The Mississippi State softball team had all the usual feelings after Saturday’s 7-1 loss to Arizona eliminated the Bulldogs in NCAA Super Regional play.
Disappointment. Sorrow. Regret.
But there was another feeling in the mix.
MSU coach Samantha Ricketts said anger entered the equation as the Bulldogs watched the Wildcats enjoy booking a trip to the Women’s College World Series.
“Now they know what that feels like: to watch somebody else celebrate on your field,” Ricketts said.
It’s a feeling she hopes will motivate the Bulldogs to repeat their success — if not improve on it — in 2023.
But that won’t be easy without two of the key players who helped Mississippi State reach its first-ever Super Regional.
Just take it from catcher Mia Davidson, the program’s all-time leader in just about every hitting category. Saturday was Davidson’s final game, as well as the final contest for pitcher Annie Willis.
Both players are headed to the professional ranks, and Davidson’s sister Montana and outfielder Allison Florian will also move on.
“There will not be this team ever again,” Davidson said. “Next year’s team will be totally different.”
Without Davidson and Willis in the fold, the Bulldogs will suffer a blow. Davidson, the Southeastern Conference’s career home run leader, led MSU in the following categories in 2022: batting average (.366), on-base percentage (.545), slugging percentage (.854), home runs (23) and RBIs (45). She will play in the Athletes Unlimited professional league this summer.
Willis threw 134 1/3 innings, the most of any Bulldogs pitcher, and posted a 2.34 ERA with 143 strikeouts. She’s headed to the Smash It Sports Vipers of the new Women’s Pro Fastpitch League.
“Both of them have now been drafted and get a chance to play professionally, which not a lot of people get to do, particularly in softball,” Ricketts said. “Glad that they’re getting the opportunity to move on to the next stage.”
Mississippi State loses its best hitter and pitcher but will still return plenty of talent, particularly at the plate.
Left fielder Chloe Malau’ulu, who hit .332 with 12 doubles and eight home runs, will continue her captainship as a fifth-year senior.
The junior class that currently forms the strength of the Bulldogs’ roster will all be seniors in 2023. Third baseman Paige Cook, center fielder Brylie St. Clair and shortstop Madisyn Kennedy will all return to the lineup, as will junior second baseman Shea Moreno, a junior college transfer.
“To have that experience and that leadership moving forward when we’re up at 6 a.m. in October and they’re tired and they don’t want to do it, those leaders are going to be the ones telling them why,” Ricketts said.
Pitchers Aspen Wesley and Kenley Hawk, who threw the second- and third-most innings on the team, will also be seniors.
“I think those two are going to be huge pieces moving forward and they really grew up this year in the circle for us,” Ricketts said. “Both of them have everything it takes to fill in any shoes and to pick up those big innings.”
A seven-player recruiting class should help both in the circle and at the plate. Pitchers Josey Marron (No. 39) and Reis Beuerlein (No. 68) both rank in the Extra Inning Softball top 100 for the class of 2022; infielder Nadia Barbary ranks No. 17, and catcher Gabby Coffey ranks 64th.
The Bulldogs will also bring in utility player Morgan Bernardini, who hit .653 as a high school junior in Illinois, and Texas infielder Kiarra Sells.
Couple that respectable class with the new indoor facility that will open in the summer of 2023, and Starkville can be an attractive destination for recruits.
“It is just the beginning,” Davidson said. “We are getting recruits, and we are getting a brand-new facility that is going to be very nice. People will see Mississippi State now, and it’s going to continue to grow.”
The Bulldogs hope that growth will take them even further. The program’s first Super Regional and the historic upset of Florida State that got it there was nice, but MSU has bigger goals.
“We’ve got a good core group returning that aren’t going to be satisfied with the finish we had this year,” Ricketts said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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