Bulldogs play Gamecocks in SEC Tournament action
There is no need for the Mississippi State Bulldogs to be in too big of a hurry for the Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament.
The one thing that MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts doesn't want her team to do is speed up the process.
The Bulldogs left for Auburn, Alabama, on Monday but won't have to play until the final game today against South Carolina.
Ricketts said the focus should be on the Gamecocks and not what's to come on down the road.
“We'll get them ready, rest their bodies and finish finals, but take our time,” Ricketts aid. “We don't want to feel rushed about it, take it one game at a time, know what is front of us and not too far ahead.”
MSU was able to take two out of three games against South Carolina earlier this season. After a pair of shutouts against the Gamecocks 6-0 and 4-0, the Bulldogs lost a 3-1 decision in the final outing of the series.
After a grueling 24-game SEC schedule, MSU was able to finish at 12-12 in the league. It was the first time since 2007 that the Bulldogs finished .500 or better in the SEC.
MSU also clinched the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament, which was the highest seed for the program since the 24-game league schedule was established.
Postseason will bring a new challenge for the Bulldogs where a loss in the upcoming weeks could mean the end of their season.
MSU pitcher Aspen Wesley said the players must be in the best shape possible in order to make a run.
“Everyone needs to go see (athletic trainer) Macy (Simoneaux) as much as they can,” Wesley said. “We're gong to need it. We need to hydrate. I need to hydrate. As long as
we have fun, keep doing what we're doing and try not to get ahead of ourselves, I think we're going to do just fine.”
Wesley was recognized as SEC Pitcher of the Week after two compete-game wins against Georgia over the weekend. She takes a 14-5 record in the SEC Tournament with a 3.09 earned run average, 122 strikeouts and only 33 walks.
Offensively, Sierra Sacco leads the Bulldogs with a .348 batting average, while Madisyn Kennedy has the best power numbers with 16 home runs and 53 runs batted in.
MSU is hitting .307 as a team and Ricketts saw a better approach at the plate in Sunday's 2-1 win over Georgia.
“I thought we were more competitive, attacking pitches and making hard outs,” Ricketts said. “That's what you can ask for against a top team like that. Just continuing to be confident in ourselves and our ability. It's knowing that no matter what team or what pitching staff we're going to face, we have to go out there and be ourselves.”
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks will play 35 minutes after the conclusion of the Georgia-auburn outing tonight. The action will be televised by the SEC Network.*