02/16/02
SOFTBALL

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State (7-1) pounded out five hits in a five-run, sixth-inning rally as the Bulldogs rebounded from an opening game loss with a 10-2 abbreviated-inning victory over Colorado State (1-5) Friday afternoon at the 2002 MSU Bulldog Classic.

Jennifer Nelson (3-for-5, RBI, 3 R) and Iyhia McMichael (3-for-4, 3 RBI, R) turned in impressive showing at the plate, combining for six of the 'Dogs' 12 hits. Jennifer Waterman (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Krystal Tillman (2-for-3, BB, R) also made good on multi-hit performances for State.

Nelson (2-0) scattered five hits over 3.2 innings of work, striking out one Ram and walking another, to notch her second-straight victory. Following a strong middle-relief performance from Kasey Whitehead (1.1 IP, K), Kellie Wilkerson struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning to collect her second save of the campaign.

The Bulldogs used a leadoff walk, a base hit and a pair of stolen bases to put runners into scoring position in a hurry, before McMichael gave State a quick lead with an RBI single to centerfield with the third at-bat of the game. Blaire Brown extended the lead to a pair of runs one batter later on a sacrifice fly to deep foul territory.

Following an RBI triple by Waterman in the third - the first three-bagger of the sophomore's career - Colorado State lit up its half of the leftfield scoreboard on a two-run homer by Ricki Walker before MSU's five-run rally in the sixth initiated the mercy rule.

In State's tournament opener, Southern Illinois (2-0) used a two-run homer from Elissa Hopkins in the seventh and a strong performance from freshman pitcher Amy Harre to defeat the Bulldogs for the second-straight time at the Bulldog Classic with a 2-0 victory in game two of the tournament.

Brown (2-for-3) put up two of State's three hits in the game, with Lindsay Nelson collecting the 'Dogs' other hit on a pinch hit at-bat in the seventh. Maria Damico collected a pair of hits (2-for-3, R) to pace the Saluki bats, with Hopkins (1-for-1, 2 RBI) providing all the offense.

Whitehead (4-1) surrendered both earned runs in a complete game seven innings, despite striking out five and allowing no walks. Harre (1-0) allowed just one hit through six innings of work and struck out six Bulldogs to notch the victory.

Southern Illinois managed a baserunner in the second inning, using its short game to move Katie Jordan 60 feet away from the plate, but State got Jordan on a play at the plate after a pass ball took a Mississippi State bounce. The Salukis got another runner into scoring position in the fourth, courtesy of a two-out double by Damico, but stranded the runner with the next at-bat when Whitehead got Jordan to ground out to shortstop.

Damico reached on a leadoff single in the seventh, then moved into scoring position on a sac hit by Jordan and a defensive error by the Bulldogs. Whitehead put two outs on the board with the next at-bat, fanning Jen Guenther on an 0-and-2 count, but Hopkins took her 2-and-2 offering over the left field fence in the next at bat.

State used consecutive two-out hits to put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Krystal Tillman's grounder to shortstop was easily collected by Adie Viefhaus to end the game.

Mississippi State will continue action in the Bulldog Classic tomorrow when the Bulldogs suit up to face Southern Illinois for the second time in two days at 10 a.m., before facing cross-state rival Southern Mississippi in a noon contest.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

02/15/02 - Here are a few excerpts from my premium site baseball article.

Coach Polk Quotes:

Last year, the weaknesses of the MSU team was hitting and hitting with power. Have you seen an improvement in those areas?
"I don't think we have a team that you can say can hit with legitimate power throughout the lineup. I think we have some guys who can reach the fence. We probably don't have guys like we had at Georgia who could hit between 15 and 20 home runs. That is not too concerning as long as they put the ball in play. We are really huge on two-strike hitting and putting the ball in play."

When I think of a typical Ron Polk team, I think of a good-hitting team. Would you say this will not be a typical team for you this year?
"If we stay healthy, I think we will have a decent batting average. I don't think we will hit a lot of home runs."

Coach Polk Quotes:

"First of all, Gene, we are very experienced in the infield. Just look at the guys who played a lot last year, Matthew Brinson, Chad Henry, Matthew Maniscalco, Michael Brown and Steve Gendron. That is probably going to be a strength of our ballclub, in addition to the number of quality pitchers that we will have. The key is to stay away from injuries. If you can go through an entire season without any major injuries in areas where you don't have much depth, then you can have a good season. We don't have much depth in the outfield. That is why we have worked Gendron and Brown in the outfield.

"I have been impressed with our infielders. I think they will make the routine plays, which is what I ask them to do, and help our pitching staff out. At the same time, we are just not sure about our backups. Brent Lewis can play third base and Jon Mungle can play first base."

Coach McNickle Quotes:

"I have been coaching for thirteen years and have never been around a group of catchers that can throw as good as this crew can. They are excited that they have one guy who can spend quality time with them. They said last year that Jim Case was back and forth with them. It was tough for him to spend some quality time with them. We were last in the conference in throwing base runners out. We will do a better job this year. (Coach) Rock is really emphasizing the stretch time so that our pitchers will be quicker to the plate."

Coach Raffo Quotes:

"We have nine primary outfielders. We have a couple of veterans that have been with us that know what is going in the system.

Senior Casey Long
"One is senior Casey Long who came to us last year as a walk-on. He has just gotten better and can defend the field very well. He can really run in the outfield. He is working very hard at the plate. He came on late and had a great Super Regional for us."

Senior Enrico Jones
"He has defended well in the past. He has played the corner positions for us. He is working to be consistent at the plate.

"Other than those two, the outfield is young.

"We have a freshman in Winston Pearson and another freshman in Jon Mungle.

"Others playing in the outfield are sophomore Brad Hutto, sophomore Robby Goodson, junior Cager Garner and freshmen Ryan Fesmire and Brian Johnson. We have also added one other player, Steve Gendron. He has played right, center and left. He is a great athlete who runs well and has a strong arm. He has shown up very well in the outfield. The times we have seen him in the outfield, he moves very well. Senior Michael Brown can also go from second base to the outfield. He is much improved from last year in the outfield."

Coach Rock's Quotes:

Talk about the staff:

"I would like to have five starters and also have five working out of the bullpen. The bullpen will consist of guys who can recover quickly, get ready quick and who have one specialty pitch that can miss a bat. I want strikeout capabilities in the bullpen. That is not a huge factor with the starters. I want guys to start who can show hitters different looks and turn a lineup over three times. If you can turn the lineup over three times, you can get to the seventh. With relievers, you only have to turn the lineup over one time.

"I didn't call the games during the fall practice. They were basically calling their own games the entire fall. I like to let them pitch in the fall so that they can show me what they can do. I will call their games during the spring. I will formulate the scouting reports on the hitters. I will have seen each team three times on tape.

"A key to this staff is keeping (sophomore) Paul Maholm healthy. Paul is blessed with solid makeup. It is encouraging that Paul, (senior) Tanner Brock and (junior) Joey Collums all have SEC experience. Joey can change speeds really well. Mentally, those three guys are very stable because they have been in some big games and had some big moments. They are very confident. I think it is going to be hard to beat them down. The best way to describe them is they are very mature pitchers."

02/14/02
BASEBALL - MSU baseball will have an intrasquad game today. Gametime is set for 3:30 this afternoon.

02/09/02
BASEBALL
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- With two weeks to go before a Feb. 22 season-opening meeting with UAB, Mississippi State University's baseball season ticket sales have climbed past the 4,000 mark.

The MSU Athletic Ticket Office has now processed orders for 4,102 baseball season tickets, with sales continuing and nearing the record-setting 4,585 milestone of a year ago.

The 17th-ranked Diamond Dogs, skippered by Ron Polk, take on UAB and No. 24 Ohio State in the second annual season-opening National Bank of Commerce Classic Feb. 22-24 at Dudy Noble Field. The three-day event opens a 32-game home schedule for Mississippi State, which returns 23 lettermen and 18 players with starting experience from last year's SEC Tournament championship club.

MSU's preseason practice continues at Dudy Noble Field this weekend with 12-inning practice games set for approximately 2:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The practice sessions are open to the public.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Iyhia McMichael recorded a pair of hits on a three-RBI performance for the Bulldogs, teaming up with Kate Jaspers (2-3, RBI) for four of Mississippi State's nine hits. Whitehead (1-0) recorded a career-high six strikeouts over a complete game, allowing just three hits and one earned run to nab the victory. Jennifer Waterman (1-3) also recorded a pair of RBIs for the Bulldogs.

State wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard, utilizing an RBI single by Waterman to plate McMichael with the first-inning lead before the Bobcats knotted the score back up in the top of the third on a leadoff homer by Jen Tomme.

The Bulldogs used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with the first three batters of the fifth, then got successive RBI singles from Jaspers and McMichael to run out to a two-run lead. Waterman drew a bases loaded walk with the next at-bat to forge a 4-1 lead for the Bulldogs and chase all-American pitcher Jessica Chase (0-1) from the Southwest Texas State circle.

Relief pitcher Nicole Neuerburg inherited a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fifth, but nearly got the Bobcats out of the inning, retiring the first two batters she faced before surrendering consecutive walks that dug the hole deeper. State got a leadoff double from Kellie Wilkerson in the sixth, then put two runners aboard on a hit batsman, before McMichael finished the onslaught with a two-run double to left field.

The Bulldogs will return to action this afternoon when they make the trip north to the campus of Arizona State for a 4:30 p.m. central time date with Texas Tech (3-3) who dropped an 11-0 decision to second-ranked UCLA earlier this morning.

(GAME 2) TEMPE, Ariz. - Mississippi State (2-0) rallied for 12 runs on 11 hits in a fifth-inning explosion as the Bulldogs overcame a 4-0 second-inning deficit to defeat Texas Tech (3-4), 12-4, in abbreviated innings Friday afternoon at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament.

Five different Mississippi State players recorded two hits apiece with Kasey Whitehead pacing the bunch with a four-BI showing on a 2-for-3 tally, including a three-run home run in the fifth. Iyhia McMichael, Lindsay Nelson, Blaire Brown and Krystal Tillman also posted 2-for-3 showings for State.

Whitehead (2-0) came on in relief of starter Jennifer Nelson in the fourth and worked three innings of no-hit ball, striking out a pair of Red Raiders, to earn her second victory in as many outings. Jennifer Nelson allowed just one earned run through four innings, but got the no decision.

Texas Tech utilized three first-inning errors by the Bulldogs to plate a pair of unearned runs in the first frame, then utilized a pair of stolen bases and timely hits to take a 4-0 lead after the second inning. State got its first hit of the ballgame off the bat of McMichael with two outs in the fourth before Texas Tech starter Megan Stines (0-2) allowed the floodgates to open in the following inning.

Mississippi State got five consecutive hits to begin the fifth and climb to within one, 4-3, on an RBI single by Jennifer Jessup, then knotted the game up at four two batters later on a suicide squeeze bunt by Kate Jaspers that brought Whitehead home from third. McMichael's two-run triple with the next at-bat chased Stines from the mound with a 6-4 deficit, but reliever Megan Ayres allowed five more consecutive hits, including Whitehead's walk-off homer that invoked the mercy rule.

Mississippi State will return to action Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs close out their portion of Fiesta Bowl Tournament play with a pair of games at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in north Phoenix. The Bulldogs will face top-ranked Arizona in a 4:30 p.m. CST contest, before concluding with a 6:30 date with New Mexico State.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

02/08/02 - SOFTBALL
PHOENIX, Ariz. - The Mississippi State softball team will open up its 2002 campaign in Phoenix, Ariz., this weekend as the Bulldogs suit up to face a quartet of quality opponents, including defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Arizona, at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament hosted by Arizona State.

The Bulldogs, who return seven starting fielding players including three-time all-American Kellie Wilkerson, will open up tournament play on Friday at 10 a.m. CST against 17th-ranked Southwest Texas State at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in north Phoenix. State will conclude opening day action of the tournament at 4:30 p.m. against Texas Tech on the campus of Arizona State University.

The Bulldogs will close out tournament play on Saturday, returning to the Rose Mofford Complex to take on both No. 1 Arizona in a 4:30 p.m. contest and New Mexico State in a 6:30 p.m. game before returning to Starkville on Saturday evening.

"This is the best tournament that we could be in this early in the season and it is going to be a tremendous test for everybody involved," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "We are going to have to come ready to play immediately. Our team has prepared for that. We are ready to take on that kind of challenge."

Although looking formidable, No. 17 Southwest Texas State (1-4) will enter the Fiesta Bowl Tournament with a limp, winning one game in its first five outings despite cracking the preseason top 25 for the first time in school history. The Bobcats, who hosted last weekend's B&G Properties Invitational without the service of four of their top starters, are hitting .218 as a team with just two players hitting .300 or better.

All-American pitcher Jessica Chase, who finished the 2001 campaign with a 29-3 record and a 0.84 ERA and did not participate in the team's opening weekend, will likely be saved for the Bobcats' second game of the day against second-ranked UCLA. State will probably be facing Nicole Neuerburg (0-3, 5.87) in the circle Friday morning.

Texas Tech (3-2) could turn out to be one of Mississippi State's top opponents this weekend as the Red Raiders enter the round-robin tournament hitting .314 as a team with five players hitting above the .300 mark. Andrea Joachims leads the team offensively, hitting .353 with four extra-base hits, including oe home run, and eight RBI. Texas Tech posted a 13-6 upset victory over Southwest Texas State last weekend, then followed up with a 9-1 drubbing of Oregon.

The Red Raider pitching staff, which was so dominant behind the arm of 2001 all-Big 12 selection Amanda Renfro (34-18, 1.08 ERA in 2001) last season, has struggled through their first five games, allowing opponents to hit .319 and score just more than five runs per game. The Bulldogs could see any one of a handful of Texas Tech pitchers, including Jennifer Vaught, who paces the staff with two wins on a 2-0 record and a 6.52 ERA.

"Southwest Texas is an outstanding hitting ballclub," Arendsen said. "They had a tremendous team last year and they have everybody back. They are ranked 17th for a reason. We know this is going to be a real challenge for us.

"Texas Tech is a real feisty, well-coached team. They are always prepared to play and know how to win. We will match up well with them and whoever doesn't make the mistake will probably win the game."

Following this weekend's Fiesta Bowl Tournament, The Bulldogs will open up the home portion of their 2002 schedule on Wednesday when State hosts visiting Belmont in a doubleheader at the Mississippi State Softball Field. First pitch of the twinbill is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs will also host the three-day, four-team MSU Bulldog Classic next weekend. All Mississippi State home games this season, including every game of the 2002 MSU Bulldog Classic, will be broadcast live on http://www.MStateAthletics.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department