Shining In The Circle
March 16, 2023 | Softball
Marron and Beuerlein have made strong first impressions.
STARKVILLE – The future is shining brightly for Mississippi State softball as freshman pitchers Josey Marron and Reis Beuerlein continue to dominate in the circle for the Bulldogs.
The talented newcomers have made an outstanding first impression in the Maroon and White, combining to rack up 107 of the team's 237 strikeouts so far this season.
Even when Marron and Beuerlein faced No. 1 Oklahoma in the Bulldog Invitational, the freshmen were cool, calm and collected in the circle. They did not allow the huge moment to distract them from the task at hand.
Marron recorded four strikeouts in three innings against the Sooners. Beuerlein's name was called in the fourth inning, and she pitched three scoreless innings. Beuerlein was dialed in and ready to compete for her teammates.
"I was ready to go, and I had a good warmup," Beuerlein said about facing off against the Sooners. "I wanted to go out there and just practice working on being calm in the circle and talking to my defense. That really kind of kept me dialed in and I was just mixing pitches, moving spots, spinning the ball around and that was able to give me those scoreless innings."
Beuerlein got her softball career started at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona where she succeeded in the circle and in the classroom. Ranked as the No. 25 pitcher nationally, Beuerlein recorded 535 strikeouts and 46 victories during her high school career and was also a member of the National Honor Society for her academic achievements and leadership in her community.
Beuerlein has recorded 36 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched through the first 27 games of the season. Her best performance of the season came in Wednesday's 5-1 victory over Purdue, in which Beuerlein pitched a complete game and set the MSU freshman record for strikeouts in a game by putting away 14 Boilermakers in the outing.
Following the historic performance from Beuerlein, head coach Samantha Ricketts praised the freshman for her work in the circle.
"That was a great game by [Beuerlein]," Ricketts said. "It is important that we got back-to-back quality starts by these pitchers in the midweek games, especially since we need them when the offense has to get going. It was huge to see her in control all game long. She had great command, mixed her pitches and got swings and misses on pretty much all of them. I'm proud of her for her effort."
Before Beuerlein sat the new freshman record, Marron challenged it herself. Marron came one strikeout away from setting the mark in her electric performance against Furman during the South Alabama Invitational. She recorded 13 strikeouts in a complete game shutout and only allowed three baserunners in the victory.
Catcher Jackie McKenna spoke on Marron's performance in the circle and how she has developed through the first few weeks of the season.
"I think she just looked really composed, and I knew she was going to get the job done," McKenna said. "Every time I catch her, she's kind of just like, 'Let's get it,' and giving me the eyes, giving me the 'Let's Go.' I think she just hits her spots. If she gives up a hit or anything, she always bounces back."
Instead of playing high school ball, Marron opted to play competitive travel ball due to scheduling conflicts. Before coming to Mississippi State, Marron was considered the No. 17 pitcher nationally in her class.
Marron's 71 strikeouts on the young season lead the Bulldogs and rank sixth in the Southeastern Conference. She's only 21 punchouts away from cracking the top five list for strikeouts in a single season by a State freshman. Nationally, Marron ranks 17th in strikeout-to-walk ratio with only seven walks given up so far in 49 innings pitched.
Beuerlein and Marron are emerging as two of the most talented and promising pitchers in the country. Having opportunities to compete against top-tier competition in their first year at Mississippi State will allow them to continue to grow and improve as players.
Following their solid outings against the Sooners, coach Ricketts gave her thoughts on the impressive first-year duo.
"We went with Josey [Marron] first," Ricketts said. "She's been throwing really well for us, and I also wanted to give her a challenge before we got to SEC play and throw her against the best. I thought, for the most part, she handled herself well, fell behind a couple times, but was able to bounce right back. [Beuerlein], I thought that was one of her best outings that she has given us. It's really what we saw out of her in the recruiting process and what she's done at practice. It was good to see it all come together for her."
There is no doubt that Beuerlein and Marron will continue to play huge roles in the rotation for Mississippi State as the Bulldogs (19-8) open SEC play this weekend in Starkville against South Carolina (23-4). First pitch times are set for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon with all games streaming live on SEC Network+.
