State Returns To NCAA Softball Tournament, Bound For Palo Alto

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's softball program is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for its sixth appearance in the last seven years. The Bulldogs (33-18, 12-12 SEC) will start their road to Oklahoma City as the No. 2 seed in the Stanford Regional.

MSU will open the double-elimination regional on Friday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. CT against Cal State Fullerton at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium. MSU and Fullerton met in February at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with State claiming a 4-2 victory. Along with the Bulldogs and the Titans, the Stanford Regional features host Stanford, which earned the No. 8 overall national seed, and Saint Mary's (CA).

"We were exited to hear our name and just get back to where we worked so hard to get to," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "It's kind of a full-circle moment for us, especially our upperclassmen and our seniors after the disappointment of last year. I'm just really proud of them and the efforts they took – and it started last May. It didn't start in February of this season. I think just the leadership and the intent and the way that we've gotten after it every day set us up for knowing that we were in this year, which was a much better feeling for us."

The Bulldogs' first game of the regional will be air on ESPN+ and is available online through WatchESPN or the ESPN app. Television assignments for the remaining games of the regional will be announced later this week.

The winner of the Stanford Regional will advance to Super Regionals to face the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional, hosted by No. 9 LSU. Also competing in the Baton Rouge Regional are California, Southern Illinois and Jackson State.

The Bulldogs are coming off their best conference finish in recent memory and their first .500 record in league play since 2007 despite being picked last in the SEC Coaches' Preseason Poll. MSU won 33 games in the regular season, the most under Ricketts, including a school-record 14 ranked wins. The Bulldogs were never swept in 2024, and they won three conference series on the road.

MSU is led by a trio of All-SEC selections in Madisyn Kennedy (First Team), Aspen Wesley (Second Team) and Sierra Sacco (Second Team). Kennedy and Wesley have posted career years, breaking school records for home runs and wins in conference play, respectively.

State is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have made 10 of the last 12 tournament fields, and all 18 appearances have come since 2000. In their last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bulldogs reached the Super Regionals for the first time in program history, winning the Tallahassee Regional to earn the right to host the Starkville Super Regional.

Stanford Regional Schedule (All Times Central)

Friday, May 17
Game 1: Mississippi State vs. Cal State Fullerton – 6:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 8 Stanford vs. Saint Mary's – 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 18
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 4 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 6:30 p.m.
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 9 p.m.

Sunday, May 19
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – TBD
Game 7: If Necessary – TBD

About the Stanford Regional Field

No. 8 Stanford (43-13, 17-7 Pac-12)
Series History: 1-2 overall, First meeting in Palo Alto
Last Meeting: March 9, 2002, in Plant City, Fla. (MSU 0, STAN 7)
Current Streak: Mississippi State lost 2

Cal State Fullerton (36-17, 22-5 Big West)
Series History: 2-6 overall, 2-6 at neutral sites
Last Meeting: Feb. 24, 2024, in Cathedral City, Calif. (MSU 4, CSUF 2)
Current Streak: Mississippi State won 1

St. Mary's (30-22, 10-6 West Coast)
Series History: 0-1 overall, 0-1 at neutral sites
Last Meeting: March 14, 1997, in San Jose, Calif. (MSU 1, SM 2)
Current Streak: Mississippi State lost 1

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Returns To NCAA Softball Tournament, Bound For Palo Alto

Players Mentioned

Madisyn Kennedy

Sierra Sacco

Aspen Wesley

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