STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University junior left fielder Jessica Cooley is deeply appreciative of the attention she received this week.
On Tuesday, Cooley was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week. The program’s first national award under new coach Vann Stuedeman came one day after Cooley was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity,” Cooley said. “It is an honor I share with my team, my coaches, and the school. Everyone played a role in making this possible. I am deeply humble.”
Last week, Cooley went 10-for-19 with 17 RBIs and eight runs scored to help the Bulldogs push their winning streak to a six.
Cooley is the second Bulldog to win the national award. Iyhia McMichael, a two-time All-American and SEC Player of the Year, was honored Feb. 24, 2004.
Pitching dominance
When winter practice began, Stuedeman was still looking for answers in relation to her pitching rotation. That issue appears to have been resolved.
Junior left-hander Stephanie Becker (7-2) dominated in the circle Wednesday afternoon against the No. 3 University of Florida. Becker threw her fifth complete game of the season in a 1-0 loss in the first game of the doubleheader. She threw five more innings in an 8-5 loss in the nightcap. In all, she threw 12 innings, allowed seven hits and three earned runs, and struck out 14. Becker threw 188 pitches and took a major step toward solidifying her spot as the staff’s No. 1.
“Stephanie Becker was great today,” Stuedeman said. “She gave us an opportunity to win each game. We saw a competitive nature from her on the mound we expect from each of our pitchers. She was matched with one of the greatest pitchers in the league (Florida’s Hannah Rogers) and she showed that she belongs.”
Becker has appeared in 14 games and has thrown 65 innings. Her emergence is key with fellow junior left-hander Kylie Vry battling soreness.
Florida keeps rolling
Florida won its 14th and 15th straight games in the series Wednesday. A national championship finalist a year ago, Florida is expected to be in Oklahoma City, Okla., again this year for the Women’s College World Series.
Still, MSU (14-7, 0-2 SEC) can take solace it is closing the gap.
A year ago, Florida swept a doubleheader by a combined score of 26-1. The last four MSU-UF matchups had been shortened to five innings by the run rule.
MSU’s loss in game one snapped its six-game winning streak. It was the longest streak for the Bulldogs since the 2009 season.
Inside the boxscore
MSU outfielder Brittany Bell had was hitless in the doubleheader, but she reached base in each game. The senior is leading the team with a team-best .451 average, and is the only MSU player to reach safely in all 21 games.
Third baseman Sam Lenahan had two hits in the nightcap, giving her a team-best nine multi-hit games this season. It was Lenahan’s first three-RBI game of the season.
The Bulldogs have 49 two-out RBIs this season. It represents close to half of the team’s total 107 RBIs.
Florida pitching began the day with a 0.81 ERA. Only No. 5 Washington matched MSU by scoring five runs against UF pitching. The Huskies turned the trick during a 5-2 victory against the Gators on Feb. 23 in Palm Springs, Calif.
Nothing is easy
Playing perhaps the most difficult home schedule in the nation, MSU will play host to the No. 7 University of Georgia this weekend. Game times are 5:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Despite Georgia’s recent success on the national stage, the teams have split the past 12 meetings.
“We are excited to keep fighting,” Lenahan said. “We want to continue to show people what we can do. We will learn from (Wednesday) and use that to win some games this weekend.”
MSU’s other home conference series are against No. 1 Alabama, No. 9 Tennessee, and 2011 Super Regional participant the University of Kentucky.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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