A Fantastic Fit
September 09, 2022 | Softball
STARKVILLE – As Mississippi State settled into the dugout for its first practice at the Tallahassee Regional in May, associate head coach Tyler Bratton noticed something.
"Look Ricketts," he told State's head coach, "It's our girl."
Bratton was pointing to the helmet cubby of Kiersten Landers, an outfielder who had just graduated from Florida State and entered the transfer portal. Landers, who was home in West Virginia recovering from surgery during the regional, hadn't made a final decision on where she'd attend graduate school, but the Bulldog coaches were hoping it would be in Starkville.
By the end of that weekend, MSU had won its first regional and the right to host in its first super regional. And while it may be an easy script to say that's what drew Landers to the upstart Bulldogs, it was a bit more than four straight wins over a historic two-day stretch.
"It did not define it, but it definitely helped," Landers said. "I wanted to come here, but I had to go on my other visits. It was hard for me to leave FSU. I had been there for a long time. I wanted to make sure I was going to a program that was heading on the right steps."
So what did Landers see in Mississippi State, and what did the Bulldogs see in her that made this match work?
Landers had taken her visit to Starkville earlier in the season. She flew in for a Friday night conference game but had to leave before the Saturday contest when the crowd really packed Nusz Park. It was enough though, and once she saw the crowd return for super regionals, she could tell it wasn't a fluke.
"When I was watching, it was fun seeing all the people and how excited the town gets for the sports here," she said.
More importantly, she saw how every word that head coach Samantha Ricketts had spoken on their first phone call truly played out in front of her own eyes.
"I just remember her being very genuine and saying what they wanted from me and told me how she ran her program," Landers said of Ricketts. "When I came on my visit, I definitely saw it. I saw how friendly everyone is and how everyone is free to be themselves and have a good time. I really wanted to be a part of that environment where everybody has a lot of fun and enjoys each other's company while trying to reach a common goal on the softball field."
Ricketts and Bratton, on the other hand, saw a veteran outfielder who could help fill more than just a hole in their lineup but provide experience to a big signing class largely made up of freshmen.
Landers brings plenty of experience on the field and off. She played in 69 games, making 61 starts, for the often nationally-ranked Seminoles. Despite being in Tallahassee for four years, she's only played two. She's missed two years with injuries, and the majority of one of her years was cancelled by COVID-19.
"It has been hard, but I am thankful for all the injuries because I got to learn myself and find my identity outside of softball," she said. "I feel like that has helped me on the field as well because now it is not so much pressure."
That's the kind of wisdom that Landers can pass on to the rest of the Bulldogs' newcomers. And make no mistake, she's felt pressure on the field. Go back to 2021 and the Baton Rouge Super Regional. In the bottom of the ninth against No. 16 LSU in a hostile environment, she was called upon to pinch hit with the winning run on second base.
"I had been watching the pitcher. Lefties were having a lot of success on her," she recalled. "Especially after I got into the box, I wasn't thinking that much. I was just seeing what she was pitching to me and coming up with a plan."
The pitcher's approach was to come high and tight. She fouled the first offering away.
"It looked good, but it wasn't a strike," Landers said.
The pitcher tried to adjust. She went for the outside corner. It was called a ball. Another pitch up and in, fouled back. Another pitch off the outside corner, ball two.
"It was like two inches off the plate, and I knew he was going to call it a strike this next time. I was just trying to poke it out enough because I knew I had a fast runner on second."
On the third outside pitch, Landers laced a hit just inside the third base bag to bring home the winning run and send her team to the Women's College World Series.
Adjustments, composure and experience. When you talk to Landers the last two come through clearly. She's new to Starkville, but she's far from new to college softball.
"I feel like I can help [the freshmen] with experience for sure," she said. "I feel like I have lived probably everything that's going to happen to them. I've gotten to know them, and they're a really great group of girls. I'm excited to watch them grow over the next few years."
And when one of them eventually hits a rough patch on the field, Landers can lean into that as well.
"I played baseball until I was 15. I was like 0-for-30 when I first started softball," she said. "But as soon as it clicked, it clicked, and it didn't go away."
"Look Ricketts," he told State's head coach, "It's our girl."
Bratton was pointing to the helmet cubby of Kiersten Landers, an outfielder who had just graduated from Florida State and entered the transfer portal. Landers, who was home in West Virginia recovering from surgery during the regional, hadn't made a final decision on where she'd attend graduate school, but the Bulldog coaches were hoping it would be in Starkville.
By the end of that weekend, MSU had won its first regional and the right to host in its first super regional. And while it may be an easy script to say that's what drew Landers to the upstart Bulldogs, it was a bit more than four straight wins over a historic two-day stretch.
"It did not define it, but it definitely helped," Landers said. "I wanted to come here, but I had to go on my other visits. It was hard for me to leave FSU. I had been there for a long time. I wanted to make sure I was going to a program that was heading on the right steps."
So what did Landers see in Mississippi State, and what did the Bulldogs see in her that made this match work?
Landers had taken her visit to Starkville earlier in the season. She flew in for a Friday night conference game but had to leave before the Saturday contest when the crowd really packed Nusz Park. It was enough though, and once she saw the crowd return for super regionals, she could tell it wasn't a fluke.
"When I was watching, it was fun seeing all the people and how excited the town gets for the sports here," she said.
More importantly, she saw how every word that head coach Samantha Ricketts had spoken on their first phone call truly played out in front of her own eyes.
"I just remember her being very genuine and saying what they wanted from me and told me how she ran her program," Landers said of Ricketts. "When I came on my visit, I definitely saw it. I saw how friendly everyone is and how everyone is free to be themselves and have a good time. I really wanted to be a part of that environment where everybody has a lot of fun and enjoys each other's company while trying to reach a common goal on the softball field."
Ricketts and Bratton, on the other hand, saw a veteran outfielder who could help fill more than just a hole in their lineup but provide experience to a big signing class largely made up of freshmen.
Landers brings plenty of experience on the field and off. She played in 69 games, making 61 starts, for the often nationally-ranked Seminoles. Despite being in Tallahassee for four years, she's only played two. She's missed two years with injuries, and the majority of one of her years was cancelled by COVID-19.
"It has been hard, but I am thankful for all the injuries because I got to learn myself and find my identity outside of softball," she said. "I feel like that has helped me on the field as well because now it is not so much pressure."
That's the kind of wisdom that Landers can pass on to the rest of the Bulldogs' newcomers. And make no mistake, she's felt pressure on the field. Go back to 2021 and the Baton Rouge Super Regional. In the bottom of the ninth against No. 16 LSU in a hostile environment, she was called upon to pinch hit with the winning run on second base.
"I had been watching the pitcher. Lefties were having a lot of success on her," she recalled. "Especially after I got into the box, I wasn't thinking that much. I was just seeing what she was pitching to me and coming up with a plan."
The pitcher's approach was to come high and tight. She fouled the first offering away.
"It looked good, but it wasn't a strike," Landers said.
The pitcher tried to adjust. She went for the outside corner. It was called a ball. Another pitch up and in, fouled back. Another pitch off the outside corner, ball two.
"It was like two inches off the plate, and I knew he was going to call it a strike this next time. I was just trying to poke it out enough because I knew I had a fast runner on second."
On the third outside pitch, Landers laced a hit just inside the third base bag to bring home the winning run and send her team to the Women's College World Series.
Adjustments, composure and experience. When you talk to Landers the last two come through clearly. She's new to Starkville, but she's far from new to college softball.
"I feel like I can help [the freshmen] with experience for sure," she said. "I feel like I have lived probably everything that's going to happen to them. I've gotten to know them, and they're a really great group of girls. I'm excited to watch them grow over the next few years."
And when one of them eventually hits a rough patch on the field, Landers can lean into that as well.
"I played baseball until I was 15. I was like 0-for-30 when I first started softball," she said. "But as soon as it clicked, it clicked, and it didn't go away."
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