Mississippi State Players and Coaches Gear Up for Second AUSL Season
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State softball players and coaches are preparing for the second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), which begins June 9. All six teams will open the 2026 campaign on Tuesday, including two teams making league debuts.
Bulldogs players Peja Goold, Sierra Sacco-Ferrie, and Mia Davidson will participate in the league. Goold, a rookie selected in the second round of the 2026 AUSL College Draft, will play for the Oklahoma City Spark. Sacco-Ferrie joins the Portland Cascade, while Davidson is set to play for the Cascade after missing last season due to injury. Both the Spark and Cascade are expansion teams making their AUSL debut this year.
Goold played a key role in helping Mississippi State reach its first Women’s College World Series this year. She was named Second Team All-America by Softball America and led her team with 26 starts and a 2.36 ERA. The Stockton, California, native finished her college career with nearly 650 strikeouts and a 61-32 record.
Sacco-Ferrie returns for her second professional season after a standout rookie year with the champion Talons in 2025. She earned AUSL All-Defensive Team honors and hit .313 over 20 games, including three home runs. Sacco-Ferrie made her Team USA debut in January.
Mia Davidson, who previously played three seasons in the league, is currently finishing her season with Denso Bright Pegasus in Japan’s Diamond League. She will join the Cascade during the league’s mid-season break after games on June 21.
The opening series on Tuesday features games on CBS Sports Network and ESPN2, with the Cascade traveling to face the Carolina Blaze, and Oklahoma City hosting the Texas Volts. The Utah Talons will face the Bandits in a rematch of the championship series, airing on ESPN2. The league’s schedule continues through Wednesday, with subsequent matchups including Goold and Loza battling Mowatt-McKinney’s Bandits, and Sacco-Ferrie facing her former team.
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