A New Story Begins
January 12, 2023 | Softball, Joel Coleman
State softball back at it, looking to build off last year’s historic run.
STARKVILLE – Every book has a first page.
Earlier this week under sunny skies at Nusz Park, Mississippi State softball's 2023 story started being written as the team held the season's initial practice on Tuesday. The ultimate goal? To put together a tale that'll have a satisfying conclusion come June.
There are very few certainties over the next five months. The narrative will surely feature twists and turns. There'll be suspense and heroics. All that's clear is that, on the heels of the Bulldogs' first-ever Super Regional season, this bunch knows how to weave a plot towards the promised land of the College World Series. The Dawgs have stood at that door.
This year's mission? Do all they can to kick it down.
"It does seem to be a little more of a hunger now," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "So many of the returners, they know what it feels like now. They know what it feels like to be so close to that final goal and to watch another team celebrate on your field when you're two wins away. I do think there's a little more of that hunger and that fire and it's something we try to make sure and continue to remind them of."
Fact is, Ricketts likely won't have to issue too many reminders. Who could forget last year?
For MSU's returners, they'll remember forever the excitement of seeing their home stadium jam-packed in the postseason. They'll also recall the pain of falling just short against Arizona.
But here's the thing about pain. For as much as it hurts in the moment, pain can be a sign of growth. It's the soreness after a good workout. It's pressure that makes the diamond, after all. That's the hope for all who wear Maroon and White – that last season's late sorrow was only a precursor to this year's joy.
"With us being right there and so close last year, there's [disappointment we didn't get to the College World Series]," outfielder Chloe Malau'ulu said. "But I think it was still very historic and monumental for this program. I think everybody felt it and how big the moment was and how exciting it was. We now want to just keep going and keep pushing forward."
So, the grind begins to do just that. And make no mistake, everyone is on the same page.
"We did what we did last year and now, the goal is even higher," pitcher Kenley Hawk said. "We're wanting to get past the Supers and we're working to get to the College World Series."
Skeptics might look and say, 'But this team lost key pieces.' There's no doubt there's truth to that. Star pitcher Annie Willis and the Southeastern Conference's home run queen Mia Davidson's Bulldog playing careers are done. However, to focus on what's no longer in Maroon and White is to ignore what still is.
"Losing [Willis and Davidson] is big, but we return everyone else," Ricketts said. "That's a huge part of it. I think we feel very confident in our leadership and the veterans we have on the team. They've really taken ownership. They set the standard. They give it 100 percent in everything we do whether it's the weight room or practice or the classroom. They just set the standard for all the new ones. And I think we have a good mix of newcomers along with returners. They're hungry too. They want to put in work. They want to do extra. They want to be out here even after practice hours, which a big group of that is hard to find."
Put another way, there's buy in from the top down. Combine that mentality with a roster Ricketts says might be her deepest one yet at MSU and it's easy to paint an optimistic picture for State's 2023.
"From top to bottom, we've got a really strong group that could fill in, whether it's freshmen or seniors," Ricketts said. "I think we're going to be a lot faster, so while we might not hit as many home runs as last year, we might steal a lot more bases. That's OK. Every team's identity is different. I think we'll see a little bit of that. I think we'll see a little bit more using the depth we have through the bullpen and in the lineup."
Adds Hawk: "Seeing day in and out how many people we have and our athletic ability and our depth we've got this year, I'm excited. I think we can be really good."
Absolutely the Dawgs can be good. But what's the road map? What's the plotline? How can the 2023 Bulldogs write an award-winning sequel to 2022?
Malau'ulu thinks it can be authored like this:
"The biggest thing is probably not banking on [a repeat of last year]," Malau'ulu said. "We can't be like, 'Oh, we're going to do everything the same.' But I think it's just taking it little by little. It's conquering the small wins and dominating every practice and working towards our process goals for each game. It's doing all the little things in order to ensure a good, successful season."
In other words, one page at a time. It's how all masterpieces come together.
Tuesday was page one. Now, the story continues with incredibly high hopes.
"We have a very talented crew this year," Malau'ulu said. "I think we have a lot of athleticism, talent and experience. There's new, fresh talent. It's going to be really cool to watch everything jell together. The first couple of weeks are always the most anticipated because we never know how things are going to work out, but I have a good feeling this specific group is going to come out and take care of business."
