Malau’ulu Signs Professional Contract With OKC Spark
June 05, 2023 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Fresh off her final collegiate softball season and earning her second degree from Mississippi State, Chloe Malau'ulu has signed a professional contract to play with the newly-formed Oklahoma City Spark in the WPF. She is MSU's 23rd professional player, and the 11th to have been mentored by head coach Samantha Ricketts.
Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is the official professional softball league in the United States, founded by USA Softball. The league replaced the former NPF and has expanded to include four teams for its second season. The Spark are one of the expansion franchises along with the Texas Smoke.
"I'm so thrilled for Chloe to have the opportunity to continue playing in the WPF with the OKC Spark," Ricketts said. "This opportunity is thanks to years of hard work by Chloe. She is an exceptional teammate, leader and softball player, and I know she will represent Mississippi State well at the professional level."
Malau'ulu was a two-time All-Region performer in the maroon and white. She was named Second Team All-SEC in 2022 and earned SEC All-Defensive Team recognition in 2021. In her final campaign, she led State in hits (45), doubles (8), triples (4), total bases (85), multi-hit games (15) and multi-RBI games (10). Malau'ulu also collected eight home runs, matching her single-season career high and giving her 20 total extra-base hits.
The Long Beach, California, native closed her career ranking ninth in MSU history in career multi-hit games (51) and doubles (37) and 10th in multi-RBI games (25). Her 21 career homers were one shy of the MSU all-time top 10. Defensively, she threw out 18 runners from the outfield, which was good for the second-most outfield assists in school history, and she twice tied the second-most outfield assists in a single season (7), leading the SEC in both of those years.
"It means a lot. I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business from this year, so to have this opportunity to keep playing is really special. I want to use it to my advantage," Malau'ulu said. "I know that we've been trying to grow the game, so I'm excited to be a part of that. The WPF is still fairly new, and being a part of a beginning of something is pretty cool."
Malau'ulu is the third former Bulldog in the WPF and the fourth player with MSU ties. She will be reunited with her former teammate of three seasons, Fa Leilua, in Oklahoma City, and will also play alongside Ricketts' sister Keilani. Annie Willis is also in the league as a member of the Smash It Sports Vipers, where she finished second overall in ERA (2.06) last summer.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is the official professional softball league in the United States, founded by USA Softball. The league replaced the former NPF and has expanded to include four teams for its second season. The Spark are one of the expansion franchises along with the Texas Smoke.
"I'm so thrilled for Chloe to have the opportunity to continue playing in the WPF with the OKC Spark," Ricketts said. "This opportunity is thanks to years of hard work by Chloe. She is an exceptional teammate, leader and softball player, and I know she will represent Mississippi State well at the professional level."
Malau'ulu was a two-time All-Region performer in the maroon and white. She was named Second Team All-SEC in 2022 and earned SEC All-Defensive Team recognition in 2021. In her final campaign, she led State in hits (45), doubles (8), triples (4), total bases (85), multi-hit games (15) and multi-RBI games (10). Malau'ulu also collected eight home runs, matching her single-season career high and giving her 20 total extra-base hits.
What are the @okcityspark getting in @chloeetaliaa?
— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) June 5, 2023
A whole lot of 𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙂𝙔⚡️#StateToTheShow | #HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/nnbOchuSZF
The Long Beach, California, native closed her career ranking ninth in MSU history in career multi-hit games (51) and doubles (37) and 10th in multi-RBI games (25). Her 21 career homers were one shy of the MSU all-time top 10. Defensively, she threw out 18 runners from the outfield, which was good for the second-most outfield assists in school history, and she twice tied the second-most outfield assists in a single season (7), leading the SEC in both of those years.
"It means a lot. I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business from this year, so to have this opportunity to keep playing is really special. I want to use it to my advantage," Malau'ulu said. "I know that we've been trying to grow the game, so I'm excited to be a part of that. The WPF is still fairly new, and being a part of a beginning of something is pretty cool."
Malau'ulu is the third former Bulldog in the WPF and the fourth player with MSU ties. She will be reunited with her former teammate of three seasons, Fa Leilua, in Oklahoma City, and will also play alongside Ricketts' sister Keilani. Annie Willis is also in the league as a member of the Smash It Sports Vipers, where she finished second overall in ERA (2.06) last summer.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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