CAN MSU GET TO OKLAHOMA CITY? Head Coach, East Limestone County HS, 1999-2000 States postseason success continued Tucson Regional as MSU advanced to a regional final for the first since 2005. The 13 SEC schools will join together to wear teal or teal accents on Saturday as the entire league recognizes her impact on the softball community nationwide and in the fight against ovarian cancer. All Rights Reserved. Stuedeman served as a graduate assistant at the University of West Alabama from 1995-96 while earning her masters degree in elementary education, helping lead the team to the Gulf South Conference championship in 1995 while the teams head coach was away from the team on maternity leave. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Stuedeman led the Bulldogs to their 12th Southeastern Conference Tournament berth with 12 SEC wins, the most for MSU since 2008. And she will always be remembered in Starkville, Mississippi and even throughout the entire country for the light she brought to everything she did heres a look back over the last two years with our content weve done on Alex so we never forget her impact and her wonderful example, Forever missing you, Alex. Hometown: Vestavia Hills, Ala. Stuedeman finishes her head coaching career in Starkville with an overall record of 275-188 and had just one losing season in eight years, but her teams never finished higher than seventh in the Southeastern Conference which came in her first season on campus. I said it was probably a long shot but Im going to at least make the phone call and see what happens, Cook said. 16 Kentucky, No. She was also an assistant at Alabama-Huntsville from 1997-99 and was a graduated assistant at West Alabama in 1995 and 1996 after her playing career ended at Huntingdon. Conference regular season champion 266-6243. todd.makovicka@usm.edu. MSU was Stuedemans first head coaching job in 2012 after a highly successful career as the pitching coach at Alabama from 2000-11. Cook had heard that former Mississippi State softball coach Vann Stuedeman, who was the long-time pitching coach at Alabama, had moved back to the Tuscaloosa area. It was the first time the Bulldogs had won three consecutive games against ranked foes since taking seven straight from April 9-May 13, 2004, and the first time ever winning three straight against top-five opponents. 22 LSU. The right-hander struck out 331 batters and held opponents to a school-record .146 average. Everyone rooted for her and she battled and battled the insidious disease. Under her instruction, Tide pitchers registered 23 no-hitters, including three perfect games. In memory of one of our own, and in support of those whose battles with ovarian cancer continue. Crissy Froyd Feb 19, 2023 10:18 PM EST Class of 2025 ATH Julius Lane. Her battle and legacy left was selected by us as our #5 Story of the Year in 2018. Head Coach, Mississippi State, 2011-Present She spent four years there and graduated as the programs leader in career home runs (48) and RBIs (239). State went 9-7 in one-run games, its best winning percentage in one-run games since 2002. "#NoOneFightsAlone | #HailState pic.twitter.com/nYe2aRWpFF, Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) September 17, 2018, To me, butterflies are symbols of fighters and angels in my life. Prior to Stuedeman taking over the program in 2012, MSU had seven total SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. The purpose of the Alex Wilcox Classic, according to its organizers, is to honor and raise money in the memory of Alex Wilcox, a beloved player who played for the Birmingham Thunderbolts and Mississippi State University before succumbing to ovarian cancer in June at the age of 18. Over her freshman campaign, Wilcox continued her fight with cancer while continuing to pursue her dreams of playing collegiate softball. Dunne also tossed three no-hitters and posted 11 shutouts. But it helped MSU prepare for a brutal SEC schedule, highlighted by wins against No. A source confirmed the news with. She helped produce a string of All-Americans at Alabama, including Shelly Laird, Kelsey Dunne, Jackie Traina, Charlotte Morgan and Stephanie VanBrakle. All Rights Reserved. Growing up playing, I was never a pitcher or a catcher, said Cook, a Hillcrest graduate who is in her third season at Tuscaloosa County. The two selections are tied for the most in a year in MSU history. The grace and beauty that she put forward while suffering this horrific disease was truly remarkable and nothing short of heroic. By Aubrey Carter Feb 20, . Fans in the Jackson area will be treated to an in-state rivalry Tuesday as Mississippi State baseball takes on Southern Miss at Trustmark Park. Softball. Individually, the Bulldogs had a number of standouts that led them back to the postseason, led by All-SEC First Team honoree Caroline Seitz. A night we will never forget, for a special angel we will always remember. For their selfless efforts to support, all 13 SEC softball programs were awarded the leagues Sportsmanship Award earlier this month. Beloved softball player Alex Wilcox, who passed away in June from ovarian cancer, was honored at the football game in multiple ways including the retiring of her #8 which will never be worn again as an MSU softball jersey number. The eight SEC road wins were the most for the Bulldogs since eight in 2001. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. She was also part of the staff that was named South Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 1999. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Since being hired as the Mississippi State softball head coach on Thursday, June 23, 2011, Vann Stuedeman has invigorated the Bulldog program. Prior to her arrival in Starkville, Stuedeman helped Alabama claim three SEC regular-season titles en route to reaching the Womens College World Series six times. She also played professionally for the Scrap . [3][4], National champion Seitz was joined by Alexis Silkwood on the SEC All-Freshman Team. 2023 Mississippi State University Athletics. Heres what you need to know about Ricketts. Mississippi State announced on Tuesday afternoon softball coach Vann Stuedeman would not be returning to Starkville for a ninth season at the helm of the program. Since being hired as the Mississippi State softball head coach on Thursday, June 23, 2011, Vann Stuedeman has invigorated the Bulldog program. We will never forget her presence in the dugout, in the classroom and in the community. I am very proud of our success on the field and wish the program all the best moving forward.". That gives Stuedeman 12 of the programs top 15 crowds during her seven years at the helm, including the top four crowds. In 2012, Stuedeman took MSU to its first NCAA Tournament since 2009, she became one of only two first-time head coaches to make the field of 64. Get the most important Softball stories delivered straight to your inbox. Included in thespring of 2014s 39 victories were three-straight victories against top-five clubs with back-to-back wins against No. Squads from five states have already applied and teams looking to register can do so on the website. She became the first player in school history to hit four home runs in an SEC weekend series and the first to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games. Stuedemans 2014 team also earned three-straight Southeastern Conference series wins for the first time since April 6-21, 2012. One coach told us she should be back to Top 5 five by next summer. The Alabama senior has a great, positive attitude which should help her return all the way back to her dominating form and everyone in softball is rooting for her. 15 Kentucky and No. Postseason invitational champion Ward played college softball at Mississippi State and is considered one of the best pitchers in the school's history. During her stint, the UAH pitching staff ranked in the top five in Division II in ERA. Dunne, a volunteer assistant coach at Mississippi State in 2012, capped her career with a 29-5 record and a 1.42 ERA. Stuedemans fifth season at the helm saw the Bulldogs capture 26 total wins and climb as high as 23rd in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. This post was edited on 7/22 at 11:40 am. Sat, Oct 15 - 1:00 PM Softball at Jones College Ellisville, Miss. Rounding out the individual honors was center fielder Amanda Ivy, who reeled off one highlight play after another in the outfield to earn All-SEC Defensive Team honors. MSU gets softball win over Mississippi Valley State. Chelsea Bramlett will enter her third full season as the head softball coach at Northwest in Spring 2023, her fourth total season since being hired in August 2019. She wasnt up to her full health and I, with hope and fingers crossed that she could beat the illness, kept her in the listat #60praying that she could beat the cancer and return to her dynamic level of abilities. Montes got the ball rolling earlier this week when she told of her experiences at the SWAC school. 13 Tennessee, No. Just another fun night of SEC football on Saturday, September 15, 2018? Stuedeman also helped the pitching staff improve from 2011 to 2012 in: wins (24 to 33), complete games (12 to 20), no-hitters (zero to one), hits allowed (435 to 310), runs allowed (313 to 194), strikeouts (242 to 358), home runs allowed (50 to 27) and opponent batting average (.300 to .224). Experts pick NCAA Softball Tournament super regional winners, How Mississippi State softball went from underdogs to first-time NCAA super regional hosts, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Her five saves tied her for sixth on the MSU single-season list. Athletic Administration Building , Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex , Newell-Grissom Building , Mike Sanders Track Complex , Mize Pavilion at Humphrey Coliseum , MSU Golf Practice Facility , Palmeiro Center , Templeton Athletic Academic Center , Associate Head Softball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. She's always here. Pitts Tennis Centre , Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field , Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium , Holliman Athletic Center , John H. Bryan Sr. The event will also include a two-day softball clinic in the two days prior to the tournament that culminates in a dinner to introduce the Wilcox family, experts in the field of cancer research and other special guests. 8 jersey, making her the first female student-athlete in Mississippi State history to receive the honor. 5 UCLA in its opening weekend, losing to each in five innings by a combined 17 runs. Mississippi State Bulldogs head softball coaches, "Vann Stuedeman Will Not Return as MSU Head Softball Coach", "Vann Stuedeman Hired as Next Illini Softball Pitching Coach", "Vann Stuedeman Hired as Illinois Pitching Coach", "Huntingdon Hall of Fame Inducts New Members", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vann_Stuedeman&oldid=1135532367, Illinois Fighting Illini softball coaches, Mississippi State Bulldogs softball coaches, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:47. Originally published September 17, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball. After playing the first 15 games on the road, the Bulldogs played their first game of the season at Nusz Park and made it count for a 9-2 victory over the Delta Devils. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 266-6243. (Submitted photo) Ward has been the pitching coach at Troy since 2019 following one year at her alma mater Mississippi State. Phelps previously. Also named NFCA All-South Region Second Team, Davidson exploded on the scene and ranked as one of the best sluggers in the nation and finished as one of the top 10 finalists for Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year. She helped lead the program to two Gulf South Conference championships, three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the 1999 Division II National Tournament. For her efforts, Seitz was named SEC, Louisville Slugger NFCA and USA Softball Player of the Week honors. 25 Michigan. At seasons end, MSU had drawn two of the programs top 15 largest crowds in school history during the 2018 campaign, including 1,562 fans packing Nusz Park to witness the Bulldogs take on No. Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. In 2015, Stuedeman led MSU to its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance with 36 wins, marking just the second time in program history that had been accomplished (2002-05). Stuedeman returned the call. She also coached two SEC Freshman of the Year and one SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Within Mississippi, Stuedeman has shined brightest. The 2013 Bulldogs were named an Easton Team of the Year, joining Womens College World Series participants Florida and Texas. We all eagerly waited for her to return to full health and, after joining the Mississippi State softball program, Alex never gave up and we just knew she would beat this, because how could someone so full of life ever lose hers? Also, I knew Alex when she was a Top 100 high school and club player in the Class of 2017; she was a multi-talented player in the Birmingham Thunderbolts organization and was ranked as high as #5 in the country at one point. Wilcoxs constant positivity and determination throughout her battle drew support and praise from legends in the softball community like Olympians Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza. Heres a nice video feature honoring her when she first learned of the cancer and yet still helped her Brantley High team win a third state title: Heres the release issued tonight by Mississippi State Softball on HailState.com; photos of Alex at MSU courtesy of HailState.com also. Overall Record (AS OF MAY 31, 2018): 241-166 Here, through twitter posts, is the telling of the events leading up to the game and halftime tribute courtesy of the HailStateSB twitter feed. And last week, she began her first day of school as a fulltime ninth-grade career preparedness teacher and the Wildcats softball pitching coach. I hope both teams still play often in those colors so we can continue to remember and pay tribute to her. 12 Florida, No. :Why Mississippi State softball is in position for Womens College World Series, SUPER REGIONAL PREDICTIONS:Who's going to the WCWS? She also claims the team was made to run until two players fainted because they found underwear in the laundry and no one wanted to claim ownership of it. Full Bio. Later in the year, Becker became the first Bulldog pitcher since Stephanie Comeaux in 2006 to be named SEC Pitcher of the Week after picking up three conference victories in a series sweep versus Kentucky. Three times Stuedeman coached the SEC Pitcher of the Year, while racking up 19 SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. The debut of SEC Freshman on the Year Mia Davidson in the Maroon and White was one of the biggest individual highlights of the 2018 season. Announced in mid-August by Tournament Director Will Tomasello who also works with Legacy Event Management which produces elite summer and fall tournaments such as the Atlanta Legacy, Scenic City (run by Jeremy Higdon) and T-Bolt 5-Star Showcases (run by Jay Roberson) the goal and mission for the event is three-fold: We want to celebrate the life of Alex, raise money in her memory and bring awareness of ovarian cancer, he explains. Huntington College, 1991-94. Head Coach. Davidson was the first Bulldog to win Freshman of the Year since two-time All-American Courtney Bures brought home the honor in 2005. State also drew 1,413 for the Saturday game against South Carolina for 2017 Super Bulldog Weekend, marking the third-largest SBW crowd in school history. I so regret not following up sooner, mainly because I wanted to do something on Alex paying tribute to her so she could read it and know how much people loved her. Calendar Alumni Engagement Facebook Twitter YouTube Donate to Athletics & MVSU Sponsorship Opportunities Members Application Former Student-Athletes Former Student-Athletes Prospective Student-Athletes Prospective . Conference regular season and conference tournament champion She is the third Bulldog to be selected in the NPF Draft since Stuedeman arrived in 2012, joining Alison Owen (2014) and Kayla Winkfield (2016). Outside the SEC, Stuedeman was dominant. Below are some images of many who participated. At the So Cal As Invitational, the Birmingham Thunderbolts were wearing a teal colored jersey to remember and honor Alex just as the Bulldogs did this year. She earned a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Huntingdon College in 1994 and a Master's in Elementary Education from the University of West Alabama in 1996. Silkwood set the MSU freshman record for strikeouts in a season with 167 and set the rookie single-game record with 13 whiffs against Texas Southern in the NCAA Tournament. The campaign sparked fire as teams across the Southeastern Conference and the country rallied around Wilcox by wearing teal and sending messages of love and support. They also return outfielder Fa Leilua in the meat of the lineup who hit 22 home runs of her own debuting with the Bulldogs after transferring from Arizona State. Offensively, Stuedemans aggressive approach helped the team tie the program record for stolen bases per game with 2.00 and total the second-most swipes in a campaign in MSU history with 114. Stuedemans 2014 edition really took off, earning a program third-best 39 victories and an MSU second-best eight wins against ranked opponents. She meant that much to our softball community. Stuedeman also focused heavily on improving the defense. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. , a volunteer assistant coach at Alabama from 2000-11 with back-to-back wins against No SEC. 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