STARKVILLE — Mississippi State softball coach Van Stuedeman felt like her squad was at a crossroads Friday afternoon in Orlando, Florida.
Fortunately for the fourth-year coach, junior shortstop Kayla Winkfield — one of the team’s most vocal leaders — sensed the same thing.
“We had not played well,” Stuedeman said. “It was our first road trip of the year with 14 underclassmen. It took a while for them to get their legs underneath them. Honestly, we had played in one word — awful. It is a testament to Winkfield, Julia Echols, Caroline (Seitz), and our seniors. They were able to get everybody checked back in as quickly as they did.
“The team really responded well and finished the road trip strong with three straight wins. That’s great because it quite easily could have gone the other way.”
Going 3-2 on its first road trip gives MSU momentum entering a critical week on the schedule.
MSU (16-3) will play host to Kennesaw State (10-4) at 3 p.m. today (SEC Network +) before playing host to No. 8 Georgia (17-2) in a three game series to start Southeastern Conference play (5:30 p.m. Friday, SEC Network +; 1 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network; 1 p.m. Sunday, SEC Network +).
After winning 13 of 14 games in a season-opening homestand, the trip to the prestigious Diamond Citrus Classic was designed to help the Bulldogs get ready for the rigors of conference play.
To start the road trip, MSU blew a seventh-inning-lead in a 5-4 eight-inning loss to a highly regarded UAB team in Birmingham, Alabama. The three-day tournament in Orlando began with a 5-0 loss to Minnesota — the first ranked opponent on MSU’s schedule. The Bulldogs made six errors and struck out 14 times against the Gophers. It was the first time MSU had been shut out after seven shutouts last season.
“Here we focus on every pitch has a life and history of its own,” Winkfield said. “When a game is over, the challenge is to focus on the next game, the next task at hand. We handled our adversity real well. It was bad and some teams would not be ready to turn around and play again.
“Instead, we wanted the opportunity. We had to make sure we knew that game was over and we had to focus on what we were doing. For a young team that is hard. You are sitting there looking at a chance at the whole weekend getting away from you. I think it is great we did what we did and we got the results we wanted.”
MSU regrouped for a 6-2 win against a Maryland squad favored to compete for the Big Ten Conference crown. The Bulldogs won by breaking a 2-2 tie with four runs in the sixth. On Tuesday, Stuedeman called that half inning “the biggest one of the season.”
After seeing all of Saturday’s play washed out, MSU returned for a 3-1 win against Mid-American Conference favorite Ohio University and a 6-1 win against then-No. 23 Notre Dame.
The showing was strong enough to move MSU from an afterthought on the national scene to a team that received 13 votes in this week’s NFCA poll, good enough in theory to be ranked 28th.
“It was a lot of fun to on the road and to again play with the team,” said Seitz, a sophomore third baseman. “I also think was great to see some really big-name competition. We held our own. It was good to see that kind of play and for that to help us to get ready for SEC play. We really are growing and maturing as a team.”
Seitz enters today’s play tied for third in the league with seven home runs. Sophomore catcher Katie Anne Bailey leads the team with a .441 average. The Bulldogs are hitting .331 as a team with 17 home runs.
“We scheduled this way for a purpose,” Stuedeman said. “You want to play some ranked opponents. You don’t want to overload because you run the risk of shattering the confidence level of a young team. However, we have played some good teams. St. Louis is picked to challenge for their league title (Atlantic 10).
“Penn State came here with a tremendous amount of tradition. Those are good wins. You want to see some ranked opponents. We faced two of them in Florida. You need to see some quality pitching because you know you will see 24 straight games of it once you enter conference play.”
The Bulldogs have had some quality pitching. Sophomore left-hander Alexis Silkwood — a 14-game winner as a freshman — is 11-2 with a 1.77 ERA. In 71 innings, the Illinois native has been at home in the sub-freezing temperatures with 90 strikeouts and 23 walks. Silkwood leads the league in wins and is second in the league in strikeouts.
“Playing defense behind Silk is really a blessing,” Winkfield said. “Now she is the No. 1, you talk about the added pressure and responsibility, but she is really not fazed by that. She won some really big games last year, so she has the Bulldog mentality in the circle. She doesn’t back down from anyone, and it’s really a joy to be out there in the field when she is pitching.”
During the offseason, Stuedeman — who handles the team’s pitchers — said her points of emphasis with Silkwood involved changing some mechanical issues and creating another pitch so she could pitch more often throughout a weekend series.
So far, so good as Stuedeman said her prized pupil is “light years ahead” of where she was a year ago. Silkwood has also been swinging the bat this season. She had her first collegiate home run against Maryland.
The challenge now is to find another dominant pitcher. Stuedeman feels like she has capable players, but they are young and still learning to pitch.
Actually, the Bulldogs are still learning throughout the roster. A program built on pitching and defense in Stuedeman’s first three seasons may be in for a shootout this weekend.
Georgia is hitting a league-best .411 as a team, while MSU — last in the 13-team league a year ago — is fourth at .331.
Either way, MSU has a new shot of adrenaline after a performance that might have saved its season.
“The main thing we learned this past weekend is when we play our best ball the sky is the limit for this team,” Winkfield said. “We will need to remember that going forward because the SEC can eat you up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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