Ricketts Secures Nation’s No. 17 Recruiting Class
November 10, 2021 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Samantha Ricketts signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, securing her first top-25 recruiting class.
With five of Ricketts' six recruits among Extra Innings Softball's Extra Elite 100, that outlet has named Mississippi State's class the No. 17 group in the nation.
"We are extremely excited to announce the signing of this special class," Ricketts said. "They are all high-level athletes who can play multiple positions, and we expect them to compete right away. This group of outstanding young women are already a tight knit group with high character, and we know they will add to the locker room culture that we work hard to build."
MSU's six signees hail from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Texas, and the class is made up of two pitchers, two infielders, a catcher and a utility player.
"Recruiting this highly-touted class during the COVID pandemic presented many unique challenges, and I want to commend assistant coaches Tyler Bratton and Josh Johnson for all of the hard work it took to recruit and develop relationships with this group and their families over the past year," Ricketts added.
This is the second year in a row that Ricketts has signed multiple top-100 recruits after adding four last fall. Additionally, Ricketts picked up the NJCAA Player of the Year and the WAC Freshman of the Year as transfers over the summer. Those six players will compete for State in 2022.
The full class can be found below.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
With five of Ricketts' six recruits among Extra Innings Softball's Extra Elite 100, that outlet has named Mississippi State's class the No. 17 group in the nation.
"We are extremely excited to announce the signing of this special class," Ricketts said. "They are all high-level athletes who can play multiple positions, and we expect them to compete right away. This group of outstanding young women are already a tight knit group with high character, and we know they will add to the locker room culture that we work hard to build."
MSU's six signees hail from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Texas, and the class is made up of two pitchers, two infielders, a catcher and a utility player.
"Recruiting this highly-touted class during the COVID pandemic presented many unique challenges, and I want to commend assistant coaches Tyler Bratton and Josh Johnson for all of the hard work it took to recruit and develop relationships with this group and their families over the past year," Ricketts added.
This is the second year in a row that Ricketts has signed multiple top-100 recruits after adding four last fall. Additionally, Ricketts picked up the NJCAA Player of the Year and the WAC Freshman of the Year as transfers over the summer. Those six players will compete for State in 2022.
The full class can be found below.
Nadia Barbary, INF | Douglasville, Ga. (Chapel Hill HS)
Barbary is the nation's No. 17 prospect and the No. 10 middle infielder in the class according to Extra Innings. She is a two-time all-state selection who has hit 23 home runs in her high school career. She was selected to the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Game following her 2020 season. Barbary hit hit .407 with a .484 on-base percentage on the travel ball circuit in 2021 with a 1.169 OPS.Morgan Bernardini, UTL | Elkville, Ill. (Elverado HS)
Bernardini was a four-year letterwinner at Elverado High School where her team won two conference titles. In her freshmen season, she hit .402 with a .490 on-base percentage before her sophomore year was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. She led the state with 65 runs scored as a junior and posted a .653 batting average with 10 home runs and a .726 on-base percentage that season.Reis Beuerlein, P | Cave Creek, Ariz. (Pinnacle HS)
Beuerlein is the No. 25 pitcher in the class and ranked No. 68 overall by Extra Innings. She pitched her high school to a state runners-up finish in 2019 and a third-place finish in 2021. In her junior season, she struck out 146 batters, and she sat down 104 as a freshman. Her travel ball team finished among the top 20 at PGF Nationals in 2021.Gabby Coffey, C/INF | Celina, Texas (Prosper HS)
Coffey is the No. 25 catcher in the class and ranked No. 64 overall by Extra Innings. She has played internationally with the Brazilian Junior National Team at the 2019 World Cup and 2021 Junior Pan American Games. She earned all-state and All-Metroplex Junior of the Year honors in 2021 after hitting 11 homers with 42 RBIs and drawing 27 walks for a .590 on-base percentage.Macy Graf, INF | Aledo, Texas (Aledo HS)
Graf is the nation's fifth-ranked infielder and the No. 43 player overall according to Extra Innings. She is a two-time all-state selection who was named the All-Area Newcomer of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman after hitting .519 that year. She also posted averages of .522 and .457 as a sophomore and junior. At the state tournament her junior year, she hit seven homers and seven doubles and stole 13 bases along with 34 walks for a .538 on-base percentage.Josey Marron, P | Grimes, Iowa (Northwest HS)
Marron is the No. 17 pitcher in the class and ranked No. 39 overall by Extra Innings. She did not play high school softball because Iowa is the only state that plays in the summer during the travel season. In three full travel ball seasons, she never allowed an opponents' average higher than .188 and posted ERAs of 1.77, 1.80 and 1.70. She boasts 1,358 career strikeouts with 504 coming in her junior campaign.For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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