Ricketts, Owen Represent MSU In 2016 NPF Championship
August 18, 2016 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the past year, Mississippi State has made a major impact on the National Pro Fastpitch league. This weekend, a pair of Bulldogs will be vying for the coveted NPF Championship.
MSU assistant coach Samantha Ricketts and former standout pitcher Alison Owen will have their eyes set on the 2016 NPF crown during the four-team tournament held this weekend at the University of Alabama's Rhoads Stadium.
Ricketts, who just wrapped up her second year as a Bulldog assistant, will be going for the league title in her first year as a coach for the USSSA Pride, who claimed the 2016 NPF Regular-Season Championship and the tournament's No. 1 seed. The championship is the third-straight regular season crown the Pride has captured. The Pride has claimed the regular season title in five of the seven years they have been a part of the NPF.
"This summer has been so fun and rewarding coaching with and against the best players in the world," Ricketts said. "I am thankful for the opportunity and also for Mississippi State allowing me to do so."
"We are going into this weekend as the regular season champions, but are ready to compete for an NPF Championship. This team is prepared and determined and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the field on game day."
Under Ricketts' leadership and offensive prowess, the Pride produced the first Triple Crown winner in NPF history, Kelly Kretschman. The 2015 NPF Player of the Year led the league with a .466 batting average, 13 home runs and 45 RBIs on the season.
Joining Ricketts in the championship field is former Bulldog ace Owen, who has made six appearances this season for the Akron Racers. Owen also serves as an assistant for the East Mississippi Lions softball program.
Owen's legacy is well known at Mississippi State, as she left Starkville as one of the program's all-time greatest players. In only two years with the Maroon and White, Owen set almost every pitching record in school history, including strikeouts (473), strikeouts looking (102), opponent batting average (.193), fewest walks per seven innings (1.05) and most strikeouts per seven innings (8.83).
"Being in the championship tournament is such a fun and humbling experience. Playing in the NPF's regular season is an amazing opportunity, but being in the postseason is awesome," Owen said. "We are excited to be in Tuscaloosa representing not only our college alma maters, but all of our Akron Racer fans."
"Being an Akron Racer is something I will never forget and I am very grateful for the opportunity to make so many great memories."
Ricketts and the top-seeded Pride will face Owen's Racers in a best-of-three series to start the tournament. Game one will be Friday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. CT on NPF TV, following the Chicago Bandits and Scrap Yard Dawgs showdown. Game two will be Saturday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m., on CBS Sports Network, with an if-necessary game three the same day at 8 p.m. The winners of the two series will meet on Sunday, Aug. 21 for the NPF Championship in a best-of-three matchup.
For more information on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
2016 NPF Championship Live Stats
Game One – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
Game Two – USSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
2016 NPF Championship Broadcasts
Game One – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
Game Two – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
MSU assistant coach Samantha Ricketts and former standout pitcher Alison Owen will have their eyes set on the 2016 NPF crown during the four-team tournament held this weekend at the University of Alabama's Rhoads Stadium.
Ricketts, who just wrapped up her second year as a Bulldog assistant, will be going for the league title in her first year as a coach for the USSSA Pride, who claimed the 2016 NPF Regular-Season Championship and the tournament's No. 1 seed. The championship is the third-straight regular season crown the Pride has captured. The Pride has claimed the regular season title in five of the seven years they have been a part of the NPF.
"This summer has been so fun and rewarding coaching with and against the best players in the world," Ricketts said. "I am thankful for the opportunity and also for Mississippi State allowing me to do so."
"We are going into this weekend as the regular season champions, but are ready to compete for an NPF Championship. This team is prepared and determined and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the field on game day."
Under Ricketts' leadership and offensive prowess, the Pride produced the first Triple Crown winner in NPF history, Kelly Kretschman. The 2015 NPF Player of the Year led the league with a .466 batting average, 13 home runs and 45 RBIs on the season.
Joining Ricketts in the championship field is former Bulldog ace Owen, who has made six appearances this season for the Akron Racers. Owen also serves as an assistant for the East Mississippi Lions softball program.
Owen's legacy is well known at Mississippi State, as she left Starkville as one of the program's all-time greatest players. In only two years with the Maroon and White, Owen set almost every pitching record in school history, including strikeouts (473), strikeouts looking (102), opponent batting average (.193), fewest walks per seven innings (1.05) and most strikeouts per seven innings (8.83).
"Being in the championship tournament is such a fun and humbling experience. Playing in the NPF's regular season is an amazing opportunity, but being in the postseason is awesome," Owen said. "We are excited to be in Tuscaloosa representing not only our college alma maters, but all of our Akron Racer fans."
"Being an Akron Racer is something I will never forget and I am very grateful for the opportunity to make so many great memories."
Ricketts and the top-seeded Pride will face Owen's Racers in a best-of-three series to start the tournament. Game one will be Friday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. CT on NPF TV, following the Chicago Bandits and Scrap Yard Dawgs showdown. Game two will be Saturday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m., on CBS Sports Network, with an if-necessary game three the same day at 8 p.m. The winners of the two series will meet on Sunday, Aug. 21 for the NPF Championship in a best-of-three matchup.
For more information on Mississippi State softball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
2016 NPF Championship Live Stats
Game One – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
Game Two – USSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
2016 NPF Championship Broadcasts
Game One – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
Game Two – USSSA Pride vs. Akron Racers
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