2009 REVIEW

Mississippi State’s 2009 edition entered the year with a youthful con- Bramlett went on to collect her third-consecutive NFCA First Team All- tingent that included just four upperclassmen. The inexperienced group of America honor, becoming the fi rst Bulldog to achieve the feat. Bulldogs had to not only deal with the youth, but a rash of injuries that chal- Smith’s regional honor followed her recognition as a second team All- lenged the team’s depth and forced some players to make position switches. SEC performer, the lone freshman named to either all-conference squad. Despite the roadblocks thrown in the way of the 2009 Maroon and White, head coach Jay Miller’s squad still enjoyed a successful run to the DAWGS CLAIM PAIR OF CHAMPIONSHIPS postseason and posted some outstanding numbers that bring a great deal of optimism into 2010. The Bulldogs claimed a pair of tournament victories in 2009. State took a 3-2 overall record to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Sunshine Classic, and the RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON Dawgs came away with upsets of No. 23 Purdue and host Florida State en route to a perfect 3-0 mark and the tournament title. Mississippi State won eight of its The win over the Boilermakers last 13 games of the 2009 season to fi n- sparked an eight-game win streak that ish the regular season with a 28-26 re- also included the tournament champion- cord that was good enough to earn the ship at the MSU-hosted Bulldog Classic. Bulldogs another trip to the NCAA Tour- nament. BIG ROAD WINS State was selected to play in the NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional, a Mississippi State claimed a pair of place where three months earlier they big wins on the road during the 2009 claimed upsets of No. 23 Purdue and season. host Florida State en route to winning The Bulldogs headed to Knoxville, the Sunshine Classic. Tenn., a place they hadn’t won since 2003, The 2009 edition advanced to looking to bounce back against the No. 9 Mississippi State’s third-straight re- Lady Vols after dropping 10 of their previ- gional and sixth in Miller’s fi rst seven ous 11 games. seasons in Starkville. The bid was the Jessie Spain snapped that seven- eighth in program history. game losing streak in Knoxville with her two-out RBI double in the fi fth inning to lift STANDOUT DEFENSE the Dawgs to a 5-4 victory. Tennessee claimed the win in game two to force the rubber game Part of the reason the Bulldogs were able to make a return trip to the on Sunday. Bainbridge went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs, including the postseason in 2009 was their stellar effort on defense. deciding three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, to lead Missis- The Dawgs fi elded at a .977 clip, setting the school’s single-season re- sippi State to a 10-6 victory that claimed the fi rst out-right series win over cord for the second-straight year. The 2009 edition’s fi elding mark eclipsed UT since 2001. the previous best of .970 set by the 2008 squad. Just over two weeks later, State ventured to Athens, Ga., looking to knock off sixth-ranked Georgia. State dropped the opening game of the MILLER BECOMES TOP DAWG mid-week twin bill, but responded for a 3-1, 10-inning win in the nightcap behind a strong pitching performance from freshman Lindsey Dunlap. Miller reached another The Hueytown, Ala., native allowed a fi rst-inning unearned run before milestone in his illustrious colle- holding the homestanding Bulldogs to just three hits the rest of the way in giate coaching career on Febru- the complete-game victory. ary 13. Pinch-hitter Laurie Siebert tied the game in the top of the seventh That night, the Dawgs’ with a sacrifi ce fl y, and Bramlett plated the winning run in the 10th as she eighth-year head coach became reached on a base and later scored from second on a Smith sacrifi ce fl y Mississippi State’s winningest to the warning track in left-center. softball coach as his team rallied to upset No. 23 Pur- due at the Sunshine Clas- sic in Tallahassee, Fla. Miller, an NFCA