Editor’s Note: With play-in dates for the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s fast-pitch softball tournament set for later this week and with Division I softball’s regular season winding down, The Dispatch will take a look at how new coaches at Mississippi State and at the University of Mississippi hope to build programs with talent from the state of Mississippi.
Next week, The Dispatch will look at how fast-pitch softball in the state continues to grow, and how players and coaches are trying to attract the attention of the nation’s top programs, particularly ones in the Southeastern Conference.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University first-year softball coach Vann Stuedeman preaches “living in a moment.”
In her opinion, now is the moment for Mississippi high school softball to take the next step and to become a power on the national stage. While Stuedeman builds MSU into a perennial contender, she hopes improved play by teams in the state of Mississippi will help facilitate her program’s growth.
“As coaches in this state, our charge is to help grow the sport in this state,” Stuedeman said. “Are there players in this state who can play senior college softball on the Division I level? Absolutely. However, there are not enough of them. We have to find a way to grow the sport and make it more accessible to the young people in our state.”
Once Stuedeman was named coach at MSU last June, she immediately set out to help increase interest in the sport in the state. The Bulldogs have held numerous camps and clinics around the state, and they also played several fall exhibition games at venues around the state.
University of Mississippi first-year head coach Windy Thees also feels the onus is on players and high school and college coaches to help make Mississippi high school softball more competitive and more able to serve as a feeder system for the senior colleges.
“I think we all share in this responsibility,” Thees said. “It is important all of the universities reach out and have a lot of camps and clinics. I think the main thing is high school coaches need to attend clinics and learn how to teach the game we play. We play a totally different game on this level, and it can be quite overwhelming.”
A record 211 schools are playing fast-pitch softball in the Mississippi High School Activities Association. About 60 schools played the sport at the turn of the century when the first concentrated effort to grow it started. While the original plan was to phase out slow-pitch softball, making way for volleyball, 240 schools still play slow-pitch, and the MHSAA still offers six state championships in that division.
The fast-pitch state championship format has been in place for a little more than a decade. Five years ago, it finally expanded to include all classes. Newton County High School in Decatur is the only in-state school ranked in this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today High School Top 25. The Cougars have been the only in-state team ranked in each of the past three seasons. While the numbers are improving, the state is still catching up to the rest of the Southeast.
“It is a Catch-22 for sure,” William Carey University eighth-year coach Wendy Hogue said. “You want to recruit your hometown kids. You want parents and grandparents in the stands. At the same time, you want to build a winner. For the bigger schools, it is a fine line between taking care of your needs at home and being able to win on the field. Has it gotten better? Yes. Will it keep getting better? Yes.
“There are so many good players out there. The recruiting process is an inexact science which gets more difficult by the day. I think in our sport, we have to do more teaching of the game when we get them in here. That is the biggest difference.”
Hogue has watched high school softball evolve in the state. A former softball player at William Carey, Hogue was named slow-pitch softball coach at Petal High School in 1998. In 2000, Hogue inherited the first fast-pitch team at the school. At William Carey, Hogue has won 68.1 percent of her games and has played in four straight NAIA national championship tournaments.
This season, 15 of Carey’s 18 players are from the Magnolia State. The Crusaders (37-8) are again ranked among the nation’s best. Still, playing on the NAIA’s highest level isn’t the same as breaking through in the Southeastern Conference, which had five teams — the University of Alabama (No. 2), Florida (No. 3), Tennessee (No. 10), Georgia (No. 11), and LSU (No. 22) — ranked in the latest NFCA/USA Today poll.
“There are softball players who can go into the program and play, but the problem is they have lots of things to learn about the game,” Thees said. “They have to learn how to play the game at a very fast level. The problem is more kids are beginning to play fast-pitch, but they are not playing the game at the speed we play at on this level. The main things we have to teach are nuances and learning situations. Most players can’t handle the game at this speed as freshmen, so we have to go out of state to fill our needs.”
MSU has three Mississippians on its 25-player roster. Senior outfielder Brittany Gates is from Houston and is a mainstay in the order. Past that, East Webster High School’s Swayze Hollenhead and Water Valley High School’s Ashley Phillips are freshmen. Phillips has appeared in 35 games, while Hollenhead has appeared in 14.
“We want the best player in the state to wear Maroon and White,” Stuedeman said. “You have to win the recruiting battles in state to build a successful program. The difference in softball is we are competing for fewer kids. Yes, there are players who can come here and contribute. However, we need more of them.
“Each year we begin the goal with wanting to sign the best player or players in this state. Some years, that might only be one player who fits your needs. Hopefully, the day will come when it is more than one on a regular basis.”
Much like MSU and Ole Miss, the University of Southern Mississippi also has a new head coach — or two of them — Jon Malgradi and Kirsten Voak. USM’s roster includes 16 players and two Mississippians. Former Hattiesburg High standout Omeshia Moffett and former Wilkinson County Christian star Caroline Walker are freshmen. Walker has played in 30 of 36 games and has a team-best .344 average. Moffett has played in 29 games.
“You have to sign in-state players,” Voak said. “How many you can sign varies from school to school. However, you have to find a way to identify in-state players who will help carry your program to the next level. The travel ball circuit may be more important than high school ball in this state.
“You target in-state players who are playing on the prestigious travel teams throughout the Southeast. It is not fair that signing in-state players is a top priority. However, it is also not fair to hold it against a player. If you find a player who fits your system and can do what you need them to do, you have to go with it.”
Stuedeman spent the past 11 seasons as a pitching coach at the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, the Crimson Tide coaches took on the added stressor of helping promote the game in that state. As Alabama high school fast-pitch softball improved, so did some of the programs that weren’t in the SEC. For example, Jacksonville State University made its first NCAA tournament Super Regional appearance in 2009.
“We did our best every day to help grow the sport, and that is what we are trying to do now in Mississippi,” Stuedeman said. “At Alabama, when we traveled and promoted the sport, it helped the other schools. It helped Auburn, Troy, Jacksonville State, UAB, South Alabama, and the others. But it is also comes back and helps you as well.
“In Mississippi, we want the high schools playing a high level of softball. We want the 15 junior colleges bringing in the best players and playing the best softball possible. For the NAIA schools, they need to win championships. In Division II and Division III, you want powerhouse programs. As the sport evolves and grows, more people will be involved. It will mean more people taking an interest in your sport and in your state. That is how you build a consistent program at the top.”
Thees was a four-year starter at catcher and second baseman at Florida State University from 1993-97. She saw the state of Florida go through similar growing pains when it first phased in fast-pitch softball about the same time.
“The first couple of years Florida played fast-pitch softball were brutal, to be honest,” Thees said. “Teams were playing 16-14 and 30-27 games. That is not fast-pitch softball. It took a long time and a real concentrated effort for that state to get good at fast-pitch softball. Alabama and Georgia went through the same thing. Now, Mississippi is playing catch-up, but it is 10 years behind.”
Stuedeman had done her research by the time MSU offered her a job to replace Jay Miller. She knew morale was low in the program after back-to-back losing seasons. Marketing and promoting became the focal point, long before winning games became priority No. 1.
“I saw the growth in Alabama, and we can do the same thing here,” Stuedeman said. “We want our players to interact with the high school players. Every day, we want to find a way to give back. I think it is just as important for those of us on the college level to care about the game as it is for the high school players and coaches to care.”
Coach Rick Fremin moved from Belhaven College to Jackson State University last season. In his first year, Fremin carried the Tigers to a first Southwestern Athletic Conference title and NCAA tournament regional berth. His 2012 roster includes one Mississippian — former Columbia High standout Lauren Aikins.
“Essentially you are identifying about 10 or 15 players each year who can play senior college softball in this state,” Fremin said. “Are you missing a few? Yes, I am sure you are. However, there is not this big a demand. I think the biggest thing for a high school kid in this state to do is make sure they play really good competition on summer travel teams.
“Many coaches recruit extensively at these high-profile national tournaments because they are not in-season. The ability to impress in person is critical since you are from a state not highly regarded.”
Alcorn State University has two Mississippians on its 20-player roster. Mississippi Valley State has three Mississippians on its 23-player roster. Ole Miss has four Mississippians on its 19-player roster. This group includes two junior college transfers — Laina Collier of Northwest Mississippi Community College and Jayla Hubbard of Itawamba C.C. Collier is from Oxford.
“The over-riding thing is we have to change the way the game is played in our state,” Thees said. “We need the game more competitive and we need the game played at a faster level. We need players stealing bases more. We need catchers calling their own games. Every aspect of the game needs to be a little faster.
“We are asked to win games, and to do that we need freshmen who can step in and produce right away. We can’t take the time to do extensive teaching of the game. We need athletes who can put it on auto pilot and go. High school softball needs to be a priority. Fast-pitch softball coaches need to be just that.
“They need a year-round program in place for their athletes. I think girls should play as many sports as possible. It makes you well-rounded and each sport has a unique skill set which makes you a better athlete. However, fast-pitch coaches need to have contact and a program in place year-round. It does not need to be three months of coaching done after football season. There should be some connection to the game 12 months out of the year for the coaches and players. We have to get these schools to buy in on building top-notch programs. It can be done but it will take a major commitment on several ends.”
While baseball rosters are slightly less than twice the size of softball rosters, the numbers are staggering. MSU, Ole Miss, and USM have a combined 43 in-state players, compared to nine in softball. Of the 43 in-state players, Southern Miss has 19 — three more than the total number of players on the softball roster.
“I think people do not realize we are only signing three or four players per year,” Thees said. “Our goal each year is to have one of those be from Mississippi. We want the Gatorade Player of the Year to be an Ole Miss Rebel. If you can sign one per year, then you have one in each class. An ideal situation is you have four or five players — and about 20 to 25 percent of your roster in-state. The best player in our state should be able to step in and help us fill a need right away.”
Coach Kevin Griffin has been asked to build on Fremin’s legacy at Belhaven. The Blazers won 50 games and made a second straight NAIA national championship tournament last season in his first year as coach. This season, Belhaven has 11 of 18 players from Mississippi. Division II member Delta State University has 10 in-state players, while Division III members Mississippi College (six) and Millsaps College (five) have fewer.
Almost all of the smaller programs in the state have Mississippi connections. Fremin had a long run at Belhaven before moving to the other side of Jackson. Mississippi College coach Brooke O’Hair played at MSU. Delta State coach Casey Bourgoyne-Charles is coaching at her alma mater.
For the state’s Big Three, this is new territory. Stuedeman played at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Stuedeman also coached at the University of West Alabama and the University of Alabama at Huntsville before going to Alabama.
Thees is an Arizona native, and her previous head coaching stop was at the University of Memphis. The husband-wife tandem at USM are graduates of Arizona State University. Malgradi was head coach at national power Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., while Voak was on the staff at ASU.
“I think it is up to all of us to help make the state better,” Voak said. “You have to grow the membership in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. You have to make fast-pitch softball an emphasis. It has to be a dedication. In Florida, there are 20 schools fighting over the best players in the state. Mississippi is quite different. With a smaller number of schools, the best players in the state should be able to stay home and contribute right away. There just needs to be more of them who can play on this level. They need to learn the game the right way, and they need to be able step in and contribute.”
An improved feeder system could also enhance each program’s bottom line. MSU has made eight regional tournament appearances but never has advanced to a Super Regional. Southern Miss has only made four regional appearances, with the last coming in 2004. However, the Golden Eagles own the state’s only two appearances in the Women’s College World Series. Pitcher Courtney Blades, a Louisiana native and Nicholls State University transfer, was a national Player of the Year candidate on each of those squads.
Ole Miss has never made an NCAA tournament regional and only boasts two winning seasons in its history.
“Georgia started the fast-pitch softball movement,” Thees said. “Alabama was coming along. Florida took a while, but now the sport is very legit over there. If you are like Vann and I, and you are trying to build a top-20 program year in and year out. It is a process. It is not going to happen overnight. But it also takes a commitment from so many people. If the high school programs in your state can come along for the ride, it is a win-win for everyone.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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