STARKVILLE – Mississippi State senior catcher/infielder Sam Lenahan enjoys being surrounded by talented players.
“You really want to be pushed every day in practice, that is the best way to become a really great player,” Lenahan said. “It is one thing to be pushed by the coaches. It is another thing to be pushed by your teammates.
“This team is different the last couple of teams we have had here. We have so many great players that you have to come ready to work every day. Nobody is guaranteed a spot. You have to keep pushing hard to keep your spot in the lineup. It is a good feeling when you know the players playing behind you are just as talented.”
In each of Van Stuedeman’s first two seasons as coach, the Bulldogs worked hard on the depth issue. Minor injuries could become major when MSU did not have a lot of options on the bench. The Bulldogs enter the new season with a different team dynamic – plenty of talented players but a lot of youth sprinkled throughout the roster.
“The young players are great,” Stuedeman said. “They are soaking up everything like sponges. They come every day eager to learn and eager to get better. If they don’t know the answer, they keep digging until they get the answers.”
MSU has finished 33-24 in each of Stuedeman’s first two seasons. The Bulldogs have qualified for back-to-back regional tournament berths. However, MSU only has one regional win combined to show for its success. A strong group of seniors look to change that beginning with Friday’s season opener against Mississippi Valley State at the MSU Softball Field.
MSU will play five games this weekend in the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. The season unofficially started Monday with Media Day being held on campus.
“We feel like this is the team that can break through and go to a super regional and beyond,” said MSU senior catcher/infielder Logan Foulks, who led the team with 13 home runs last season. “We talk to the freshman all the time about their chance to leave a mark on this program. Right now, the program is in a transitional period.
“We worked hard all year last year but we couldn’t quite get over the hump. This season, we are ready to go. We are ready to show everybody what we are capable of doing. We have some great sticks in the lineup. In the circle, the pitching is great. We feel like this is the team that can finally put it all together.”
When she arrived in Starkville, Stuedeman began teaching the process. She felt it was more important to play the game instead of playing an opponent. With the roster almost entirely full of players she recruited, she is now seeing that process passed down from the older players to hew newer players.
“When your veteran players become an extension of the coaching staff, that is when you can start doing something special,” Stuedeman said.”Every day we are seeing the seniors taking ownership of the team and teaching the younger players our way of doing things.
“It is rewarding when you see that type of buying in from everybody involved. Last season, we had a difficult time keeping the energy level up. That is not the case this season. We can have a four-hour practice and we are just as motivated when we leave as we were when we got there.”
The Bulldogs are putting in the extra work to prove the doubters wrong. In a preseason coaches’ poll, MSU was picked 12th in the 13-team Southeastern Conference. The preseason National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 has eight SEC teams ranked and 10 teams receiving votes.
“We are not intimidated by that,” MSU senior outfielder Jessica Offutt said. “We face SEC-type pitching every day in practice so we know we have to do. When she first got here, coach told us to not worry about the name on the front of the other’s team jersey. If you do that, you can get nervous.
“Instead, we focused on the process and staying within ourselves. We feel like we are a capable team.”
Part of the renewed enthusiasm level comes from first-year assistant coach Tyler Bratton. A season ago, Bratton served as Director of Baseball Operations for an MSU squad, which finished second in the nation at the College World Series.
“After the first couple of practices, he told us that we had a great group of swings, close to perfect,” Foulks said.”How can you not take confidence from that? He was with the baseball program last season and they got to where we want to go.”
Stuedeman does not back down from such expectations. While serving as a pitching coach at Alabama, she participated in numerous College World Series runs and saw a national championship program in the making.
“Our goal is the national championship,” Stuedeman said. “That is why you play the game.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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