CORVALLIS -- When Taylor Cotton steps inside the circle, there's not much going on in her head.
She chuckles at that realization, but insists that's best. That relaxed approach has keyed Cotton's emergence as the surprising senior ace for an Oregon State team that opens NCAA Tournament play Friday against James Madison in the Waco Regional.
"I knew I had the stuff," Cotton said. "I just wasn't mentally there. I needed to find what I needed to do to be most successful."
Cotton enters the postseason with a 14-9 record, 2.44 ERA and seven shutouts in 33 appearances, helping pace OSU (28-25, 9-15 Pac-12) to its second consecutive tournament appearance.