University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Softball Tired of Practice, Ready to Play
1/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Southern Miss Softball Tired of Practice, Ready to Play
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss Head Softball Coach Gay McNutt and her Lady Eagles met with members of the media today and expressed their feelings of anticipation, as the 2003 season nears.
?We are at the point where we are tired of practicing and ready to play,? said McNutt. ?We are looking pretty good, especially offensively, and that?s encouraging.?
McNutt also talked about the progression of the newcomers who were added to the squad and emphasized their contributions will be very helpful this season. Five freshmen and three transfer player are featured on this season's roster.
?Jessica Huerta and Ashley Davis are doing a fine job at shortstop,? McNutt said about her freshmen infielders. ?Charity Butler has stepped up at second and will probably see a lot of action there.
?We are going to be young in the infield, so we may take our lumps early, but I think it will be exciting toward the end of the season. We could have only three returning starters on the field because we have a lot of freshmen and newcomers pushing for starting roles. They have made our upperclassmen work harder, and that?s a great sign towards having a good season.
?We expect some good things to happen, but we also expect some ?learning? mistakes. The desire, though, is to see these mistakes gone by midseason and to make a strong push for the conference title.?
Injuries and health setbacks have been minimal for the Lady Eagles in the preseason. Currently, pitcher Danielle Hatfield is the only ailing player, as she is sick with a viral infection.
?Danny has been sick and has been out for two weeks now,? McNutt said. ?It?s hard to tell what?s going to happen with her when the season starts. But when we get Danny well and strong again, I think she?s going to be a tremendous asset for us.?
The Southern Miss Softball Complex has some amenities added. A flagpole was placed behind centerfield on Monday, Jan. 27, and both dugouts will feature guardrails with netting.
Home games this year also will have the formal addition of the Outfield Club. Near the end of last season, fans started to make their presence known behind the outfield fence. This season, a deck will be added behind left field, and fans are encouraged to participate in the Outfield Club.
?We are going to have something similar to what the baseball team has with the ?Rightfield Roost'," said McNutt. "We are hoping to get the same type of reaction, and so far we have been getting great response, especially with a lot of the students. We want to have our students involved and hope they will come out to support us.?
McNutt mentioned that free giveaways, such as tee shirts, will be given out at home games to those who participate in the Outfield Club. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 11, with a doubleheader against Northwestern (La.) State, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Southern Miss starts the season with a single game at Starkville, Miss., against Mississippi State, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m.
