STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA/MSU Athletics) - Mississippi State Head Softball Coach Vann Stuedeman announced the signing of in-state prep player Katie Anne Bailey Thursday morning. Bailey, a 5-foot-6 utility player from Cleveland, currently plays for the three-time defending state champion Jaguars of Madison Central High School.
"We are so excited to have ‘KAB’ in the maroon and white,” Stuedeman said. “She is a fiery, feisty utility player, and the Bulldog Nation is going to love watching her play ball.”
Playing for Starkville native and MCHS Head Coach Kayla Watkins this past spring as a junior, Bailey earned first-team all-state honors after hitting .426 with 46 hits, 32 runs, 20 stolen bases and 19 runs batted in. The current high school senior, who chose MSU over in-state rival Ole Miss, also collected first-team all-state accolades in 2011 following a sophomore campaign where she tallied a .496 average at the plate, tapped the dish 53 times on 57 hits and swiped 37 bases.
“It has been a dream of mine growing up to play for Mississippi State,” Bailey said. “I cannot wait to play for Vann. She works hard for her players, is energetic and makes learning the game a blast.”
