Mississippi native Kat Moore made a diving catch in the outfield to help the Mississippi State softball team clinch an upset of No. 11 Alabama on Saturday at Nusz Park.
Moore later earned her 10 seconds of fame when the catch was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s “Top 10” package, which highlights that day’s best plays in sports.
Two years ago, MSU beat then-No. 9 Georgia on a walk-off home run by Mississippi native Katie Anne Bailey.
MSU coach Vann Stuedeman is proud to have Mississippi kids in her program. While players from the Magnolia state don’t dominate the roster, a Mississippi flavor is vital to the recruiting process for the sixth-year head coach.
“When I got here, I felt like my calling was to grow the sport in this state,” Stuedeman said. “When I grew up in the state of Alabama, it was a split season between slow-pitch and fast-pitch. I took a passion for helping grow the sport, helping make it better on the high school level. The softball in that state has really exploded in the last 20 years. I felt like I was the perfect hire for the state of Mississippi because I felt like I had a part of the growth (in Alabama). I was a piece of that puzzle. My job is to help do that here.”
MSU (22-7) will face No. 23 Ole Miss (21-6) at 6 tonight in Oxford at the Ole Miss Softball Complex in a rare non-conference matchup between the rivals. The Southeastern Conference didn’t schedule a conference series between the schools this year, so this will be the only meeting. The game will be available on SEC Network +.
Holly Springs native Moore and Madison native Bailey are every-day starters for the Bulldogs. The roster also includes Batesville native Amanda Ivy and Petal native Lexi Malone.
Ivy (senior) has played numerous positions and drawn numerous starts throughout her four seasons. Moore (sophomore) is an outfielder, while Bailey (senior) has caught and served as designated hitter. Malone (freshman) has appeared in one game this season.
“We like what we have (in relation to the number of Mississippi players),” Stuedeman said. “Our job is to grow that number. Other coaches use not recruiting our home state against us. We need to make sure that is not the case. Whatever that percentage of high-caliber in-state players is for that particular season, you got to make sure you get them. We have our hands full in that regard (due to competition from other in-state schools), but we got to make sure we get the best.”
In his third season as head coach of Ole Miss, Mike Smith has taken the program to new heights. Ole Miss has been included in the NFCA rankings for a school-record four-straight weeks. The Rebels won a school-record 41 games and played in its first NCAA tournament regional last season.
Mississippi native Hailey
Lunderman led the team in hitting last season, but she didn’t return for what would have been her sophomore season. Smith has four Mississippi natives on his roster, including Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer Kaitlin Lee.
“I take a lot of pride in staying in state to play softball,” said Bailey, who played at Madison Central High School. “It has been incredible experience. The Mississippi State softball team is like one big family. These will be my sisters for the rest of my life. Hopefully, the state can continue to grow and continue to get better. We need to have more players with ties to the state on our team.”
Wendy Hogue has been making strides in her three seasons as coach at Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles have the state’s only two appearances in the Women’s College World Series. However, it has been 20 years since those back-to-back trips.
Southern Miss is 13-14 and 1-5 in Conference USA play, but it owns a doubleheader sweep of nationally ranked Louisiana-Lafayette, which features former New Hope High standout DJ Sanders. The Golden Eagles have eight players from the state, including four who played in the Mississippi junior college system. That group includes former New Hope High standout Lauren Holifield.
Jones County Junior College is No. 1 in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association.
“In the state of Mississippi, our job is to help fast-pitch softball grow in this state,” Stuedeman said. “Our job is to help kids in this state have an opportunity to earn a scholarship to play fast-pitch softball in this state and to put Mississippi State across their chest.”
Stuedeman has done her part by playing fall scrimmages all over the state. Most of these games include camps for area youngsters. Stuedeman also has had MSU play multiple games in Ridgeland and has had a hand in organizing senior college tournaments on the coast.
This season, MSU will play at Ole Miss, Southern Miss, and Alcorn State. Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State will play in Starkville.
“I think softball in this state has come a long way,” said Ivy, who played at South Panola High. “The coaches have to keep working at it, though. There is so much more potential. It is a great game. Schools just need to push it more, and everybody needs to get behind efforts to make it better.”
On the field, the game will be huge for the postseason resume for both teams. In the initial Ratings Percentage Index, MSU is No. 27 and Ole Miss is No. 45.
Stuedeman is trying to carry the Bulldogs to a regional time for the fifth time in six seasons. Smith is trying to get the Rebels there in back-to-back seasons. The Bulldogs are looking for their fourth win against a ranked opponent this season (Fresno State, Texas A&M, and Alabama).
Following the game, MSU will play three games in the College Preview Series in Oklahoma. It will take on Louisiana Tech and No. 13 Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma and Alabama-Birmingham at noon Saturday in Oklahoma City. Ole Miss, which was swept by then-No. 7 Texas A&M last weekend, will play a three-game series at No. 20 Tennessee.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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