Millsaps was a little ahead of schedule in advancing to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship game a year ago, making its first appearance since 2004, and will try and make it back in 2009 with an abundance of returners and several new faces.

“Winning the conference and getting to a regional is the traditional thought process to start a season but our biggest thing is developing and maintaining some toughness and a competitive environment,” third-year head coach Roland Rodriguez said. “So much of this game is mental and how you approach it. Over the last nine months, our girls have really changed the environment around them and created a better atmosphere that focuses more on being tougher and stronger mentally.”

2008 in Review:
Led by NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team selection Sam Hill, the Majors finished an exciting 2008 season at 20-14 overall and 4-4 in SCAC play, settling in to win 17 of their final 24 games with a combination of solid hitting and timely pitching. Millsaps actually lost eight games off its original schedule due to rainouts and schedule changes, nevertheless made the most of their opportunities. “Playing time is always big because you can only simulate so much in practice,” Rodriguez said. “Not being able to play together more and gather some experience and pressure situations hurt us a little bit but we moved forward.”

Millsaps opened the year just 3-7 in 10 regional games but got hot in winning a school-record 13 consecutive games to end March at 16-7 overall. “About 15 games into the year, we kind of hit our stride where everyone was finally feeling comfortable with the program and the system we were using which helped us to put together a string of good victories.”

After an unexpected two week break due to Sewanee cancelling its four-game series in Jackson, Millsaps traveled to 3rd-ranked DePauw in below freezing temperatures for a grueling road series. Following a DePauw four-game series sweep, the Majors drew the East's No. 2 seed in the SCAC Tournament and made their way to the title game with wins over Hendrix (5-1), Trinity (8-3) and Centre (6-4). Meeting up with DePauw a sixth time in 15 days, this time as the nation's top team, the Tigers got a solo home run in the second inning off the top of the fence that turned out to be the winning run.

At season's end, the Majors had four players garner SCAC All-Tournament Team honors, including sophomore Kasey Thibodeaux who became just the second player in SCAC history to make the team as both a designated player and as a pitcher in the same tournament. Millsaps also had six All-SCAC selections in addition to coach Rodriguez earning his record fifth Coach of the Year accolade.

The Infield:
Around the diamond, Millsaps returns three All-SCAC performers in 3B Jennifer McKinley and 1B Karoline Kremers, while SS Sam Hill's return has been delayed by offseason shoulder surgery. Newcomer Jade Hewitt, a three-time all-district selection at Fontainebleau HS, will compete for an infield spot, with senior Erica Douglas slated to start at short, whereas Kremers and freshman Jenny Laird are battling it out for the starting role at first base. Hill's .426 average and 17 doubles led the team last year, while McKinley hit .369 with a team-leading 26 RBIs and six home runs.

The Outfield:
Senior centerfielder and team captain Tiffany Ladnier leads a fairly young outfield, with sophomore Katherine Nicholas in left and either sophomore Laura Litton or freshman Allison Tarbox in right. Ladnier has started all 112 games of her Millsaps career thus far, twice gaining All-SCAC and Academic All-SCAC honors in addition to being the conference's career stolen base leader with 58 in 66 attempts (.879). Also returning in the outfield is junior Morgan Ladner who started 21 games between left and rightfield.

Pitching Staff:
Millsaps will have more depth in the circle this season thanks to the additions of transfers Lindsay Drane from San Jacinto JC and Amanda Bintz from West Alabama. As a staff, the trio of Kasey Thibodeaux, Brittney McAllister and Laura Litton combined for a 3.04 ERA (third in the SCAC) and a conference-leading four saves last year. Thibodeaux was a First Team All-SCAC selection and SCAC All-Tournament Team nod last year with a team-leading 8-7 record, 2.58 ERA, 13 complete games and 70 strikeouts. Both Litton and McAllister had six wins in a combined 17 starts, while McAllister had a SCAC-leading three saves. Sophomore Amanda Berry will start behind the plate, where she threw out seven runners in 28 chances a year ago.

Newcomers:
Millsaps has six new faces on its 2009 roster, adding three true freshmen and two transfers as well as returning Erica Douglas after a 1-year hiatus. “The new players have transitioned very smoothly,” Rodriguez said. “They jumped in right away and decided they wanted to be a part of this program, and once the returners saw that, they knew they better step up.”

The Schedule:
Millsaps will open the 2009 season with a bang, playing its first six games on the road and facing 3rd-ranked Louisiana College in its second weekend on Feb. 21. The Lady Wildcats made it to the College World Series last year, finishing in third place. The Majors will entertain Emory University in their home-opener on Feb. 28 at 11 a.m., followed by a single game with Mississippi College at 3 p.m.

The second annual Millsaps Invitational will return to Freedom Ridge Park in Ridgeland from March 13-15, with the Majors welcoming 15 teams from the American Southwest, Great South and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conferences. “We have some great teams coming back again and they're all Division III programs,” Rodriguez said. We've picked up some very good schools, including standouts Louisiana College and UT-Tyler who finished 1 and 3 in the West Region last year and are ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the NFCA Preseason Top 25. To be able to see 16 good teams from around this region and several top-ranked teams is exciting and good for softball all throughout the region.”

After the Invitational, Millsaps will open the SCAC season with back-to-back home series with 7th-ranked DePauw University (March 21-22) and Centre College (March 28-29). Then the Majors will spend the entire month of April on the road, traveling to Rhodes, Birmingham-Southern and Sewanee.

This year's SCAC Softball Tournament will be back in San Antonio, Texas, on the campus of Trinity University from Apr. 24-26. 

Majors Online:
Eight selected games (six audio/two video) will be live on the internet this season, beginning with the Feb. 27 doubleheader against Emory and Mississippi College in Clinton.  Sports Information Director, Kevin Maloney, will handle play-by-play duties for all eight games which can be accessed at www.atwsportscast.com or by clicking on the link on the main softball page.  For a list of all games that will be covered, visit the softball schedule page and click on the "Details" link.  The games that will have live stats will also be listed, provided by the visiting team.  

2009 Wrap-up:
“The constant theme among the players is to step up to the challenges,” Rodriguez said. “Regardless of who's in the other dugout, we're going to step up and play hard and do things the right way which will improve our opportunities for a successful season.”

As they have in years past, the Majors will open their season with a tough non-conference schedule to help them compete quickly and get ready for a tough conference schedule.

With six All-SCAC performers and a total of 10 returners, 2009 should bring an improved Major offense and a balanced pitching attack which could make for an exciting season for Millsaps softball.