| Mississippi State Bulldogs softball | |
|---|---|
 2026 Mississippi State Bulldogs softball team | |
 | |
| Founded | 1982 (44 years ago) |
| University | Mississippi State University |
| Head coach | Samantha Ricketts (7th season) |
| Conference | SEC |
| Location | Mississippi State, Mississippi, US |
| Home stadium | Nusz Park[1] (capacity: 1,100) |
| Nickname | Bulldogs |
| Colors | Maroon and white[2] |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 2026 | |
| NCAA super regional appearances | |
| 2022, 2026 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
The Mississippi State Bulldogs softball is the team which represents Mississippi State University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team currently participates in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Bulldogs are currently led by their head coach Samantha Ricketts. The team currently plays its home games at Nusz Park which is located on the university's campus.[3] The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Division I softball tournament 20 times, and advanced to the Women's College World Series once.
Year-by-year results
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent (1982–1986) | ||||||||||
| 1982 | Lynn Keiser | 2–18 | – | |||||||
| 1983 | Lynn Keiser | 6–13 | – | |||||||
| 1984 | Vivian Langley | 11–20 | – | |||||||
| 1985 | Vivian Langley | 28–14 | – | |||||||
| 1986 | Vivian Langley | 27–11 | – | |||||||
| Southeastern Conference (1997–present) | ||||||||||
| 1997 | Kathy Arendsen | 29–27 | 11–17 | 8th | ||||||
| 1998 | Kathy Arendsen | 36–21 | 15–11 | T-4th | SEC tournament | |||||
| 1999 | Kathy Arendsen | 38–29 | 15–15 | 6th | SEC tournament | |||||
| 2000 | Kathy Arendsen | 44–27 | 17–13 | 4th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2001 | Kathy Arendsen | 36–26 | 19–11 | 3rd | SEC tournament | |||||
| 2002 | Kathy Arendsen | 36–31 | 13–16 | 7th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2003 | Jay Miller | 34–30 | 13–16 | 8th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2004 | Jay Miller | 39–26 | 14–15 | 7th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2005 | Jay Miller | 35–31 | 12–18 | 10th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2006 | Jay Miller | 33–28 | 7–22 | 10th | ||||||
| 2007 | Jay Miller | 35–27 | 14–14 | 5th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2008 | Jay Miller | 41–22 | 13–14 | T-6th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2009 | Jay Miller | 28–28 | 8–19 | 9th | NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2010 | Jay Miller | 26–29 | 7–20 | 10th | ||||||
| 2011 | Jay Miller | 24–32 | 10–19 | 8th | SEC tournament | |||||
| 2012 | Vann Stuedeman | 33–24 | 12–16 | T-7th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2013 | Vann Stuedeman | 32–24 | 8–16 | T-10th | NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2014 | Vann Stuedeman | 39–21 | 10–14 | 10th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2015 | Vann Stuedeman | 36–21 | 10–14 | T-9th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2016 | Vann Stuedeman | 26–31 | 3–21 | 12th | SEC tournament | |||||
| 2017 | Vann Stuedeman | 36–22 | 10–14 | T-8th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2018 | Vann Stuedeman | 38–22 | 7–17 | T-11th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2019 | Vann Stuedeman | 35–23 | 9–15 | 12th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2020 | Samantha Ricketts | 25–3 | 0-0 | |||||||
| 2021 | Samantha Ricketts | 35–25 | 8–15 | 9th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2022 | Samantha Ricketts | 37–27 | 10–14 | 11th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional NCAA Super Regional | |||||
| 2023 | Samantha Ricketts | 28–25 | 7–16 | 12th | SEC tournament | |||||
| 2024 | Samantha Ricketts | 34–20 | 12–12 | T-6th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2025 | Samantha Ricketts | 39–19 | 13–11 | T-6th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional | |||||
| 2026 | Samantha Ricketts | 43–21 | 9–15 | T-10th | SEC tournament NCAA Regional NCAA Super Regional Women's College World Series | |||||
| Total: | 1,104–818 | 308–435 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| ||||||||||
Awards and honors
National awards
- Chelsea Bramlett (2009)
- Lisa Clemons (2002)
- Keri McCallum (2000)
- Chelsea Bramlett (2008, 2009, 2010)
- Mia Davidson (2022)
Conference awards
- Iyhia McMichael (2003, 2004)
- Courtney Bures (2005)
- Chelsea Bramlett (2007)
- Mia Davidson (2018)
- SEC Newcomer of the Year
- Alyssa Faircloth (2026)
NFCA All-Americans
| Player | Year(s) | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keri McCallum | 2000 | Catcher | 1st |
| Kellie Wilkerson | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | At-Large (OF/P), At-Large (OF), Utility, At-Large (UT) | 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd |
| Iyhia McMichael | 2003, 2004 | Outfield | 1st |
| Courtney Bures | 2005, 2008 | Shortstop, At-Large-P | 1st |
| Chelsea Bramlett | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 | UT/Non-P, Catcher(3) | 1st |
| Fa Leilua | 2019 | UT/Non-P | 2nd |
| Mia Davidson | 2019, 2022 | Catcher | 3rd, 1st |
| Madisyn Kennedy | 2024 | At-Large(1B) | 2nd |
| Sierra Sacco | 2025 | Outfield | 1st |
| Reference:[6] | |||
Perfect games
The following two perfect games have been thrown by Mississippi State pitchers over the program's history.[7]
- March 2, 1997. Jenny Hehnke vs Alabama State (won 18–0, 5 innings)
- February 9, 2018. Holly Ward vs Mississippi Valley State (won 10–0, 5 innings)
See also
References
- "MSU softball opens Nusz Park – Starkville Daily News". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- Mississippi State Athletic Identity Standards (PDF). September 14, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- "Nusz Park". HailState.com. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- "NFCA – National Fastpitch Coaches Association". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- "NFCA – National Fastpitch Coaches Association". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- "NFCA – National Fastpitch Coaches Association". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- "Holly Ward Perfect as Softball Sweeps Opening Day with Shutout Wins". hailstate.com. February 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-12.