STARKVILLE — To be the best, you have to beat the best, and Starkville softball certainly encountered the one of the best on Monday night.
The Yellow Jackets played host to Choctaw County, a softball powerhouse in the region, and just couldn’t keep up with the Chargers.
Starkville (3-3) managed one run in a 19-1 run-rule loss in four innings, but despite the result, confidence surrounding this program has remained high.
“We have to learn to bounce back,” head coach Meghan Mullane said. “We’re going to make mistakes. There’s going to be big hits in games, but we need to learn how to compete, especially when we’re down.”
There were a number of positives to take out of Monday’s game, starting in the circle with Marion Tate, who looked composed against a loaded Chargers lineup.
She avoided the walk and pitched to contact, letting her fielders back her up. Senior infielder Kendel Thompson provided that defense up the middle, making some stellar plays during the evening.
Offensively, junior Presley Ravencraft drove home the lone run of the game with an RBI single.
“I just kept telling myself to get a hit, so I just got myself up there and got a hit,” Ravencraft said. “… I’m feeling confident. Better than last season. I’m just going in there with a hitter’s mentality, throwing my hands at the ball and hoping for the best.”
Less than 10 games into the 2024 season, there’s still time for Starkville to grow into the season and mature as a team.
Mullane acknowledged that a tough district schedule is ahead of the Jackets, but non-district play is the time to clean up mistakes to be prepared to make a run at the postseason.
“If we want a chance at making the postseason, we have to be able to compete not just against tough teams, but within our team because we have a lot of talent within our program,” Mullane said.
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