shape and sophomore Ashley Phillips also collected hits for MSU.
The Bulldogs bounced back Friday night with their first win of the 2013 season as they defeated Troy 5-2. MSU stole eight bases for the first time in 11 years, finishing two shy of the school record. Phillips nabbed three of the eight steals herself, becoming the seventh player all-time to accomplish the feat.
Head coach Vann Stuedeman said in an interview with Hailstateradio it felt good to get the first victory of the season.
“It’s great to get that first win under our belt,” Stuedeman said. “To bounce back after a tough loss Thursday showed our competitive, mental toughness.”
Freshman shortstop Kayla Winkfield tailed her first hit of her college tenure and had three put outs.
Winkfield said after falling short in the season opener, Stuedeman told the team to play MSU softball and the team would defeat Troy.
“The game against USA was a battle of two excellent teams, and unfortunately we fell short,” Winkfield said. “But coach told us to just come out, play our game, do what we know we can do and we would win.”
In a doubleheader on Saturday, the Bulldogs outscored opponents Georgia State and Tennessee State in a 17-1 sweep. The Bulldogs beat TSU 8-0 in six innings and followed up with a 9-1 five-inning win against GSU. The pitching staff threw a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts, marking the 15th time in 21 seasons MSU struck out 12 or more batters, with four of those occasions under Stuedeman’s headship.
In the triumph over the Panthers, Owen continued her hot pitching, clinching her first victory as a Bulldog with four shut-out frames of one-hit ball, striking out five and walking none. Senior left-handed pitcher Stephanie Becker, who had seven strikeouts in the win over Troy, sealed the win, fanning three Panther batters.
Becker said Stuedeman called great pitches throughout the tournament, and she and her fellow pitching staff responded well.
“The main goal while pitching is to make moving pitches that hit the location you want it to. Coach called some great pitches, and Logan Foulks did a great job catching behind the plate,” Becker said. “Also, A.O. (Owen) and Kylie (Vry, senior LHP) did really well pitching, and it was a great team effort overall.”
Senior Jessica Cooley was a perfect 2-for-2 at bat with a grand slam, Foulks went yard with a two-run dinger and Phillips continued her hot-hitting with two hits and a pair of RBIs.
The final three games of the Kickoff Classic scheduled for Sunday were canceled due to the impending storm and flood watch for Oktibbeha County. Phillips was named the 2013 Bulldog Kickoff Classic MVP. Phillips, Shape and junior outfielder Jessica Offut received All-Tournament Team honors for the Bulldogs over the weekend.
The 3-1 Bulldogs return to the diamond Wednesday at 6 p.m. when they travel to Lafayette, La., for a non-conference battle against No.12 Louisiana Lafayette.