2018 Softball Roster
Roster
Ward, Holly
UTL
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballP/UT
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/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballUTL
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballP
/ SoftballP/UTL
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballUTL
/ SoftballINF/C
/ SoftballP
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC/INF
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballP
/ Softball
Jersey Number 14
Holly Ward
- Position:
- P
- Bats/Throws:
- R/R
- Class:
- Senior
- Height:
- 5-9
- Hometown:
- Haleyville, AL
- High School:
- Haleyville HS
Bio
Career MSU Records
- T-1st in shutouts (14)
- T-1st in solo perfect games (1)
- 5th in innings pitched (467.1)
- 5th in strikeouts (372)
- T-5th in saves (7)
- 6th in complete games (32)
- T-6th in solo no-hitters (1)
- 7th in opponent batting average (.231)
- T-7th in wins (38)
- 8th in strikeouts per seven innings (5.57)
- 9th in games started (65)
Season MSU Records
- 1st in shutouts (9, 2018)
- 4th in earned run average (1.43, 2018)
- T-4th in fewest hits allowed (51, 2016)
- 6th in strikeouts (173, 2018)
- 6th in lowest opponent batting average (.204, 2018)
- 7th in strikeouts looking (34, 2018)
- T-9th in lowest opponent batting average (.219, 2017)
- T-9th in saves (4, 2018)
Honors/Awards
- 2015 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
- 2016 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
- 2017 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
- 2018 NFCA All-South Region Second Team
- 2018 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
- Started a team-leading and career-high 23 games in the circle, making a total of 39 appearances of her senior season
- Posted a 16-10 record with four saves, a mark that ranked tied for ninth in Mississippi State single-season history, third among all SEC in 2019 and 25th among all NCAA Division I pitchers
- Held a 1.43 earned run average, allowing just 38 earned runs over 186.0 innings pitched
- Her ERA ranked sixth in the SEC and 23rd nationally in ERA and was the fourth-lowest mark in MSU single-season history
- Set Mississippi State’s single-season shutout record with nine, which ranked third in the SEC in 2018
- Allowed just 55 walks compared to 173 strikeouts, holding a 3.15 strikeouts to walk ratio to rank 11th in the SEC
- Her 173 strikeouts were the sixth most in a single-season at Mississippi State and ranked seventh among all SEC pitchers
- Struck out 34 batters looking, the seventh most over a season for a Bulldog pitcher
- Gave up only 144 hits over her 186.0 innings of work to hold opponents to a .206 average at the plate, the sixth lowest mark in school history
- Closed her Bulldog career with the school record for shutouts (14) and ranked fifth in innings pitched (467.1), strikeouts (372), saves (7), sixth in complete games (32), seventh in opponent batting average (.231) and wins (38), eighth in strikeouts per seven innings (5.57) and ninth in starts (65)
- Opened the 2018 season by tossing just the second perfect game in program history and the first since 1997 with a brilliant performance and a career-high 11 strikeouts against Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 9
- Earned two victories in relief for the Bulldogs over No. 16 Oklahoma State (2/23) and San Jose State (Feb. 24) at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
- Began SEC play with a 4-0 win at Missouri, marking the first time the Bulldogs opened conference play with a shutout victory since 2006
- Tossed 22.2 consecutive scoreless inning over the month of March, the eighth-longest scoreless inning streak in program history
- Took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the series finale versus No. 5 Florida (4/21), retiring 12 consecutive Gators and ultimately holding Florida to just two hits in the outing
- Secured a complete-game victory over No. 7 Tennessee on May 5, marking MSU’s first win in Starkville over the Lady Vols since 2010
- Blanked Texas A&M, 2-0, on May 9th to tie Mississippi State’s single-season shutout record with her 8th of the season to earn MSU’s first win at the SEC tournament since 2005
- The shutout was the 18th of the season by Mississippi State’s pitching staff, which set a new school record
2017 (Junior)
- Made 28 appearances with a career-high 17 starts in the circle over her junior campaign
- Tallied 11 relief appearances while recording a lone save
- Closed the season with a 7-9 record while ranking second on the team with a 2.26 ERA, which ranked 22nd amongst SEC pitchers and 122nd nationally
- Struck out a career-high 91, the second most on the squad, while issuing just 56 walks
- Led the Bulldogs with 25 strikeouts looking
- Tossed a career-best nine complete games with a career-high three complete-game shutouts - one of which came during SEC play
- Just one of two Bulldogs to toss over 100 innings with 114.2 innings of work
- Allowed just 97 hits, which ranked in the Top 15 among SEC pitchers, and held opponents to a .219 average at the plate, which ranked tied for ninth in MSU single-season history
- Averaged 5.92 hits per seven innings, which ranked 21st in the league and 117th in the country
- Made season debut in a relief appearance against Georgia State on Feb. 12, tossing the final 7.0 innings while striking out four
- Recorded her first victory of her junior season tossing a complete game against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 24), allowing just one run off four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts
- Tossed 4.2 innings of one-hit relief against Southern Illinois (Feb. 26) with six strikeouts
- Earned a complete-game shutout against Central Arkansas on March 5 allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three
- Tied career high with eight strikeouts at No. 5 Texas A&M on March 12
- Shut out No. 8 Alabama on March 18, holding the Tide to two hits, to carry MSU to a 1-0 victory to record her fourth career shutout and her first in SEC play
- Final win of the season came against UAB (March 25) at the hallowed USA Hall of Fame Stadium as she tossed her fifth shutout of her career as she struck out six and held the Blazers to three hits
- Lone save came against South Carolina on April 9 as she closed the game to give MSU a 7-6 victory over the Gamecocks
2016 (Sophomore)
- Made a team-high 34 appearances in her second season at State, with 13 of those coming in a starting role
- Of her 34 total appearances, 21 were in relief, which led the team
- Led the Bulldogs with nine wins and two saves
- Struck out 70 batters, second-best on the team, while leading MSU with 21 strikeouts looking
- Tossed one solo shutout, while assisting in two others
- Tied with Alexis Silkwood for the team lead in complete games (six)
- Three of those complete game efforts came in conference play
- One of two Bulldogs to throw over 100 innings, putting in 102.1 innings of work
- Led the Bulldogs with 52 walks
- Held her opponents to a .227 clip throughout the year
- Captured wins in her first four appearances of the season, with a save coming in her fifth showing
- Debuted in her sophomore season with a complete game shutout of Georgia Southern in the season opener on Feb. 11, allowing just one hit and striking out a career-high eight batters
- Came back two days later and tossed 3.0 innings of relief work, allowing just two hits and striking out three in earn a win against Tennessee Tech (Feb. 13)
- Started the next day against Houston (Feb. 14), throwing another complete game and allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven
- Earned her first-career save against SIU-Edwardsville (Feb. 20), getting the final out of the game via strikeout to secure the 7-4 victory
- Tossed a career-high 8.0 innings against Samford (Feb. 21), earning a win with seven whiffs and allowing just two runs, one earned
- In her sixth start of the year, allowed just five hits, three runs (one earned) and struck out four in a complete-game effort against the No. 3 Auburn Tigers (March 19)
2015 (Freshman)
- Appeared in 20 games, 12 as the starting pitcher
- Got off to a 6-1 start to the season before finishing the year with a 6-3 mark
- Struck out 38 in 64.1 innings and compiled a 5.98 ERA
- Tossed two complete games and one shutout
- Made her collegiate debut as the starter against Middle Tennessee when she threw 5.0 innings giving up two hits, one run, two walks and two strikeouts (Feb. 6)
- Collected her first complete-game and first shutout as she tossed a three-hitter in a run-rule victory over Austin Peay (Feb. 7)
- Set a season best for innings pitched by lasting 6.0 innings against Saint Louis (Feb. 8)
- Recorded her highest number of strikeouts against UT Martin (Feb. 14) by striking out five
High School
- Named the Alabama Gatorade Softball Player of the Year following senior year
- Played for the Haleyville High School varsity squad since seventh grade
- Carried the Lions to back-to-back Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 4A state championships as a sophomore and junior
- Guided the team to a third-place finish as a senior
- During final campaign, posted a 25-9 record to go along with a 0.80 earned-run average and 335 strikeouts in 219.1 innings
- Surrendered only 66 hits
- Also a threat at the plate, hit .432 with eight home runs and 64 runs batted in during her senior year
- The 2012 and 2013 state tournament most valuable player
- Earned a spot on the 2013 Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Super All-State Team
- The only non-senior of the 10-member squad after going 27-9 with a 0.89 ERA in 250.2 innings
- A First-Team ASWA All-State selection as a sophomore and junior after earning an honorable mention nod as a freshman
- Received 2013 MaxPreps First Team Medium Schools All-America honors
- Proved to be a dual threat as a junior, batting .419 with 67 hits, 50 runs batted in, 27 doubles and five home runs while also fanning 310 batters from the pitching circle
- Away from softball, assisted as the co-editor of her school’s yearbook, volunteered locally on behalf of the Red Cross, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program and served as a youth softball instructor
Personal
- Born on April 15, 1996 in Jasper, Ala.
- The daughter of Kevon and Tracie Ward
- Has one brother, Kobe
- Double majoring in management and marketing
Career Highs (Pitching)
- Innings Pitched (Starter): 8.0, twice, last vs. Drake (Feb. 16, 2018)
- Innings Pitched (Reliever): 8.0, vs. Kentucky (May 2, 2017)
- Strikeouts (Starter): 11, vs. Mississippi Valley State (Feb. 9, 2018)
- Strikeouts (Reliever): 10, vs. Oklahoma State (Feb. 23, 2018)
- Walks (Starter): 7, at Auburn (April 28, 2017)
- Walks (Reliever): 6, vs. Alabama (May 11, 2016)
- Hits Allowed (Starter): 10, 3x, last at Arizona (May 20, 2018)
- Hits Allowed (Reliever): 7, vs. Kentucky (May 7, 2017)
- Runs Allowed (Starter): 11, vs. Florida (March 28, 2015)
- Runs Allowed (Reliever): 7, vs. Kentucky (May 7, 2017)
- Earned Runs Allowed (Starter): 11, vs. Florida (March 28, 2015)
- Earned Runs Allowed (Reliever): 6, at Arkansas (April 1, 2018)
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Raelin Chaffin ESPN2 Postgame Interview
Saturday, May 17
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference vs. Washington
Friday, May 16
