Ricketts Lands First Top 10 Signing Class As Head Coach

STARKVILLE – On the heels of the first Super Regional appearance in Mississippi State softball history, Samantha Ricketts secured the nation's No. 10 recruiting class on National Signing Day.

All five future Bulldogs were among Extra Innings Softball's Extra Elite 100, which is tied for the fourth-most top-100 prospects by any school in the nation.

"First and foremost, I want to give a shoutout to associate head coaches Josh Johnson and Tyler Bratton for their huge role in signing this prominent class," Ricketts said. "Our staff is pleased to announce this great group of future Bulldogs for next season. All five young women bring an exceptional skillset to our roster, but also are difference makers in their mentality and work ethic away from the field as well. They will help us continue to raise the bar for Mississippi State softball and we are looking forward to having them in the maroon and white very soon."

MSU's signees hail from Mississippi, California, Indiana, New York and Texas, and the class is made up of a pair of pitchers, two catchers who also play the infield and outfield and one of the nation's top infielders.

This is the third consecutive year that Ricketts has signed multiple top-100 recruits after adding four in each of the last two classes. Additionally, MSU has landed a top-10 class nationally in three of the last seven seasons. Ricketts and Bratton were the primary recruiters as assistants for the other two top-10 classes.

The full class can be found below.

Megan Davidson, C/INF | Madison, Miss. (St. Joseph Catholic School)

Davidson, an in-state product, is the No. 48 prospect in the class per Extra Inning Softball. She prepped at St. Joseph Catholic School where she's played on the varsity team since seventh grade. As a sophomore she hit .501 with a .614 on-base percentage and .914 slugging percentage. The following year an injury cut her season short after nine games, but in that short period she belted three homers, four triples and five doubles while posting a .772 batting average. In her senior campaign, she batted .660 with a 1.991 OPS and 32 RBIs.

Kylee Edwards, INF | Waldron, Ind. (Shelbyville HS)

Edwards is the highest rated prospect in the class, coming in at No. 16 in the Extra Inning Softball rankings. Fast Pitch Network labeled her the nation's No. 7 middle infielder. She was a three-time USA Elite All-American and helped Shelbyville to its first state semifinals appearance in school history. She also played on the varsity team in eighth grade and was named team MVP and defensive player of the year that season with a .627 batting average. She collected 16 extra-base hits and stole 19 bags as a sophomore and posted a .538 batting average with 41 RBIs as a junior. Edwards was also a highly-decorated basketball player and has scored as many as 45 points in a game this season.

Delainey Everett, P/INF | Oakdale, Calif. (Oakdale HS)

Everett is the No. 29 player in the class per Extra Inning Softball and was named the CalHiSports Player of the Year in 2022. A hitting pitcher, she tossed her way to a 0.48 ERA while batting .524 as a sophomore with 131 strikeouts in 82.1 innings. The following season she trimmed her ERA to 0.47 with 196 strikeouts. As a junior, she batted .451 while driving in 35 runs. She launched 24 of her 37 hits for extra bases. On the travel ball circuit, she posted a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2020.

Hosanna Lindblade, P | Waller, Texas (Homeschooled)

The No. 45 prospect nationally, Lindblade was homeschooled but played for her area team HCYA Homeschool. That squad won three state championships in her high school career and went on to win the NACA National Championship in 2021. Lindblade was named to the NACA All-Tournament Team that season and was a high school All-American as well. Her honors also include two all-state selections.

Ella Wesolowski, C/OF | Williamsville, N.Y. (Williamsville East HS)

Wesolowski is the No. 81 prospect in the class and was a four-year letterwinner at Williamsville East where she won a state championship in 2019 with a 27-0 record. Her honors began in eighth grade when she was given second team all-state honors after batting .468 with 37 runs scored. As a sophomore she hit .500 to earn ECIC II Player of the Year and first All-ECIC II honors. That summer she was selected to the 2021 PGF Futures All-America Game. She was the NYS Player of the Year as a junior. On the travel ball circuit, she allowed just 11 stolen bases in 2021-22. She hit 20 homers with 54 RBIs over her last two travel ball seasons.

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Ricketts Lands First Top 10 Signing Class As Head Coach

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