Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Nothing Touches The Grass
June 21, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's outfield quietly put together one of the best seasons on the grass in program history in 2021. The Bulldogs led the SEC with 15 outfield assists, which ranked third in school history behind only the 2002 and 2010 teams.
Those teams were headlined by recognizable names such as Iyhia McMichael, Kate Jaspers, Brittany Bell, Kaili Smith and Brittany Gates. McMichael set the MSU single-season record in 2002, throwing out nine runners as the Bulldogs racked up 18 assists that year. In 2010, Bell and Smith both collected six assists.
But the 2021 team was a little different. Led by SEC All-Defensive Team selection Chloe Malau'ulu and her seven assists, which tied McMichael's 2004 mark for second in school history, State turned in a better fielding percentage than the 2002 team while rotating six different players through the outfield.
The year started with Malau'ulu, Anna Kate Segars and Christian Quinn starting in the outfield. After Segars became unavailable with an injury, Malau'ulu moved to center field and head coach Samantha Ricketts got creative in the corners.
"My sophomore year I was in right and left a lot," Malau'ulu said. "I'm used to how the ball comes off the bat for different hitters, lefties, righties, different pitchers, fast or spin. I feel like I have a good gauge on how the ball's going to come off the bat in right and left. When they put me in center, it was more 'Okay that's a solid hit so it's going to come right at me deep or shallow, so it's a piece of cake.'"
MSU's usual designated player Carter Spexarth began playing right field and catcher Jackie McKenna began starting in left field. Quinn and Brylie St. Clair took on late-inning roles as defensive specialists.
"I've just always loved defense. It's been my specialty on the field," St. Clair said. "I feel like I've embraced my role well, and my defense did benefit our outfield in some cases. It was nice to have them trust me in the late innings and know that I could get the job done."
While 2002 may have been defined by McMichael's arm and 2010 by the team's higher outfield fielding percentage, this spring was about depth, especially depth provided by new additions to the outfield group.
Malau'ulu, who says her leadership skills are her greatest asset on the field, prioritized helping McKenna learn a new position.
"At first I was like 'Okay, Annie [Willis] is pitching,'" Malau'ulu said. "But she'd be like, 'Okay, I know Annie's pitching.' I had to tell her, 'You know, if it's a lefty, that ball's going to tail, so make sure you're staying on the foul line because a lot of those balls are just going to keep going that way.' Little things like that I was telling her, and she was slowly learning as the games kept going on. That was my project for the season, and she came up with some good plays so it was working."
Behind the scenes, assistant coach Tyler Bratton was also at work, instructing and motivating the Bulldogs with lofty goals. Before every drill, Bratton and the outfielders break their huddle with their mantra "TBOIT," which stands for "The Best Outfield in the SEC."
"It holds us to a standard. Once you start saying it all the time, you obviously start to believe it," St. Clair said. "I think our actions this season and the plays that we made show that we're a tough outfield."
Malau'ulu firmly believes defense wins games and points to the Bulldogs doubleheader sweep against No. 15 Tennessee as a prime example. That afternoon saw a diving catch from St. Clair in center and a leaping grab at the wall in left from Malau'ulu preserve a one-run lead in the sixth inning. In the second game, McKenna made a sliding catch in foul ground.
When the ball Malau'ulu caught was hit high down the line, pitching coach Josh Johnson hesitated for a moment.
"I took a second, but Bratton immediately said, 'We have someone there,'" Johnson said. "'Do we?' I said. But sure enough Chloe was there."
Confidence. Bratton never doubted his outfielders, and they learned to follow his lead.
"I think that this year just showed the capabilities that we have as an outfield," Malau'ulu said. "We are capable of doing a lot more than we think we are. That says a lot."
Those teams were headlined by recognizable names such as Iyhia McMichael, Kate Jaspers, Brittany Bell, Kaili Smith and Brittany Gates. McMichael set the MSU single-season record in 2002, throwing out nine runners as the Bulldogs racked up 18 assists that year. In 2010, Bell and Smith both collected six assists.
But the 2021 team was a little different. Led by SEC All-Defensive Team selection Chloe Malau'ulu and her seven assists, which tied McMichael's 2004 mark for second in school history, State turned in a better fielding percentage than the 2002 team while rotating six different players through the outfield.
The year started with Malau'ulu, Anna Kate Segars and Christian Quinn starting in the outfield. After Segars became unavailable with an injury, Malau'ulu moved to center field and head coach Samantha Ricketts got creative in the corners.
"My sophomore year I was in right and left a lot," Malau'ulu said. "I'm used to how the ball comes off the bat for different hitters, lefties, righties, different pitchers, fast or spin. I feel like I have a good gauge on how the ball's going to come off the bat in right and left. When they put me in center, it was more 'Okay that's a solid hit so it's going to come right at me deep or shallow, so it's a piece of cake.'"
MSU's usual designated player Carter Spexarth began playing right field and catcher Jackie McKenna began starting in left field. Quinn and Brylie St. Clair took on late-inning roles as defensive specialists.
"I've just always loved defense. It's been my specialty on the field," St. Clair said. "I feel like I've embraced my role well, and my defense did benefit our outfield in some cases. It was nice to have them trust me in the late innings and know that I could get the job done."
While 2002 may have been defined by McMichael's arm and 2010 by the team's higher outfield fielding percentage, this spring was about depth, especially depth provided by new additions to the outfield group.
Malau'ulu, who says her leadership skills are her greatest asset on the field, prioritized helping McKenna learn a new position.
"At first I was like 'Okay, Annie [Willis] is pitching,'" Malau'ulu said. "But she'd be like, 'Okay, I know Annie's pitching.' I had to tell her, 'You know, if it's a lefty, that ball's going to tail, so make sure you're staying on the foul line because a lot of those balls are just going to keep going that way.' Little things like that I was telling her, and she was slowly learning as the games kept going on. That was my project for the season, and she came up with some good plays so it was working."
Behind the scenes, assistant coach Tyler Bratton was also at work, instructing and motivating the Bulldogs with lofty goals. Before every drill, Bratton and the outfielders break their huddle with their mantra "TBOIT," which stands for "The Best Outfield in the SEC."
"It holds us to a standard. Once you start saying it all the time, you obviously start to believe it," St. Clair said. "I think our actions this season and the plays that we made show that we're a tough outfield."
Malau'ulu firmly believes defense wins games and points to the Bulldogs doubleheader sweep against No. 15 Tennessee as a prime example. That afternoon saw a diving catch from St. Clair in center and a leaping grab at the wall in left from Malau'ulu preserve a one-run lead in the sixth inning. In the second game, McKenna made a sliding catch in foul ground.
When the ball Malau'ulu caught was hit high down the line, pitching coach Josh Johnson hesitated for a moment.
"I took a second, but Bratton immediately said, 'We have someone there,'" Johnson said. "'Do we?' I said. But sure enough Chloe was there."
Confidence. Bratton never doubted his outfielders, and they learned to follow his lead.
"I think that this year just showed the capabilities that we have as an outfield," Malau'ulu said. "We are capable of doing a lot more than we think we are. That says a lot."
Players Mentioned
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