Davidson Selected By Bandits In Inaugural AUSL Draft
January 29, 2025 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball legend Mia Davidson has been selected by the Bandits in the inaugural AUSL Draft. She was selected in the fifth round with the No. 17 pick.
The latest addition to the Athletes Unlimited portfolio, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is a professional women's softball league featuring four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format launching in June 2025. Each team selected 12 players from an 80-player pool. The final four roster spots for each team are available for free agent signings and the incoming class of NCAA talent that will exhaust their eligibility in May.
The Bandits are coached by Stacey Nuveman-Deniz. Jenny Dalton-Hill serves as their general manager.
She also played in the league's 2023 AUX season where she won a bronze medal. Over the course of 10 games, she accumulated 1,122 leaderboard points, including 720 win points. Davidson ranked second in the league with 382 stat points, showcasing her exceptional abilities. Davidson's batting average of .417 was one of the best in the league, placing her among the top six players. She set a new AUX single-season record by hitting five home runs and driving in eight runs. Additionally, Davidson scored the most runs in the league, crossing home plate 12 times.
Most recently, she has played with Denso Bright Pegasus in the Japan Diamond League in 2024 and she opened the 2025 season with Liga Mexicana de Softball last weekend. In her first four games in Mexico, Davidson has already hit two homers, a game-winning three-run double and caught the first perfect game in league history.
Davidson is the 14th draft pick in MSU history, but she is the first to be drafted twice. She was the 12th pick in program history when initially taken in the Athletes Unlimited College Draft in 2022.
A total of 26 Mississippi State softball players have played professionally. Three members of the 2024 team signed professional contracts, and a total of five Bulldogs were active in professional softball over the summer. Head coach Samantha Ricketts has coached 14 professionals at MSU since she arrived as an assistant coach.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
The latest addition to the Athletes Unlimited portfolio, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is a professional women's softball league featuring four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format launching in June 2025. Each team selected 12 players from an 80-player pool. The final four roster spots for each team are available for free agent signings and the incoming class of NCAA talent that will exhaust their eligibility in May.
The Bandits are coached by Stacey Nuveman-Deniz. Jenny Dalton-Hill serves as their general manager.
Davidson has played in three Athletes Unlimited championship seasons, finishing as high as 20th on the leaderboard. Her 2024 campaign was cut short by an injury. In 2023, she posted a career-high 1,298 points, and her stat points alone ranked seventh in the league.Congratulations @MIASKY3332! The @AUSL_Bandits just got a lot of new fans 👏👏👏
— Mississippi State Softball (@HailStateSB) January 30, 2025
📺 https://t.co/DvO2Td17RP#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/FJupEPYzVU
She also played in the league's 2023 AUX season where she won a bronze medal. Over the course of 10 games, she accumulated 1,122 leaderboard points, including 720 win points. Davidson ranked second in the league with 382 stat points, showcasing her exceptional abilities. Davidson's batting average of .417 was one of the best in the league, placing her among the top six players. She set a new AUX single-season record by hitting five home runs and driving in eight runs. Additionally, Davidson scored the most runs in the league, crossing home plate 12 times.
Most recently, she has played with Denso Bright Pegasus in the Japan Diamond League in 2024 and she opened the 2025 season with Liga Mexicana de Softball last weekend. In her first four games in Mexico, Davidson has already hit two homers, a game-winning three-run double and caught the first perfect game in league history.
Davidson is the 14th draft pick in MSU history, but she is the first to be drafted twice. She was the 12th pick in program history when initially taken in the Athletes Unlimited College Draft in 2022.
A total of 26 Mississippi State softball players have played professionally. Three members of the 2024 team signed professional contracts, and a total of five Bulldogs were active in professional softball over the summer. Head coach Samantha Ricketts has coached 14 professionals at MSU since she arrived as an assistant coach.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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