Four Former Bulldogs to Compete at USA Softball International Cup

Four players with Mississippi State connections will compete at the USA Softball International Cup in Oklahoma City. The tournament runs from July 30 to Aug. 3 and features 20 games among top international teams, according to USA Softball.

Samantha Ricketts, a former Bulldogs coach, is leading Team American Samoa, which includes three of her former players: Kiarra Sells, Matalasi Faapito, and Chloe Malau’ulu. Ricketts is in her second tournament coaching American Samoa. Malau’ulu helped the team win gold at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, batting .500 with three doubles, a homer, and eight RBIs last summer.

Sacco-Ferrie is also competing, representing the U.S. Elite team. She made her international debut this year in Australia’s USA Down Under series, hitting .375 with two home runs and five runs scored. Faapito and Sells helped American Samoa post a 5-5 record at the Canada Cup, with wins over Singapore, Chinese Taipei’s development team, and Peru.

The tournament is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. It features two pools: Group A includes Japan, Chinese Taipei, American Samoa, and the U.S. Elite Team; Group B includes the United States, Australia, Canada, and China. American Samoa will make its first appearance at the event.

Action begins Thursday, with Ricketts’ team facing Japan at 10 a.m. CT. Sacco-Ferrie’s U.S. Elite Team opens against Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will face each other Friday at 4 p.m., a game available on ESPN+. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the playoff round on Sunday, with medal games scheduled for Monday.

Follow Mississippi State softball on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB” for updates.

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