STARKVILLE — It’s called the Ricketts Effect.
When Samantha Ricketts was hired as an assistant coach and hitting instructor in the offseason, her task was to rejuvenate the Mississippi State softball team’s offense.
Ricketts was hired to produce performances like Wednesday night, when MSU had 11 hits and dominated two of the Southeastern Conference’s best pitchers in a 9-4 victory against No. 1 LSU in a non-conference game before a capacity crowd of 902 at the MSU Softball Field.
“Let me tell you about coach Ricketts,” MSU senior second baseman Julia Echols said. “She is all about confidence. You play the game because it is fun and you play the game with confidence. You don’t have to worry about appeasing her to stay in the lineup. You just go up there with the mental approach that you can hit anything.”
MSU defeated the No. 1 team in the nation for the second time in program history. It defeated Arizona State in 2002. The Bulldogs also improved to 6-6 against ranked opponents and gave a shot in the arm to an already strong Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 22 entering the week. The NCAA tournament selection committee uses RPI as a tool when it selects the at-large teams for the 64-team field.
The Bulldogs are on a six-game winning streak and won the opening game of an eight-game stretch of games against RPI top 28 teams that will help determine if the team has a case to play host to an NCAA regional.
“We call it the Ricketts Effect,” Stuedeman said. “We had to find a way to be more productive on offense. The records speak for themselves this season. The girls absolutely love her. It’s a testament to hard work and a testament to the bond between coach and player. I don’t think there is anything our players don’t think they can do when they step to the plate.”
Ricketts helped Wichita State rank among the nation’s statistical leaders on offense in her three seasons at the school after a standout playing career at Oklahoma. At MSU, the transformation has felt like it has been overnight. MSU (30-10) is hitting .326.
In Stuedeman’s first three seasons, the Bulldogs hit .274 in 2012, .267 in 2013, and .257 in 2014. Each of those teams were good enough to make NCAA regional appearances. However, Stuedeman, whose coaching pedigree is pitching, knew her team needed to make a gigantic leap on offense if it was going to challenge for SEC championships and to advance to its first super regional.
“When the coaches believe in you, it is hard not to believe in yourself,” MSU junior shortstop Kayla Winkfield said. “When coaches Vann, (Tyler) Bratton, and Ricketts are all believing in you and you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit.”
MSU had 10 or more hits for the 18th time this season. The past two seasons combined it accomplished that feat 14 times.
“It’s all about positive reinforcement,” Ricketts said. “We spent a lot of time in the offseason building up the mental component for each girl. What are you good at? How we can best utilize that to be successful.”
All nine MSU starters entered the game hitting .333 or better.
“We really don’t ever look at the stats, so I had no idea that was the case,” Echols said. “I think that really shows you we are a dangerous team. Those are really good numbers, and that means everybody on the team is doing it. That is how you have a special season. A lot of hard work goes into it. You also have to have a belief.
“We have some student assistants who put together video of the other pitchers before we face them. That has helped. We knew what was coming Wednesday night against arguably two of the best pitchers in the league. We have done some out-of-the-box things, and it is really paying off.”
In the first inning, Katie Anne Bailey had an RBI single. In the second, Amanda Ivy had an RBI single. In the fourth, Caroline Seitz had a two-run double. In the sixth, Mackenzie Toler had a two-run single and winning pitcher Alexis Silkwood, who didn’t bat a year ago, hit a two-run home run.
The Bulldogs have 41 home runs, seven more than last year’s team hit in 60 games.
“There is a not a lot that needs to be said about our offense other than it’s the Ricketts Effect,” Stuedeman said. “It’s like night and day. Her influence has allowed us to play the game at a different level. I am a pitching coach, but don’t think nights like tonight aren’t exciting.”
n MSU, which is tied for seventh (8-7) in the SEC with Georgia, will take on Missouri in Game 1 of the three-game weekend series at 6:30 p.m. Friday (SEC Network +). Game 2 will be at 1 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network +). The SEC Network will broadcast Game 3 at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Missouri is 24-9 and 6-6 in the SEC, which is good for ninth place.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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