Getting Better With Time
February 28, 2022 | Softball, Joel Coleman
Mia Davidson adds another stellar chapter to her historic career.
STARKVILLE – At this point, Mia Davidson really can't do much to surprise folks.
The Mississippi State catcher and Southeastern Conference's all-time home run queen has so many big hits and monster shots that what would be unbelievable feats for most have just become commonplace for her.
Yet just when you think you've seen it all out of Davidson comes moments like this past weekend. The Bulldogs hosted The Snowman annual event in memory of Alex Wilcox and the three-day tournament essentially turned into a round of batting practice for Davidson.
The final tally over the five games? Davidson was 7-for-13 overall. She cranked five home runs. She drove in nine. She also walked five times, putting her on base (or circling the bases) in 12 of her 18 weekend plate appearances.
Impressive to say the least, even for someone with Davidson's career resume. And the root cause of it all, according to MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts, is a player who – even after so long with the team – continues to grow.
"I mean this is year five for Mia, and this is the most mature she's been," Ricketts said. "She's really kind of let go of a lot of the expectations and the pressure on herself and her goal is to be the best teammate and to do whatever she can to help the team on and off the field. It's been really cool to see her leadership grow – even just away from the field – and what she provides for the younger players, as well as the upperclassmen. For her to do that and for her to be able to relax and be the ultimate teammate, that's when she plays her best because that's what type of person she is."
There's no doubt Davidson found her comfort zone over the weekend, and it started on Friday. The Bulldogs played against both Longwood and Belmont on the opening day of The Snowman. All Davidson did was go 5-for-6 with four home runs and eight RBI over the two games. She also walked twice.
And that lone time she was retired for the day? Well, put an asterisk next to it. Davidson struck out in her first plate appearance of the day's second game, but only after her contact lens fell out.
"Yeah, my contact fell out and I didn't have time to put it back in, so I just went, and then I whiffed," Davidson said. "But I got it back in the second at-bat [and homered], so it worked."
Said Ricketts about the lost contact: "When Mia's seeing the ball, that's about all you're going to be able to do to get her out."
Fortunately for the Bulldogs – and unfortunately for MSU's opponents – Davidson seems to be figuratively and literally seeing things as good as ever these days. That means there might just yet be a few more 'Wow' moments left in Davidson's legendary career.
