A New Story Begins – Mississippi State

STARKVILLE – Every book has a first page.

Earlier this week under sunny skies at Nusz Park, Mississippi State softball’s 2023 story started being written as the team held the season’s initial practice on Tuesday. The ultimate goal? To put together a tale that’ll have a satisfying conclusion come June.

There are very few certainties over the next five months. The narrative will surely feature twists and turns. There’ll be suspense and heroics. All that’s clear is that, on the heels of the Bulldogs’ first-ever Super Regional season, this bunch knows how to weave a plot towards the promised land of the College World Series. The Dawgs have stood at that door.

This year’s mission? Do all they can to kick it down.

“It does seem to be a little more of a hunger now,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “So many of the returners, they know what it feels like now. They know what it feels like to be so close to that final goal and to watch another team celebrate on your field when you’re two wins away. I do think there’s a little more of that hunger and that fire and it’s something we try to make sure and continue to remind them of.”

Fact is, Ricketts likely won’t have to issue too many reminders. Who could forget last year?

For MSU’s returners, they’ll remember forever the excitement of seeing their home stadium jam-packed in the postseason. They’ll also recall the pain of falling just short against Arizona.

But here’s the thing about pain. For as much as it hurts in the moment, pain can be a sign of growth. It’s the soreness after a good workout. It’s pressure that makes the diamond, after all. That’s the hope for all who wear Maroon and White – that last season’s late sorrow was only a precursor to this year’s joy.

“With us being right there and so close last year, there’s [disappointment we didn’t get to the College World Series],” outfielder Chloe Malau’ulu said. “But I think it was still very historic and monumental for this program. I think everybody felt it and how big the moment was and how exciting it was. We now want to just keep going and keep pushing forward.”

So, the grind begins to do just that. And make no mistake, everyone is on the same page.

“We did what we did last year and now, the goal is even higher,” pitcher Kenley Hawk said. “We’re wanting to get past the Supers and we’re working to…