Opening game is 11 a.m. Thursday against Texas Tech and will be shown on ESPN
The transition to college can be difficult for anyone, but local softball standout Taylor Troutman faced an extra challenge. In the fall of her first year at Mississippi State, an ACL injury derailed her season before it ever began. However, now as a redshirt freshman, she and her Bulldogs teammates are heading to the Women’s College World Series.
“It feels awesome. It’s a great experience with a great group of people and just a dream come true,” Troutman said of the opportunity to play in the WCWS.
Mississippi State (43-19) upset Oklahoma (52-10), 6-0, on Sunday in the Norman Super Regional, ending a nine-year streak of WCWS appearances by the Sooners. For the Bulldogs, it will be their first ever appearance at the World Series.
While Troutman may not be grabbing headlines as the star player on an otherwise talent-laden roster, she is often one of the first on the field to celebrate with her teammates.
“It’s actually been really fun. I just trust in the Lord. His plan’s already written for me,” Troutman said. “(I am) just trusting my teammates too because I believe that they can do whatever they put their minds to and just be the best supporter I can be.”
Troutman has seen her fair share of action throughout the season, appearing in 42 games including 24 starts. In those games, she recorded 76 at-bats and posted a .250 batting average and a .794 OPS with four home runs and 14 RBI. Though her stats do not jump off the page, she has contributed to several memorable moments throughout the year.
Her first official career at-bat came against Northwestern State on February 6 and she wasted no time making her presence felt by hitting a solo home run against the Lady Demons. That wasn’t it for Troutman, however, as she blasted a two-run homer her next time at the plate. It was quite the coming out party for a player who watched an entire season from the dugout due to her injury.
Troutman may have had her biggest moment a little over a month later when the Bulldogs hosted the then-No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Starkville. Having struck out twice already in a 0-0 game heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Troutman launched a walk-off home run to hand the Volunteers their first loss of the season. According to Mississippi State Athletics, it took place in front of a record-setting home crowd of 2,134 fans.
No play may have been as special to her as the one that came in the SEC Tournament against her home state team Kentucky Wildcats on May 5. The Bulldogs trailed by two runs entering the bottom of the seventh before tying the game and setting up Troutman for another potential game winner. She hit a sharp ground ball to first base, which was mishandled by the defender and narrowly allowed Troutman to beat out the tag at first as the winning run crossed the plate. While it may have lacked the theatrics of a walk-off homer, it was an important and emotional moment for Troutman as many of those closest to her were in attendance to watch her success.
“It was really nice. I had a lot of my family and friends there and they got to be there with me,” Troutman said. “My family and friends are probably the most supportive people around me and so it’s really great to just be able to just celebrate with them after that big walk-off against the home state.”
Henderson County softball coach Shannon Troutman, who is in the middle of his own postseason run, has enjoyed watching the experience that his daughter has had at Mississippi State, whether it’s been playing on the diamond or rooting on her team.
“It has been great to watch her at Mississippi State. Taylor loves the staff and loves the players. I was really worried about her last year after she tore her ACL and was forced into a medical redshirt. It was the first time she had to battle an injury. I was so proud to see her come back strong,” Troutman stated. “I love watching her succeed, but also love watching her celebrate her teammates. I truly believe she genuinely cares about the success of the program at Mississippi State.”
Taylor echoed those sentiments about the Bulldogs program calling her coaching staff “top tier” and “the most supportive.” She credited them for being there for her whenever she needed, especially in helping her overcome her injury last year and adjusting to being back on the field this season.
The Bulldogs will begin their World Series run on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT versus Texas Tech (57-7), last year’s national runner-up. The game will be televised on ESPN. On the opposite side of their bracket sits perennial powerhouse Tennessee (47-10), and the reigning National Champions, Texas (47-11). All games will take place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The WCWS is a double elimination tournament until only two teams remain. Those two teams will then play a best-of-three series for the NCAA Championship.
One thing of note for anyone tuning in to watch the Bulldogs for the first time is to be on the lookout for the “Broccoli Guy” in the stands. Super fan Jim Stewart Allen is a 33-year-old substitute teacher living near Seattle, Washington, who started backing Mississippi State when it was playing in the Oregon Regional. The Bulldogs embraced his enthusiastic broccoli waving and a sports partnership was born.
“We are a team that plays loose and has fun. When we got to see him in Oregon, he was loose and was having fun and I think that just embodied our team so well and we just took him under our wing,” Troutman said of her team’s newest fan. “He’s such a wholesome guy. He’s told us all of his stories. I’m forever grateful that we put him under our wing and we have broccoli in our dugout.”
Troutman has always been appreciative of the support she has received in her career, especially that of her hometown.
“I just want the fans to know that I’m grateful for their support. They’ve supported me in every single ride of this college journey and I hope they just keep supporting us because this just embodies what Henderson is all about and I just love it so much.”
