Sometimes second impressions are more important than the first.
For the Mississippi State softball team, the second weekend of the 2017 season was vastly different than the opening weekend. It was vastly different in a good way.
Now, the Bulldogs are back home for five games in the February Freezer at Nusz Park. MSU (6-3) faces North Florida (7-5) and Eastern Illinois (6-3) today. The four-team tournament also includes Saturday’s opponent Southern Illinois (6-4).
“So excited to be back home,” MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “The first weekend was not what we wanted it to be. The girls are now back with a different mind-set. I am ready to see if that can pay off for some more wins.”
In a season-opening tournament at home, the Bulldogs posted a 3-2 ledger. While the win-loss record is not of huge importance in February, the Bulldogs were longing for more offense. MSU dropped a 1-0 decision to Western Kentucky and a 3-1, 12-ininng decision to Georgia State.
For the tournament, the Bulldogs hit .221 and stranded 38 base runners.
A change of scenery helped this past weekend as the Bulldogs posted an impressive 3-1 record in the Puerto Vallarta Collegiate Challenge. The opening game of the tournament was a 4-1 win over then-No. 21 Fresno State.
Favorites to win the Mountain West Conference, Fresno State entered that contest averaging a nation’s-best 10.6 runs per game.
“It was huge,” Stuedeman said. “That win set the tone for the whole weekend. After such a long day of travel, it’s hard to come out and play a game at 10 o’clock in the morning. For so many young players, I thought they really handled it well. They had a total business approach. Our one loss over there (a 6-1 setback to Cal State Fullerton), involved a very bizarre play. We are attempting to make a tag out at third base and the ball is kicked out of the glove and goes all the way to the base of the center field wall. That was three runs. I had never seen anything like it.”
The Bulldogs won’t be fooled by one good weekend of play. Last season’s team won its first 10 games but only finished with 26 overall wins. Instead, the Bulldogs plan to work just as hard this weekend to keep the good fortune going.
“We had a lot of timely hits,” MSU senior pitcher Alexis Silkwood said. “I think that is a sign of the maturity of this team. We didn’t take advantage of our scoring chances (the first weekend), but we didn’t let that get us down. We kept going.”
The Bulldogs got a huge lift from junior Reggie Harrison, a transfer from Arkansas. Harrison homered in the win over Fresno State and had six hits in four tournament games. As a team, the Bulldogs sent the batting average up 28 points in Mexico.
In the circle, Silkwood continues to be the driving force. She has already logged 33-2/3 innings, with five wins and a save. Silkwood beat Fresno State and Texas Tech in starts and relieved Holly Ward to win the Florida Gulf Coast game.
“Overall, a very successful weekend,” Stuedeman said. “We did a lot of fun things away from the field and we really took care of business on the field. Some of the younger players saw what it takes to compete on a high level. Now, how do you handle a good weekend? Can you make it two in a row?”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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