Ricketts Secures Six-Player Class, Three Nationally Ranked At Position

STARKVILLE – Samantha Ricketts and Mississippi State softball added six players on National Signing Day.

The 2025 class includes three players who have been ranked by Extra Inning Softball among the top 15 nationally at their position. It marks the second straight year with at least three signees who are top-15 players at their position, and all nine such players in program history have come during Ricketts' head coaching tenure.

Notably, Brinkley Moreton is No. 23 in the Extra Inning Softball overall rankings, making her the programs ninth-highest-rated recruit since 2015. Of the top 10 ranked signees in program history, seven have been signed in the last three classes.

"We are thrilled to announce the next class of future Bulldogs who will join us at Nusz Park next year," Ricketts said. "They are a versatile, talented group who bring athleticism and a competitive fire to our roster. They fit the Bulldog mentality of gritty, hard-working athletes with something to prove, and we can't wait to welcome them to Starkville soon."

MSU's signees hail from Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, New York and Texas, and the class is made up of a pair of infielders, two utility players, a pitcher and an outfielder. Moreton and Gabby Schaeffer are just the second players in program history from their respective states.

The full class can be found below.

Sydney Carroll, UTL | Chelsea, Ala. (Chelsea HS)

Carroll began playing varsity softball for Chelsea High School while still in eighth grade, and her team has won three straight regular-season titles. She's led Chelsea in home runs each of the past three years and posted a 1.272 OPS in her sophomore campaign. She played travel ball for the Mississippi Bombers in The Alliance Fastpitch and was named the Southeastern Fastpitch League's Player of the Month in June 2023 after posting a .500 average with 28 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs. She placed second at The Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series home run derby in both 2023 and 2024. Carroll also pitched on the travel circuit, throwing 37.0 innings with a 1.95 WHIP this past summer.

Kinley Keller, OF | New Braunfels, Texas (Davenport HS)

Keller was a three-time First Team All-District selection at Davenport High School where she currently holds school records for career homers (27) and career batting average (.533). She is a two-time member of the San Antonio News Express All-Area Team and was named the district's Offensive MVP each of the last two seasons. As a sophomore, she batted .495 with a .924 slugging percentage. She followed that season with a .554 average and 1.238 slugging percentage in her junior year. Keller played travel ball with the Texas Bombers Gold which won the 2024 Alliance Fastpitch National Championship. She hit .416 in her first season with the club while launching 17 home runs and stealing 22 bags.

Brinkley Moreton, P | Summers, Ark. (Lincoln HS)

Moreton is the No. 23 prospect nationally according to Extra Inning Softball and No. 44 in the class per Perfect Game. Extra Inning considers her the No. 10 two-way player in the class. She's been named All-State, All-Conference and All-State Tournament in each of her first three high school seasons. Moreton posted a 1.49 ERA with 305 strikeouts as a freshman. Meanwhile, offensively, she recorded a 2.123 OPS with 38 extra-base hits and 65 RBIs that season, breaking the Arkansas state record for RBIs in a season. She's been named to the All-Arkansas Preps First Team twice and was the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Newcomer of the Year in 2022. Moreton followed her debut season with 18 victories and a 1.92 ERA as a sophomore before striking out 232 batters as a junior with a 1.81 ERA. She played travel ball for Iowa Premier National, finished third and fifth at The Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series the past two years. She's struck out 272 batters across 316.2 innings on the travel circuit.

Gabby Schaeffer, INF | Monroe, N.Y. (Monroe-Woodbury HS)

Schaeffer won consecutive NYS State Championships with Monroe-Woodbury High School in 2022 and 2023. She was named NYS All-Star of the Year in both seasons and was Rookie of the Year after her freshman season after batting .486. She hit .502 as a sophomore to earn her first player of the year honor and improved that mark to .526 as a junior. Schaeffer played travel ball for Rock Gold Manetta, which finished third at the 2024 Top Gun Invitational, won the 2023 South Carolina Diamond Classic and placed third at the 2022 PGF Platinum Nationals. She batted .391 on the club circuit following her freshman year and improved that mark to .418 and .431 over the next two summers.

Carson Smith, INF | Mendenhall, Miss. (Hartfield Academy)

Smith is considered the No. 36 prospect overall in the class by Extra Inning Softball and the No. 13 middle infielder. She began playing varsity softball at Simpson Academy as a seventh grader where she won three First Team All-District honors before moving to Hartfield Academy for the remainder of her high school career. She helped Hartfield win back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024 and is a three-time All-Conference and All-MAIS selection. Smith was named an MAIS Futures All-Star in her sophomore and junior years before earning MAIS All-Star status this year after batting .534 with a career-high 24 stolen bases and six home runs. She was named to the Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen as a junior after batting .471 with a .912 slugging percentage. Smith stole 22 bases and recorded a 1.557 OPS that year. The infielder played travel ball for Impact Gold National which finished inside the top 20 at The Alliance Fastpitch National Championships twice.

Ally Supan, UTL | Phenix City, Ala. (Central HS)

Supan was tabbed the No. 12 utility player in the class by Extra Inning Softball. She attended Central High School, which posted a 42-game winning streak and was the top-ranked team in the state in 2023. She posted a .449 batting average with 62 hits and 61 RBIs as a sophomore. She was named the AHSAA 7A Hitter of the Year after breaking the school record with 77 RBIs as a junior while batting .439. She also played flag football at Central and won the school's first state championship in 2023 before climbing to a No. 1 national ranking in 2024. Supan played travel ball for Southern Force National and won the 2023 Scenic City Championship. She batted .479 on the travel circuit this past summer as Southern Force placed ninth at the PGF National Championships.

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

Ricketts Secures Six-Player Class, Three Nationally Ranked At Position

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