Nationally-Ranked Taylor Middlebrook Joins Softball’s Signing Class
November 21, 2019 | Softball
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Highly-ranked Taylor Middlebrook, an infielder from Douglasville, Georgia, will join Mississippi State softball next season after head coach Samantha Ricketts announced her signing.
"Taylor's competitiveness, athletic ability, and love for Mississippi State will be evident from day one, and we can't wait to have her in StarkVegas," Ricketts said.
Middlebrook's career began at Chapel Hill High School where she played on a top-50 nationally-ranked squad as a freshman. The Panthers finished fourth in the state that year and climbed as high as No. 42 in the national rankings. The next season she served as a team captain and hit .589 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI.
Prior to her junior campaign, Middlebrook moved to Alexander High School where she was again selected as a team captain. She opened that season on an incredibly hot streak, batting .600 with four home runs, nine doubles and 23 RBI in her first 10 games.
Middlebrook checks in at No. 97 in the FloSoftball Hot 100. She is the No. 42 prospect overall and the No. 30 infielder according to Extra Inning Softball and was named to the 2020 Extra Elite 100. She has earned all-state honors three times and was named all-county and all-region four times. She has also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"Taylor is a smooth fielding infielder with a great glove that can play middle infield as well as third base," Ricketts added. "She is athletic, with great speed and has a knack for coming up with clutch hits on the biggest stages. She has definitely shown that she is the type of hitter you want up with the game on the line against some of the nation's best pitchers."
Middlebrook comes from a family with a background rooted in collegiate athletics. Her father, Tyrone, played football at Georgia, and her mother, Marcia, was on the basketball team. She has three brothers and intends to major in marketing at MSU.
"I chose Mississippi State because it's family based," Middlebrooke said. "It felt like home. It is my home, and there's no other place like it."
Ricketts was elevated to head coach on July 25 after serving as an assistant and associate head coach in Starkville since 2015. The Bulldogs have made an NCAA Regional in all but one of her seasons on staff. State's schedule for her first season at the helm will be released in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
STARKVILLE – Highly-ranked Taylor Middlebrook, an infielder from Douglasville, Georgia, will join Mississippi State softball next season after head coach Samantha Ricketts announced her signing.
"Taylor's competitiveness, athletic ability, and love for Mississippi State will be evident from day one, and we can't wait to have her in StarkVegas," Ricketts said.
Middlebrook's career began at Chapel Hill High School where she played on a top-50 nationally-ranked squad as a freshman. The Panthers finished fourth in the state that year and climbed as high as No. 42 in the national rankings. The next season she served as a team captain and hit .589 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI.
Prior to her junior campaign, Middlebrook moved to Alexander High School where she was again selected as a team captain. She opened that season on an incredibly hot streak, batting .600 with four home runs, nine doubles and 23 RBI in her first 10 games.
Middlebrook checks in at No. 97 in the FloSoftball Hot 100. She is the No. 42 prospect overall and the No. 30 infielder according to Extra Inning Softball and was named to the 2020 Extra Elite 100. She has earned all-state honors three times and was named all-county and all-region four times. She has also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"Taylor is a smooth fielding infielder with a great glove that can play middle infield as well as third base," Ricketts added. "She is athletic, with great speed and has a knack for coming up with clutch hits on the biggest stages. She has definitely shown that she is the type of hitter you want up with the game on the line against some of the nation's best pitchers."
Middlebrook comes from a family with a background rooted in collegiate athletics. Her father, Tyrone, played football at Georgia, and her mother, Marcia, was on the basketball team. She has three brothers and intends to major in marketing at MSU.
"I chose Mississippi State because it's family based," Middlebrooke said. "It felt like home. It is my home, and there's no other place like it."
Ricketts was elevated to head coach on July 25 after serving as an assistant and associate head coach in Starkville since 2015. The Bulldogs have made an NCAA Regional in all but one of her seasons on staff. State's schedule for her first season at the helm will be released in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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