Mississippi State softball unveils new field house

STARKVILLE — Throughout the spring, as fans came out to Nusz Park for Mississippi State softball, a building beyond the third base line was in full view.

That building, still under construction during the 2023 season, would be home to the program’s new field house and practice facility, a multi-million dollar project years in the making.

On Friday afternoon, the fully finished building was unveiled to the public for the first time, ushering in a new era of Bulldog softball in Starkville.

“I think that’s when it really hit home was being able to unveil it to the team and get to see their faces of excitement and that whole moment,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “...The biggest thing is what it means to us in terms of the investment from the university and the athletic department.

From indoor pitching mounds to five new batting cages, a new players lounge, new locker rooms that resemble an NBA locker room, a media and film room, new showers, a mud room and more, the building is truly state-of-the art.

The building was also designed solely for player use, with no coaching offices or university booster club spots added in.

“They’re really willing to do it right and take care of the program and the young women within the program,” Ricketts said. “It is a big deal and going through the process from the beginning, I know how close we were to not getting this. There were a lot of people that were high up that said let’s do it right and let’s build something we’re going to be proud of.”

Throughout the building, there are nods to Bulldogs of the past, present and future, with a wall dedicated to Southeastern Conference all-time home runs leader Mia Davidson-Smith, the ‘80s Ladies’ and former MSU outfielder Alex Wilcox, who died after a battle with ovarian cancer in 2018.

Those touches provide perspective on the program for the veteran players who have seen the transformation of MSU in recent years and for the newcomers.

“It covers every base of being a student-athlete,” sophomore Josey Marron said. “There’s so many minor little details they put in. Ricketts said it earlier, ‘Everything in here is intentional and was done with a purpose.’”

For the last few weeks, the cages have been in use by players getting in summer training and work before the fall begins.

“It’s special,” graduate student Kat Wallace said. “I was in the old building and I got to see it and how less than functional it was. Now being in this one and seeing how better it is, it’s pretty cool to experience them both and see where we’re headed.”

https://www.djournal.com/sports/college/mississippi-state/mississippi-state-softball-unveils-new-field-house/article_436543ca-392a-11ee-8123-0318a9a608f0.html#:~:text=From%20indoor%20pitching%20mounds%20to,state%2Dof%2Dthe%20art