STARKVILLE — Since taking over the program, Mississippi State University second-year softball coach Vann Stuedeman has preached living in the moment.
For Stuedeman and the Bulldogs, the moment they were living in Sunday night was very good.
After spending the past week with postseason plans very much in the air, a deep sigh turned into a raucous celebration when MSU was chosen for a second straight NCAA regional appearance.
“We felt really good and liked our chances but you never really know for sure,” said MSU senior pitcher Stephanie Becker after seeing MSU’s name appear on the ESPNU’s nationally televised selection show. “We thought we had done enough to get in. Still, you are hoping and praying. If you a senior, you definitely want to go out in postseason play.”
MSU earned its 10th regional appearance, and second straight under Stuedeman. MSU will play in the Mobile Regional hosted by the University of South Alabama. Rated as the No. 13 national seed, USA is hosting a regional for the first time.
MSU (32-22) will face Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion Florida State (41-16) at 3:30 p.m. Friday. USA (45-7) will face Mississippi Valley State University (24-26) in the other first-round matchup at 6 p.m. All games from the Mobile Regional will be streamed on ESPN3 and available on the Watch ESPN app.
“No matter how many times you go (to regional), there is still an excitement,” MSU senior outfielder Jessica Cooley said. “It is a great feeling. You work hard the entire season to get to this point. Even if you are expected to go or it is a surprise, it is still incredible. You are so excited and ready to play again.”
The Southeastern Conference received a tournament-record 11 berths this season, including a tournament-record seven national seeds. The strength of the league helped MSU, which finished tied for 10th in the regular-season standings and didn’t qualify for the SEC tournament. The University of Carolina and Auburn University were the other teams tied with MSU. South Carolina also received a bid to the NCAA tournament, while Auburn didn’t.
“I really liked our chances,” Stuedeman said. “I thought we had an excellent résumé last year and this year’s résumé was even better. We did all of the things we needed to do, so yes, we felt really confident. We felt like we would get in. We felt like we belonged. When you play in the best conference in the nation, you feel like you belong.
“I am proud of the girls for the tremendous amount of effort they put into this season. Things are not always going to go your way. However, they have always been ready for the next challenge.”
The Bulldogs finished 32-22 and 8-16 in league play. MSU bolstered its résumé with four victories against top-12 teams — the University of Florida, the University of Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M University. Those victories helped MSU to a Ratings Percentage Index of 32, which was a key factor in it getting a bid.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize what this team accomplished,” Cooley said. “Each weekend you play some of the best teams in the nation. Our league got 11 teams in and my hat is off to each of them because they all belonged in. It just kind of goes to show where the power is. When you play these types of opponents each week, then you know you are ready for regional play.”
Still, MSU limped to the finish line of the regular season. The Bulldogs lost six of their final seven regular-season games and went from being a lock for the SEC tournament to failing to qualify.
A three-game home series sweep at the hands of the University of South Carolina proved damaging but not fatal. South Carolina parlayed those victories into the final berth at the SEC tournament and a regional bid.
“The best thing about the regionals is everybody starts over with an 0 and 0 record,” Becker said. “Each team faces adversity. The question is what do you do when you face those obstacles. We have a chance at a new season. We know our capabilities.”
The Bulldogs took advantage of the extra time off to rest players and to recharge the batteries.
“I think our players go into postseason with a great mental attitude,” Stuedeman said. “It is different when school is out because you have more time to work on your game. Instead of worrying about the future, we practiced every day, had a couple of cookouts, and just worked on getting better as a team. We were down when the season ended. Now, we are back up and ready to go again.”
Becker said the team split into groups and played an inter-squad tournament last week. She said players followed the SEC tournament, which the University of Florida won, but didn’t spend too much time worrying about what they couldn’t control.
“We did our very best the entire season,” Becker said. “We believe in ourselves and we believe in one another. It has been a great ride. We have never questioned what type of team we have or what type of team we could become. Now, we have another chance to prove it and we are mighty excited about it.”
The SEC grabbed seven national seeds: Florida (52-7) earned the national No. 2 seed for the third year in a row, while the University of Missouri (35-11) earned the No. 6 seed. The University of Tennessee (44-10) is the No. 7 national seed, while LSU (40-14) is the No. 9 seed. Alabama (42-13) is the No. 10 seed, the University of Kentucky (38-18) is the No. 12 seed, and Texas A&M (39-15) is the No. 16 seed.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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