Mississippi State head softball coach Vann Stuedeman will take wins any way she can get them.
This weekend, she picked up three wins in a sweep of Kentucky that saw three come-from-behind victories and two walk-offs. The Bulldogs now sit at 28-19 overall and 11-14 in the SEC and have clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament.
After sweeping Kentucky, State has now won three SEC series in a row as they head into a break from SEC action next weekend.
“We’ve got four non-conference games that will be important and a three-game series at Auburn,” Stuedeman said.  “All seven games will be just as important as the last ones we played. We’ll have to take this one moment at a time like we have all year.”
It was Hawaii native Ka’ili Smith who provided the winning hit in Sunday’s 3-2 victory. After Jessica Cooley drew a walk, Smith came to the plate having reached base in her two previous at-bats and in position to end the game. Cooley said she immediately knew Smith would bring her home.
“I knew as soon as I got the walk,” Cooley said.  “I laughed at first base and thought, ‘KK’s got this. I’m just going to run.'”
Smith then belted a double to left-center field, scoring Cooley from first base and clinching the sweep for MSU. The play at the plate was not contested as Cooley had a chance to show off her underrated speed. Starting pitcher and SEC Pitcher of the Week Stephanie Becker picked up the win for MSU after giving up one run on three hits in four innings pitched. The junior now has a record of 16-10 on the season.
Smith said she was confident of the pitches that were going to be thrown her way in her final at-bat.
“I knew she wasn’t going to give me the inside,” Smith said. “I knew if she was going to pitch any part of the plate from the middle to out, I had it. That’s what I did, I drove it to the opposite side.”
Saturday’s victory over Kentucky also ended with Cooley scoring the final run, this time coming in extra innings. With the score knotted at 1-1, Sam Lenahan hit a single to score Cooley in the eighth inning and clinch the series win for MSU. Saturday’s game was played in front of a national television audience on ESPNU.
Friday’s victory was also of the come-from-behind variety, but did not require a walk-off. Shortstop Erin Nesbit’s two-RBI double in the fifth inning lifted the Bulldogs to a 4-3 win. Becker picked up the win for MSU on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Lady Bulldogs will now turn their attention to two upcoming mid-week games. They will host Memphis at 6 p.m. Tuesday before traveling to Hattiesburg to take on Southern Miss on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Following those games, State will host a double-header with Tennessee Tech on Saturday with games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Because only 11 teams play softball in the SEC, one team every week plays a non-conference opponent, with MSU’s turn coming this week.
With all three of this weekend’s games being played in front of a mostly full stadium, Stuedeman said she was happy to be receiving support from the local community. She was surprised to be approached by an autograph-seeker and fans while eating breakfast at Starkville Café on Sunday.
“I was so excited because all that means is people are getting excited about Mississippi State softball,” she said.