Softball Splits Opening Week of Fall Schedule Against Northwest Florida & Mississippi State

Softball Splits Opening Week of Fall Schedule Against Northwest Florida & Mississippi State

10/1/2024 5:30:00 PM | Softball

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – The Troy softball program prepares to open its fall ball schedule by splitting the first week at home on Wednesday, Oct. 2, against Northwest Florida and in Irondale, Ala. for a date with Mississippi State (Saturday, Oct. 5).

"I think, above anything, we are excited to get started playing other teams," head coach Eric Newell said. "We have worked hard this fall. We have many new faces, and we look forward to improving throughout the fall season. The first two games present a nice challenge as NW Florida is a perennial top-10 junior college program and Mississippi State is a solid team that was in and out of the top-25 last season."

Game Information
Who: Northwest Florida / Mississippi State
Where: Troy, Ala. – Troy Softball Complex / Irondale, Ala. – Shea Brothers Softball Complex
When: Wednesday, Oct. 2 – 5 p.m. / Saturday, Oct. 5 – 4 p.m.

2024 Recap
Troy softball had a 2024 campaign that saw it finish 34-22, 13-11 SBC, including series wins over James Madison, Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss, ULM and Georgia Southern. Those wins set up the Trojans as the No. 5 seed for the SBC Tournament. From there, All-Tournament team members Libby Baker and Audra Thompson led them over No. 4 Coastal Carolina, 16-0, before falling short to No. 1 Louisiana, 4-2.

The fall schedule gives Troy a glimpse of its roster without the Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner Baker and All-SBC Second Team member Thompson. Instead, Newell looks towards a revamped roster that includes four transfers: Esmee Ames, Megan Loftis, McKinnon Howard and Annie Orman and nine freshmen: Ally Fleck, Reese Green, Mya Holt, Dailynn Motes, Caiden Oliva, Reaghan Oney, Hallie Ueberroth, Laney Williams and Emily Ferro.

Newell also revamped his coaching staff by hiring Mackenzie Puckett as an assistant coach to pair alongside Camden Decker and newly promoted Nate Tompkins.

Northwest Florida
Northwest Florida opens Troy softball's fall slate after playing three fall ball games against the LA Blazers, Springhill College and Lurleen B. Wallace. The Red Raiders come off a dominant 2024 season, finishing 58-6 with a 19-1 Panhandle Conference record.

NWF also went perfect at home with a 23-0 record, weaving its way to become the FCSAA D-I Softball Champions and falling short, 3-2, in the consolation semifinal round of the NJCAA D-I Softball World Series. The program also lost its top four players in batting average, with Sister Arnold being the highest returner at .398.

Mississippi State
The Bulldogs have been nothing short of dominant in their opening four fall games, outscoring the opposition 63-6 – includes a 30-3 victory over Northeast Mississippi and back-to-back 10-0 run-rule games over Shelton State and Itawamba.

2024 saw Mississippi State advance its way into the Stanford Regional. The Bulldogs won game one over Cal State Fullerton, 1-0, but fell against No. 8 Stanford, 1-2, before Cal State Fullerton got revenge with a 7-0 win to knock them out of the NCAA Tournament. Sierra Sacco returns to the Bulldog roster for her senior season after earning All-SEC and All-South Region Second Team – led the program in steals (19-for-19), fielding percentage (1.000), batting average (.347) and multi-hit games (13).