Marron Makes History In The Circle

STARKVILLE – Josey Marron wasted no time making her presence felt in the circle in Mississippi State's 8-0 victory over IUPUI Friday night.

The sophomore from Grimes, Iowa, recorded the 24th no-hitter in program history, which was the first since Annie Willis accomplished the feat in 2021.

"You really try not to think about it, but it's really hard not to getting later on into the game," Marron said. "Especially in that last inning, I was locking in, focusing on one pitch at a time and go from there."

When she could have stayed home and enjoyed her summer away from the sport, Marron put in plenty of dedicated hours to improve her game and rehab from the injury she suffered during the beginning of SEC play last season.

Marron's hard work paid off when she threw the first no-hitter of her collegiate career in her ninth win as a Bulldog.

"We put in a ton of work in the offseason. I really wanted to start this season off on a high note," Marron said. "We have a great group this year. Jesse [Blaine] is amazing behind the plate, so I had a lot of support."

Marron recorded nine strikeouts and no hits in 5.0 innings pitched against the Jaguars. Ever since she put on the Maroon and White uniform, the talented pitcher has proved to be an important piece of the Bulldogs pitching staff.

She has recorded 104 strikeouts in 84.1 innings since arriving in Starkville. Marron also holds a career record of 9-2, and the Bulldogs are 12-2 in her starts.

"I'm really excited for Josey because she really has worked hard," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "She stayed here this summer to get back healthy. She had a little bit of an injury during SEC play, so she wanted to come back stronger and healthier than ever."

Marron displayed what it means to have the Bulldog mentality out on the field Friday night. For the talented sophomore, this is just the beginning.

"The hard work and determination she's put in, she's got so much movement on her ball," Ricketts said. "Josie and Aspen [Wesley], they're just really different pitchers, but they really complement each other well. I think we're going to need outings like that where they really are just in command from the start all season long."

The slew of newcomers have been greeted with open arms from Marron. Freshmen Delaney Everett and UCLA transfer Lexi Sosa joined the MSU pitching staff this year.

Developing and building upon the chemistry within the pitching staff is of the utmost importance to Marron and is something she values through moments like Friday night's no-hitter.

"Everyone in our bullpen this year is extremely good, and all offseason we've been preparing for the season and pushing each other but competing and not comparing," Marron said. "They're the loudest voices in the dugout the entire game. It's my fellow bullpen members that are all I hear throughout the entire game. Their support is huge."

While performing lights out in the circle, Marron has some incredible backup in the field. The defensive effort shined bright in the season-opening victory.

Knowing that her teammates are there to back her up is another aspect that Marron is grateful to have as she ventures through her second year at MSU.

"It really just allows you to let loose and trust your spin and know that if you do have a slip-up or a ball hit off you, you have an amazing defense behind you," Marron said of the performance from her defense in the victory. "Kylee [Edwards] being just a freshman, she is phenomenal out there. It definitely helps settle into the game and get things going out there."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Marron Makes History In The Circle

Players Mentioned

Josey Marron

Lexi Sosa

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