STARKVILLE — Mississippi State softball coach Vann Stuedeman has never hosted a game show.
Maybe, she has missed out on her calling in life.
Arguably, the most energetic coach in the Southeastern Conference, Stuedeman has built a successful program while competing in the nation’s best conference.
“The whole concept is about fun,” said Stuedeman, who just finished her fifth season. “Playing college sports is a grind. If it’s a spring sport, you work hard in the fall. If it’s a fall sport, you work hard in the spring. There is no downtime. There is no moment when you can step away from the game. The game consumes you.”
Stuedeman coaches like she is consumed by the sport.
After missing back-to-back postseasons, Stuedeman was hired to change the fortunes of the MSU program, after an extended stint as a successful assistant coach at Alabama.
Her first job was to sell the program to current players, recruits and fans.
Taking it head on
Women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer saw a similar challenge when he was hired four seasons ago from Texas A&M, where he was the associate head coach. Stuedeman helped shape an Alabama team, which went on to win a national championship.
Schaefer had a similar role in a national championship squad at A&M.
“It’s all about perception,” Schaefer said. “The question is ‘What do you want your program to become?’ We came here with a vision of what we wanted this program to become. However, you have to sell it. Promoting and marketing your team should be done by the head coach. You want fans around the state to identify with your players. You want them to be proud of how you represent their university.”
In his first season, Schaefer traveled the back roads of the state speaking to as many booster clubs as possible. He also hit on-campus services organizations, while doing the sorority and fraternity houses. He had no doubt the wins would come but also wanted people to be there when they did come.
After a losing season in that first campaign, the Bulldogs have followed with three straight 20-win seasons. MSU advanced to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal round in Schaefer’s second season before racking up back-to-back NCAA berths. This season, the Bulldogs fell to eventual national champion Connecticut in the program’s second-ever appearance at the Sweet Sixteen.
“It’s humbling because people said you can’t win there,” Schaefer said. “With the right mind-set and attitude, you can win anywhere. It’s about the caliber of athlete we are recruiting. We do things the right way. There are no shortcuts to success. Games are easy based on how hard we practice.”
While Schaefer took a methodical approach to build his team’s success, Stuedeman also became salesman first, coach second.
In her five seasons as coach, Stuedeman and the Bulldogs have led numerous camps around the state. They have played fall practice games all over the state. MSU has been a driving force in the Gulf Coast Classic, an annual softball tournament played at the Gulfport Sportsplex — roughly four hours from the MSU campus.
“This is our state and this is a sport we love so much,” Stuedeman said. “If you can make the sport better in Gulfport, we benefit from that. If the sport is better in Meridian, we benefit from that. I think as head coaches, our job is to help promote and grow the sport. It’s something that I take very seriously. We could do what everyone else does, but instead, we make a passionate, committed effort around the state to make softball better.”
Small setback
This season, the Bulldogs saw a string of four straight NCAA regional berths snapped with a 26-31 overall record. Despite the overall wins not being where they normally are, the program got a huge lift from the opening of $6M Nusz Park. The latest in a series of MSU athletic renovations, Nusz Park has 1,100 chairback seats. It shows the commitment the university is willing to put into its softball program.
This season, the softball team drew a record 19,302 fans for an average of 665 per home game. The first season at Nusz Park ended with MSU playing host to the Southeastern Conference tournament.
A stadium record of 2,213 packed the stadium for Thursday night’s late session of the tournament, featuring Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama and Auburn. A school-record 1,612 attended a regular-season MSU-LSU contest. The Bulldogs played before 1,000 people at home four times this year.
Schaefer’s squad saw similar box office success. The women’s basketball team drew a school-record 92,914 this season for an average of 5,162 per home game. A women’s basketball school-record of 10,626 watched MSU’s 57-51 loss to No. 1 South Carolina on a Sunday afternoon during the National Football League playoffs in January. The crowd broke the previous school record by 3,300 fans.
MSU finished with a school-record 28 wins and a 28-8 overall record. The Bulldogs hosted two NCAA tournament games for the first time in program history.
“During my travels, I talked to so many people who admitted they had never been to a women’s basketball game,” Schaefer said. “Some of them said they hadn’t even though about going to one. However, if you watch the girls, you see what the program is all about. We have a lot of people who watch on television, too. The growth of the SEC Network has definitely led to more people in the stands.
“At the SEC tournament in Little Rock (Arkansas) last season, we had more fans than Tennessee, that is saying something. In Jacksonville (Florida), we were right behind South Carolina in relation to fan support. Fans appreciate that this is a good brand of basketball.”
In softball, Stuedeman has an area for booster club members to watch games inside the team’s practice facility. The players sing the alma mater to the crowd after ever game, win or lose. Players are always available for an autograph or picture session.
“We really strive to put our fans first,” Stuedeman said. “There is no (admission) charge. It is hard to beat the family entertainment option we provide. That is why people keep coming back.”
In basketball, Schaefer has created an in-season luncheon series. Somewhere between six and eight times per season, for $12, fans are invited to the basketball practice facility for a meal, guest speaker and an update on the team provided by Schaefer and his assistants.
The first luncheon drew around 50 people. This season, the number was pushing 300.
“You can’t stop promoting,” Schaefer said. “In our league, you have to strive for bigger and better. If you pause for one second, someone else is going to outdo you.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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