Collection Connection

STARKVILLE – Sydney Carter was the first of Mississippi State softball's newcomers to reach Starkville. The freshman moved in over the summer and immediately enrolled in classes. The early start combined with free time in town led her to discover passions she has in common with her teammates and connect with them.

The first thing to know about Carter is that she's a collector, and those collections proved to be the foundation of her connections to many of her teammates.

"I guess collectors are someone who has a passion about something and is open about sharing it," she said. "They're open about whatever they're into."

So, between bouts of embarrassed laughter, Carter detailed each of her collections and hobbies that she has in common with a fellow Bulldog.

Sharing Shoes – Kiki Edwards

The collectibles made Carter's move-in take an extra three hours. Nearly an hour and a half of that was dedicated solely to the 73 different pairs of shoes that reside under her bed. She's a sneakerhead, just like junior Kiki Edwards.

And same as Edwards, there's always a story about that coveted pair. When one pair was sold out across the United States, her father surprised her with them for Christmas and she's embarrassed to admit she actually teared up when she unwrapped them.

"My dad lied to me and was like 'Oh, they are not going to have another drop for another three months, so we couldn't get them,' and then I got them Christmas morning. He had gotten them from like overseas, in England or something," she said.

Shoes are all about design and style. But surprisingly, Carter's collection has one defining feature – almost every pair is black and white.

"I'm not much of a color person," she said. "If I like the style or they're black and white, I'll buy them."

Painting A Picture – Grace Fagan

Black is Carter's favorite color. Back home, the walls and ceiling of her room were painted black. That color palette extends to one of her hobbies – painting.

"I'm an oddly artistic person," Carter said. "It's usually graphic drawings or oil paintings, and I don't usually use a lot of color."

It's a bit different from Grace Fagan, who is a big fan of colored pencils in her sketching. Carter has designed her own tattoos, including the large angel on her leg. She used to draw people too, but like Fagan, the perfectionist in her made it frustrating if it wasn't just right.

Her favorite place of campus is The Refuge where she can sit and work on her art. She had never heard about the national wildlife refuge until stumbling upon one day while out for a drive.

"I found the cows out past campus, and I love cows. Cows are my favorite animal," Carter explained. "I'd go out there every couple of days and just look at the cows. I just started making turns one day until I saw a sign for the Refuge and was like, 'Oh, I'll go see what that is.'"

All The Anime – Chloe Malau'ulu

By far her most-niche collection and the one she shies away from discussing more than any is Carter's love for the anime show Naruto. Alongside the shoes and records, her room is strewn with Naruto collectibles, keychains and clothing.

It's a show that Carter says people either love or don't understand at all. Chloe Malau'ulu is one who had embraced it long before Carter arrived on campus.

Naruto was the primary way the Malau'ulu and Carter got to know each other. They had so much in common that it would surprise them at times.

"Sometimes we'll go out to dinner and we'll both be wearing the same Naruto shirt," Carter said. "I'll show up and walk in, and she'll be like, 'There's no way you have that on right now.' Then she lifts up her jacket and has the same shirt."

Racking Up Records – Riley Hull

Another form of art also captures Carter's attention.

"I am a big music freak, I love music," she said. "I have a record player that sits on my dresser, and I've got all my albums out and all the records are on the wall."

Carter's record collection tops 150 titles, so many that she doesn't have room for them all on her wall. It's a conversation starter and well-known in the dorms.

"Some of the football guys, they have their own records, and they just kind of had them to have them," Carter said. "Once they found out I have a record player, they bring them up here to play them all the time."

Her classmate and future roommate, Riley Hull, is also an avid record collector. It's one of the ways the pair has bonded so quickly.

"We are super close, and we weren't when we first moved in," Carter said. "Now, we're attached-at-the-hip best friends. We talk a lot about records and how we want to hang them up in our rooms next year."

Carter also keeps up to 20 different playlists on her phone with one at the ready for whatever mood she is in that day. She takes her tunes quite seriously, which has posed a bit of a problem for her when it comes to picking a walkup song to play in Nusz Park this spring.

"It's very nerve wracking for me because I have so many songs that I know and am obsessed with that I don't think I could pick a perfect one," she said. "I stress out about having to pick one song."

At the end of the day, Carter's collections make her who she is. And when someone else shows an interest, it gives her a way to connect with them. She knows that her items aren't going to be for everyone, and that's okay.

"Some people walk into my room and see the Naruto flags and are like, 'You're so cool,' or 'What was that?' or they just don't even think twice about it," she said. "Some people look at my wall like so what you have a lot of records, and some sit and look at each record I have and go through all of them. It really depends on what they're into too."

Mississippi State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Carter

Kiki Edwards

Grace Fagan

Riley Hull

Chloe Malau'ulu

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