Bulldogs Celebrate Opening Of State-Of-The-Art Facility
New Softball Fieldhouse a credit to MSU’s investment and the Bulldogs of the past.
STARKVILLE – As the unveiling ceremony for the brand-new Mississippi State Softball Fieldhouse commenced on Friday afternoon, it was evident that this building meant much so more to the program than gaining possession of flashy technology and bright neon logos.
This state-of-the-art facility represents years of hard work and dedication paying off. For graduate Kat Wallace, it also shows the importance that MSU places on women’s athletics.
“I love it,” Wallace said. “I’m super excited, and I think it’s really nice. It shows the investment in Mississippi State and what they’ve invested into women’s athletics here. We’re just super excited to get to be a part of it.”
When you first walk into the turf area of State’s newest softball facility, the extravagant batting cages immediately stand out. The cutting-edge technology in the cages provides important statistics and feedback regarding swings, which allows the players to adjust and improve their techniques.
As you make your way down the halls through the training room and into the main lobby, the tributes made toward the program’s alumni are special. A mural of the Southeastern Conference’s home run queen, Mia Davidson, and 92 softballs representing her career total greet you as you walk toward the locker room.
The amount of detail and thought put into the facility stands out as you continue your walk down the halls and gaze into the many rooms. Sophomore Josey Marron expressed how excited and overwhelmed she felt when touring the building.
“There’s so many minor little details that they put [in here],” Marron said. “[Head coach Samantha] Ricketts said it earlier. Everything in here is intentional and is done with a purpose. To see just how much investment was put into us and our program to create a place like this was really, really cool, and we are grateful for it.”
As a pitcher for the Bulldogs, Marron also discussed the usefulness of the indoor batting cages and pitching rubbers in the turf area of the facility.
“It’s huge for hitting obviously, and then they can put it up and we can use the bigger space for defensive work and pitching and live at-bats,” Marron said. “We’ve talked about some team bonding stuff in there too, so it’ll be really cool.”
It can be easy to get caught up in the shiny State logos and mind-blowing features located around the facility, but the investment made by the university and athletic department means much more to fifth-year head coach Samantha Ricketts and her team.
“I think that’s what I’m most proud of,” Ricketts said. “Yes, it’s beautiful. It’s shiny. It’s new, but the biggest thing is what it means to us in terms of the investment from the university and the athletic department and that they’re willing to really do it right and take care of the program and the young women within the program.”
In addition to appreciating MSU’s investment, Ricketts has also made it a point to emphasize her team’s new building wouldn’t be possible without those who previously wore Maroon and White. It was a point of discussion throughout the construction of the beautiful facility.
“It is important to us and it’s something from the beginning that we [talked about],” Ricketts said of remembering previous Bulldog players. “I think we gave every [current] player about 10 names of alumni and they signed their own names, and they wrote the alumni who came before them. We were able to take pictures and send it to certain alumni – some actually who have passed away recently – and they were able to see that in the process of it.”
The foundation those alumni laid and the investment from MSU both set the stage for a day like Friday, and ensured many more bright days are ahead for Mississippi State softball.
https://hailstate.com/news/2023/8/12/softball-bulldogs-celebrate-opening-of-state-of-the-art-facility.aspx