Mississippi State's Delainey Everett credits late father after OU shutout: 'He would just be so proud'
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Delainey Everett carries the memory of her late father with her every time she steps on a softball field.
In remembrance of her dad and former coach Brandan Everett, who died in January 2025, her towel has his badge number on it and she wears a blue ribbon in her hair when she plays to honor the former police officer.
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Everett honored her father in an even more special way on May 24, her parent’s wedding anniversary, as Mississippi State softball’s pitcher against No. 3 seed Oklahoma (52-10) in Game 3 of their super regional series.
She pitched a three-hit shutout, leading the Bulldogs to a 6-0 win to boost MSU (43-19) to its first Women’s College World Series berth. It’s the first time Oklahoma has been shut out since the 2019 WCWS.
“He would just be so proud,” Everett said of her dad. “If he wasn’t so hard on me, I would not be here today. … Just remembering the big games that we won, all the little titles that we had just set me up for this moment, and I always know that he’s here.”
MSU will face No. 11 seed Texas Tech (57-7) in its WCWS debut on May 28 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Everett’s outing against Oklahoma was her first start of the season and the longest of her career. She didn’t find out that she was pitching until arriving at Love’s Field a few hours before the game. Pitching coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney pulled Everett to the side and told her she wanted her to start.
“She’s like, ‘How’s that sound?’” Everett said of her conversation with Mowatt-McKinney. “I said, ‘Good.’ Just went about my day, did everything normal like I did.”
In 96 pitches, Everett gave up just three hits, walked three batters, hit two and struck out three. It wasn’t a super flashy outing with double-digit strikeouts and numerous gut-check situations. It didn’t have to be for Everett to get the job done. She never even let a runner get to third base in the win.
“Delainey just competed her butt off,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “… What an outstanding game, but nobody in the dugout was surprised because that’s the type of pitcher, the type of athlete that Delainey is. She’s a dog through and through, and she was going to give it literally everything she had for her team in that moment, and she did.”
Entering the weekend, Ricketts had a feeling Everett would come in handy. Prior to Game 1, she’d only made nine appearances this year because she dealt with a shoulder injury early in the season. There wasn’t much Oklahoma could do to prepare to face her.
Everett secured the final four outs for MSU in its Game 1 win. When choosing who to start for Game 3, Ricketts factored in Everett’s “element of surprise,” making it a “easy decision.”
“I know she’s worked really hard to stay positive to be ready for this moment,” Ricketts said. “Because it could have been a time where she wasn’t throwing a whole lot where she did pack it in, and she continued to work. She continued to get after it and stay hungry knowing that her name was going to be called, and she was going to be ready, and I thought that’s exactly what she did.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State's Delainey Everett credits late father after OU win