How Coach T’s Staff Racks Up Ks, CGs And Ws
February 26, 2026 | Softball, Joel Coleman
STARKVILLE – Softball mimics life. Like individual people, no two pitchers are the same.
Mississippi State's Peja Goold loves to watch film. She loves to study.
"Peja is a huge film watcher and huge numbers person," MSU pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney said of the transfer from Chattanooga. "This is her first experience having all the resources that we have here, so I think she's like a kid in a candy store. Now, she wants to see all the numbers and all the film."
Meanwhile, Leila Ammon freely admits her process isn't the same.
"I'm just not a big film girl," Ammon said.
Two players. Two different ways of going about things.
One common denominator: outstanding results.
Both Goold and Ammon have been huge reasons why the No. 12 Bulldogs are off to a 15-1 start this season. The duo, along with the rest of the State pitching staff, has been superb.
Goold and Ammon each sport sub-1.00 earned run averages headed into this weekend's Tiger Invitational hosted by Clemson. As a whole, State's pitchers lead the country in total strikeouts and are solidly among the nation's best in a host of other categories including strikeouts looking, whiff rate and fielding independent pitching.
Leading it all is Mowatt-McKinney. An All-American hurler and Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player a couple of decades ago at Arizona, Mowatt-McKinney has spent the last three years in Starkville orchestrating the Dawgs' pitching efforts. Her impact has been undeniable.
In addition to this season's numbers, there's this. In the two-plus seasons since Mowatt-McKinney has put on Maroon and White, MSU has thrown 51 complete games. The Bulldogs had just 28 in the three seasons prior to Mowatt-McKinney's arrival.
It's a testament to the toughness Mowatt-McKinney has instilled in her pitchers, as well as the talent she's been able to get out of them. And it all comes through a genuine, caring approach her pitchers love.
"Honestly, everyone is different," Ammon said. "[Mowatt-McKinney] knows that, and it allows pitchers like me to not have to conform to any one thing. She allows us to work in individualized ways that's best for all of us. It's nice being able to just be ourselves."
Said Goold: "She lets us all be the individual pitchers we are. She knows we're not all the same person. She knows we're all individually talented and what each of us has works for us."
Trust and transparency are the primary fuels that power Mowatt-McKinney's relationships with her pitchers. There's always open communication. There's never a situation where Mowatt-McKinney tries to drive a square peg into a round hole.
She talks. She listens. It's always a two-way street.
"It's just how I've coached my whole career," Mowatt-McKinney explained. "My philosophy is this is a collaboration. Every individual pitcher requires something different, and I think getting to know each one of them individually allows me to really get a read on them.
"I get to know them. I can see their body language. I can tell their little ticks that they do when things are going well and when things aren't going well. I get to know them and who they are as a person and that allows me to know who they are as a pitcher."
Learning her pitchers allows Mowatt-McKinney to be efficient. Perhaps that's as big of a reason as any why MSU has excelled from the circle in Mowatt-McKenney's tenure. There is no wasted time on her watch.
The dichotomy between Goold and Ammon serves as a perfect example.
"Some are film watchers and some aren't," Mowatt-McKinney said. "I think knowing each one of them allows me to use my time in the best way. If a certain pitcher isn't much of a film watcher, there's no need for me to waste my time or hers going over things that are just going to hurt and overload her brain and make her overthink.
"Then there are pitchers like Peja. She's just a huge numbers person and wants to see all of that and see the film. She's wanting to experience and use all this information in her last year that she's never had the opportunity to benefit from."
Being pupils of Mowatt-McKinney's always-helpful ways has apparently rubbed off on each of State's pitchers. It's another piece of the Dawgs' success.
Behind all the strikeouts, complete games and wins are players who are lifting each other up the best they can.
"The other day, they were all just casually in a group and I look over and they are all doing all kinds of spins and trying to do Peja's curveball," Mowatt-McKinney said. "She's teaching them little tricks and tips she uses. Same thing with [Alyssa Faircloth's] changeup, or Leila has a great drop ball. Delainey Everett throws hard. You haven't seen much of Brinkley Moreton, but she has a great changeup. Abigail Stevens has been working on adding a couple of pitches, and she also has a great drop ball. I can go on and on. They're always just kind of teaching each other and learning from each other.
"Maybe they're all the future pitching coaches of the world."
They've certainly got a great example to follow in the form of Mowatt-McKinney – a supporter, a teacher and a winner.
