Macy's Mind For The Game

STARKVILLE – It's a Sunday morning after Mississippi State's football team has just won its home opener against Memphis. The Bulldog softball team was there late into the night as the football team fought through the rain to a victory.

While plenty of other students in the dorms are sleeping in after persisting through the rain and a lengthy delay, the freshmen on the softball team are up early for breakfast. Macy Graf is cooking, and you don't want to miss that.

"I like to cook a lot, so on the weekends when we are free, I'll make that Sunday breakfast for all the freshmen in the dorm," Graf said. "They just say, 'We want your food.'"

The menu varies, but it's included waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, avocado toast and fresh fruit before. The dorm hallway has a communal kitchen right in the middle between the men's and women's sides of the hall. Graf has a stove and an oven to work with each morning.

"I have always grown up loving food, and my grandmother actually owned a restaurant back at home for a little bit," she said. "She kind of taught me the ins and outs of how to cook."

Cooking was one of the earliest subjects, but Graf is one who always wants to be learning. And that desire to learn was one of the reasons she chose Mississippi State in the recruiting process.

The decision to become a Bulldog came together rather quickly. She mentioned the school to her dad, and he immediately supported MSU as a choice for the Aledo, Texas, native.

"He has always been a big supporter of what I want to do, so whenever I said, 'Dad, let's go right now,' we packed up that day and came out here on a visit," Graf said. ". We came on an official visit, and he just fell in love with it, just like I did. It's weird how some people say when you step on a campus you just feel it. I felt it. I believe in that. When I got here, I felt it."

She was even more impressed by her conversations with the Bulldog coaches, especially associate head coach Josh Johnson.

"For one, Josh is trying to learn a new language, so he can understand what they are doing," she said. "He is trying to figure out how they are teaching softball in Japan, and I have never heard of a coach going into learning another language to learn more about the sport."

She also appreciates the different perspectives that Johnson and associate head coach Tyler Bratton bring to the table as former baseball players alongside head coach Samantha Ricketts' playing experience.
Graf continues to soak up new information. One of the earliest drills she did in the batting cages after arriving in Starkville was something completely new.

"We are doing different hand positions, and we are using a cricket bat, which I have never used before," she said. "That is different, but it makes a lot of sense on how to change your bat angle and get your elbow right to drive through the ball."

For a player who one day hopes to become a coach, it's no surprise that learning new techniques for the game or new ways to teach the old concepts would be a huge draw. A sport administration major, Graf has already spent summers teaching lessons and helping the next generation grow.

Listening to her talk, she already sounds a bit like a coach today. One of her repeated phrases was, "You can't be her." It's an approach to comparison and self-confidence that plenty of coaches would like to see in their players.

"You can't compare yourself to other people on the field," Graf said. "I am only going to be as good as I am in my shoes. I can't think, 'Wow, I want to be her.' Okay, I can work harder to become like her, but I will never be her. You can be close to her. You can train just as hard as she does, but you are never going to be her."

But don't get that mentality confused for a lack of drive or confidence. Graf brings plenty of confidence to the table as well, enough to play one of the most-important games of her career while knowing she wasn't at her best.

In Game 2 of a three-game set in the state playoffs her junior year, Graf took a bad hop to the face that broke her nose. She missed the rest of the game, and the opposing team tied the three-game series. They'd have to come back the next day for a deciding Game 3. Graf showed up with a pack of ice and led off with a triple to set the tone on the way to a victory.

"I iced my face in the middle of the innings, back and forth," Graf said. "I had ice in the back of the dugout, but I think it really forced me to focus on the game more and focus on the team just because it could be our last game."

It's another repeated coaching message. Any game could be the end of someone's career. Graf wants to see the next generation make the most of their opportunities and be fully prepared for them.

"In Year 1, I hope to learn a lot of new information, a lot of new skill sets, a lot of new drills and try to take them back home and help out the girls that are trying to get here too," she said. "I just want to be that person to another student-athlete to say, 'Wow, that really makes sense now,' and I just want other people to grow their love for the game."

Mississippi State University Athletics

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