STARKVILLE — It may be a long wait if you’re on the pass list for Mississippi State University softball player Jessica Cooley.
Cooley and her Bulldogs were scheduled to leave this morning for Mobile, Ala., where they will begin play Friday in the University of South Alabama-hosted Mobile Regional of the NCAA tournament. MSU (32-22) will face Florida State (41-16) at 3:30 p.m. Friday in a first-round game of the four-team, double-elimination event.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Cooley is ecstatic to begin her final postseason play so close to home. Friends and family already have said they will support Cooley and the Bulldogs in large numbers.
“This is so exciting because it is like going home,” Cooley said. “When we played at UAB, it was one big homecoming. I expect something similar this weekend, so this is going to be a lot of fun. It is the best opportunity you could hope for as a senior.
“I am not alone because Alabama means so much too so many people on this team.”
MSU has spent the past seasons with a marketing campaign designed around the catch phrase “Our State.” If Mississippi is MSU’s state, Alabama could be a close second.
“The first thing you think of when you see your name (on the selection show) is the relief you know you are in,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “My reaction was a little different. My first thought was bus. I was thinking this is a trip we could bus, so this means no airplane. I got excited right away.
“I knew this was a tremendous opportunity for us to fill up the stadium with maroon.”
Last season, Stuedeman’s first MSU squad earned at-large berth to the NCAA tournament and played in a regional in Eugene, Ore. The trip was nightmare, thanks to lost luggage and terminal delays that prevented the plane from taking off.
Returning to the postseason for the first time since 2009, the Bulldogs were happy to be back in postseason, but they lost twice in Eugene. Stuedeman said she didn’t want to make excuses, but she said the squad was mentally and physically fatigued from the travel difficulties before the first game.
That’s why Stuedeman feels a 230-mile bus ride will be a better alternative. USA is playing host to a regional for the first time. It is the second time a team from the Sun Belt Conference is playing host to a NCAA tournament softball regional. In the other first-round game Friday, No. 13 national seed USA (45-7) will face Mississippi Valley State University (24-26).
“We are very excited about this opportunity and we feel really blessed to be this close to home,” said MSU junior outfielder Jessica Offutt, a native of Madison, Ala. “You are in the hands of the search committee. All you can do is hope for the best. This really is the best for us. We feel like we can compete with these teams in this regional. We also feel like playing close to home will be a big advantage. We have already made some trips to Alabama and had some success, so hopefully, we can build on that.”
Cooley and Offutt are two of four Alabama natives on the MSU roster. Freshman Olivia Golden, of Hartselle, and junior pitcher Shana Sherrod, of Vestavia Hills, are the others.
“There is a tremendous amount of familiarity,” Stuedeman said. “That is what makes this fun. We have a lot of players on our team that know players from the other teams. We have recruited in these areas, played games in these areas. I think it is important to have a comfort level when you reach this point in the season, and I think this regional provides that.”
The ties don’t there. The MSU coaching staff has ties to the state of Alabama.
Stuedeman was born in Birmingham, Ala. Her coaching career included stops at the University of West Alabama, the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and the University of Alabama.
Assistant coach Alan Reach is a graduate of the University of Alabama. He also coached several seasons of high school softball in the state. Assistant coach Beth Mullins was born in Fairhope, Ala., and went on to play softball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also coached for four seasons at UAB.
Fairhope and Mobile are about 20 miles apart. By Stuedeman’s account, Mullins grew up right down the road from the USA softball stadium.
“This will be a special trip,” Mullins said. “I am so proud of this team for working so hard to get to this point. They have believed in everything we have tried to do and worked hard from day one to get here. Selfishly, I am very excited about having this opportunity. It will be good for the team as well. We should have the opportunity to have some great support.”
Not only will the Bulldogs be in friendly territory, Stuedeman also has established a winning pedigree against her former state. This season, MSU is 6-6 against the state, with victories against Auburn University, Samford University, Troy University, Alabama, UAB, and Jacksonville State University. MSU lost to USA in a regular-season game in Starkville.
“We have had success over here, and I think that is a very good sign,” Stuedeman said. “Alabama is very passionate about its softball, and we are trying to grow that kind of love for the sport in our state. I think we can get there. It is important to establish your program as one of the leaders in that movement. We have another opportunity do just that.”
For Cooley, a second-straight postseason berth is a tremendous way to cap a stellar MSU career. Last season, the Bulldogs were happy to be in the postseason. This season, the Bulldogs are hungry to take that next step.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Cooley said. “We know what we have to do to take advantage of it.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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