Southwestern Athletic Conference teams have become very familiar with Mississippi State softball. In two of the last three weeks, three teams from the SWAC have visited the Lady Bulldogs. Unfortunately for the visitors, all have boarded the bus with nothing but losses to the Lady Dawgs.
In last weekend’s Bulldog Classic, MSU went 2-0 against Alabama A & M, 2-0 against Mississippi Valley State and 2-0 against Austin Peay for its second tournament title of the season. Eight Bulldogs were named to the 12-member All-Tournament Team, including MVP Iyhia McMichael.
The Bulldog offense fired on all cylinders this weekend scoring 57 runs in the six game tournament. McMichael went 14-19 at the plate on the weekend with 13 RBI and three home runs. Blaire Brown added nine RBIs on 11 hits.
“The offense struggled a little in San Diego,” McMichael said. “(This weekend) we just concentrated on getting hits when we needed them and things worked out for us.”
However, the Bulldog pitching staff stole the show. The Lady Dawgs’ staff held opponents scoreless on the weekend. Freshman Stephanie Comeaux paced the MSU with 11 strikeouts in eight innings.
“(Pitching) was awesome,” said senior Melissa Massey. “Everyone came out and did their job. We really came together and played great.”
According to head coach Jay Miller, control keyed State’s pitching dominance.
“We got ahead in a lot of the counts and didn’t walk very many people. Melissa Massey struggled a little bit on Friday, but came back and had a strong game today,” Miller said.
“I think we’re now getting to the point in the season where our second and third starters are starting to emerge, and that will help take some of the pressure off Melissa,” Miller added.
Some of the team’s goals for the weekend included giving some of its younger players more experience and giving some other players experience at new positions.
Jennifer Waterman made the switch from catcher to first base, while Kate Jaspers shifted from first to the outfield.
“Waterman made some nice plays at first base for us,” Miller said. “She seems to run the infield well.”
Miller added: “Kate played great in the outfield-she’s played there before. Haley Guess is really getting comfortable at shortstop. We’re really starting to settle into our positions a little more, and these innings were really important.”
After stretching their home-winning streak to 12 games, the Lady Dawgs will compete on the road with their final non-conference tournament this weekend in Houston.
“We did what we needed to do (this weekend,)” Miller said. “The key will be carrying this success over to next weekend in Houston.”