Mississippi State’s softball team will participate in the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time, the program’s 12th appearance since 2000. The Bulldogs (38-18, 9-15 SEC) earned a No. 5 seed in the Eugene Regional and will face Saint Mary’s (California) on May 15 at Jane Sanders Stadium.
The regional also features host Oregon, a No. 4 seed and the No. 14 overall national seed, along with Idaho State. State last played in Eugene in 2012. Head coach Samantha Ricketts expressed excitement about the team’s postseason appearance, saying, “We are excited to be back in the postseason and be one of the remaining 64 teams competing across the country.”
The Bulldogs’ first game will stream on ESPN platforms. The regional champion will advance to the Super Regionals, facing the winner of the Norman Regional, hosted by Oklahoma. The Norman Regional includes Kansas, Michigan, and Binghamton.
Mississippi State won 37 games in the regular season, their highest under Ricketts. The team aims to match its program record of 39 wins and potentially reach its third 40-win season in NCAA regional play. The Bulldogs also achieved their highest ranking in program history, sitting at No. 19 in the RPI, a mark last reached in 2008.
The team is led by one of the nation’s top pitching staffs. The bullpen set team records for strikeouts (468), conference-record strikeouts (179), strikeouts per seven innings (7.83), fewest hits allowed (134), and batting average against (.225). Alyssa Faircloth earned Second Team All-SEC honors and was named SEC Newcomer of the Year. Peja Goold was drafted by the Oklahoma City Spark and also received SEC Newcomer of the Year honors from USA Today Sports.
Offensively, Nadia Barbary and Kiarra Sells lead the team. Barbary leads in RBIs and hits, while Sells tops the squad in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. The Bulldogs have made 12 of the last 14 NCAA tournaments since 2000. In 2022, they reached the Super Regionals for the first time in school history.
