Softball Kicks Off SEC Schedule By Hosting No. 3/4 Florida
March 07, 2012 | Softball
Starkville, Miss. - Softball's second season will begin Wednesday afternoon as the Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-5) host No. 3/4 Florida (19-1) at the MSU Softball Stadium in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Admission is free for both teams' Southeastern Conference opener.
"We are excited about starting the second season," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Ultimately, the game has no memory, so what has happened so far this year does not matter. We are going to focus on one pitch at a time and one moment at a time."
With a 14-5 record, the first-year head coach's mark through 19 games is the best start by any active SEC head softball coach in their first year at their current school. Under the leadership of Stuedeman, the Maroon and White have won six-straight games and are riding its longest winning streak since winning eight in a row from Feb. 13-25, 2009. As a result, MSU picked up votes in Tuesday's ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 poll.
Offensively, State ranks near the top in most SEC categories, including: batting average (4th), slugging percentage (4th), on-base percentage (3rd), hits (3rd), doubles (4th), triples (T-2nd) and total bases (4th). The Bulldogs are led by reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week Jessica Cooley and redshirt senior Brittany Bell. Cooley earned the nod after hitting .526 with 17 RBIs and five home runs this past week. The SEC Player of the Week became the second player in school history to receive the national accolade, joining two-time All-American and SEC Player of the Year Iyhia McMichael (Feb. 24, 2004). Bell has mashed the ball as well in 2012, leading the conference in batting average (.500) and on-base percentage (.647), while ranking second in slugging percentage (1.000).
Inside the circle, junior southpaw Stephanie Becker anchors a dynamic staff that has lowered last year's school-record high 4.90 ERA to a much more manageable 1.82 clip. Entering conference play, the Chicago native has already matched last year's win total with a sterling 7-1 record. Tying teammate Kylie Vry for the team lead in strikeouts (45), Becker has gone the distance four times and recorded three shutouts this season.
It will take more than a Bully bite to drag down the Gators though, as the Orange and Blue enter Wednesday's contest with a conference-high 19 wins. With eight home runs, UF's Kelsey Horton will face Cooley in a matchup of the two SEC home-run leaders. Cooley and her teammates will step into the box and see UF's Hannah Rogers standing in the circle, who is a perfect 10-0 with a 0.58 ERA.
Veranda owner Jay Yates will throw out the first pitch and biological science major Carsyn Byars will sing the national anthem. Local youth groups are invited to come celebrate Church Night with the Bulldog softball team and along with all fans, be able to participate in Bulldog Bingo and movie trivia. As always, softball aficionados will have the chance to win a Vanntastic t-shirt with every extra-base hit.
Following the SEC opener, Starkville's team will return to the Dawg Diamond Friday for the beginning of a three-game series against No. 7/7 Georgia. The Maroon and White host the red and black Bulldogs Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. both days. For more information regarding the showdown, follow the team on Twitter at @MStateSB and like the team at Facebook.com/MStateSB.
