STARKVILLE — Enthusiasm. Passion. Intensity.
Those words and many similar ones could be used to describe Mississippi State University’s first-year softball coach Vann Stuedeman.
Stuedeman, who makes her Division I head coaching debut tonight at South Alabama, comes to Starkville after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama.
Alabama is considered one of the nation’s premier softball programs. The goal is to push MSU to that level.
“We want to compete for championships here,” Stuedeman said. “I have been in a championship program. I know what it takes to reach that level. I think we have the things in place necessary to win championships here. I am looking forward to getting started and seeing what can happen.”
Stuedeman was hired to breathe life into a program that has made eight NCAA tournament regional appearances. However, MSU enters the 2012 season off back-to-back losing campaigns.
When MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin went looking for a new coach last May, Stuedeman won the interview process rather quickly.
“If you spend five minutes with Vann, you see she is very passionate about what she is doing,” Stricklin said. “She has an energy and enthusiasm like few other coaches I have ever been around. You can tell she cares very deeply about having a top-notch softball program.”
The administration has bought in. The MSU Softball Field has received slight renovations for the 2012 season, and is expected to give way to a new grandstand about 15 months from now, prior to the school’s chance to play host the 2014 Southeastern Conference tournament. The team will boast new uniforms and have home contests video streamed for the first time. A year ago, the SEC had two of the final four teams in the Women’s College World Series. This year, six of the league’s 11 teams are in the preseason top 25.
The Bulldogs are ready to join that group.
“The Southeastern Conference is tough. It is one of the best leagues in the nation,” Stuedeman said. “If you are a kid on a team, you always want to play the best. As athletes, you should want to play against players who are as good as and better than you are. That is how you become better. That is what we will do this year.
“We will face opponents as good as us and better than us. We will need to raise our expectations to be able to compete against those types of teams.”
Stuedeman is a tireless worker with boundless energy. Part coach. Part mother. Part promoter.
“When I first started at the University of Alabama in 2001, our program had gone to the Women’s College World Series for the first time the year before,” Stuedeman said. “Softball had just taken the spotlight at the Olympics in 1996. Having grown up in the state of Alabama, we, as coaches, took great pride in the need to build the sport of softball in the state.
“Alabama has become a World Series regular. Auburn has been a regional tournament participant. Alabama-Huntsville just made the Division II World Series. Jacksonville State had a recent Super Regional team. UAB is making regionals. The junior college system is excellent. I draw a great sense of satisfaction in having played a role in the success of the sport in our state.”
Now, Stuedeman and her staff will try to grow the sport in the Magnolia State. Stuedeman took her sales pitch throughout the state this fall when the Bulldogs played exhibition games and offered camps.
“The fall was exciting,” MSU senior first baseman/catcher Ka’ili Smith said. “You never know what to expect with a new coaching staff. Right away, we knew this was going to be a good thing. Coach Vann has a passion like no one else I have ever been around. She expects you to give 100 percent every day in everything you do.
“You can tell she cares about you as a person and a player. This has already been an incredible experience and we haven’t played a game yet.”
Stuedeman said the fall practices were extremely important because the Bulldogs needed confidence. The work they did focused more on the mental aspect of the game, as veterans were asked to believe again. With the support of fans around the state, the Bulldogs slowly found the love again.
“The fall tour was a huge success,” Stuedeman said. “We told the players to shake as many hands and sign as many autographs as possible. We wanted to expose our program to our state. We feel like we are Starkville’s team. We feel like we the Golden Triangle’s team. We want our fans to come to campus and to enjoy a beautiful spring afternoon watching the ladies play a game we all love.”
The public relations push for the softball program has been relentless. Stuedeman has made numerous speaking engagements, appeared at clinics, and was a guest coach a at MSU women’s basketball game. Daily practice reports have been filed to the university web site and more people are talking about MSU softball.
“We want to do a good job of building something great for our state,” Stuedeman said. ” The more opportunities girls have to play softball in our state, the better it will be for everyone. If we can do our part to grow the game in various communities, we will benefit in the end.
“We want the Division II programs to be good. We want the junior colleges to be great. We want the high school softball programs in this state to excel. There are quality high school softball players in this state who can play in the Southeastern Conference. The key is the size of Mississippi. The smallness of the state means we do not have the numbers right now.
“However, if we can grow the sport, and there is no reason why we can’t, everyone in this state benefits.”
While the anticipation for the season may be unlike any other in the program’s 21-year history, the Bulldogs still will need to supply substance. MSU returns 17 letterwinners and seven position starters from last season’s team that went 24-32.
MSU was picked fourth in the SEC Western Division in the preseason coaches’ poll. However, Stuedeman said her approach will be the same as it was at Alabama. She wants to compete for the conference championship, as early as this season.
“We are approaching this season with great expectations,” Stuedeman said. “You need to have great expectations and to be shocked when you don’t reach them. We will play the game and not the opponent. We will play each at-bat like the score is 0-0 at all times. When you are down 0-2 in an at-bat, you still have a chance to win that at-bat. We will be coaching and playing in the moment.
“When the game ends and we are on top, that is awesome. If not, we tip our hats and get ready for the next game. That is how we will approach this season. We will approach each game with expectations of success. At the end of the season, we will look back and know we busted it every single day. Raising the expectations is part of changing the culture.”
Stuedeman admits working in the conference the past 11 seasons will be a huge advantage as she prepares her squad to play a schedule that is packed with nationally ranked teams.
“The conference is grueling,” Stuedeman said. “It is a great conference, and if you are not competitive, and you don’t want to play great softball, you don’t need to come. When I first joined Alabama, we were beginning to make some noise in the league. I have seen a program built from the ground up.
“Being part of that experience and being part of this league will help me tremendously in my transition to becoming a Division I head coach. Being in this league will fire you up. You can’t be scared. You have to be ready to grab this opportunity. You have to want to compete. You have to want to play the best. I have a lot good resources in this league. I will be drawing on these resources as I begin my head coaching career.”
While Stuedeman admits she is very much an “in-the-moment” coach, she understands the need to set goals. However, obsessing about long-term goals can make that day’s work less appealing.
“We have a team goal,” Stuedeman said. “Right now, we are focusing on winning the minute. Setting goals is important. Team building is important. To reach the ultimate goal, you do need to set minor goals. But I am a firm believer in the daily grind. Each day we are grinding for our state. Moment by moment we are trying to reach our ultimate goal.
“Every day, I remind the girls it is a marathon, not a sprint. Today, you need to be doing something that will impact tomorrow. What is important that I can do right now to help the team? That is how I live my life. What is happening now? What is happening one minute from now? Those are the things that you can control. That is what matters.
“We want to win the moment. I know no other way to get this done.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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