Sacco, Chaffin Receive AUSL Draft Golden Tickets

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Sierra Sacco and Raelin Chaffin will become the 14th and 15th Bulldogs drafted to play professional softball later this week after the duo was presented with Golden Tickets by the AUSL on Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

The AUSL is a professional women's softball league featuring four teams playing in a traditional format. Teams have already completed the draft, but the league is surprising college players who have been selected with Golden Tickets throughout late April. The league's inaugural College Draft Show will air on May 3 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. At that time, Sacco and Chaffin will learn which team has selected them and where their professional careers will begin.

Only 12 collegiate athletes nationwide will be drafted to the league. Mississippi State is one of two programs in the country to receive multiple Golden Tickets.

"It's a huge credit to what [assistant coaches] Zac Shaw has done with Sierra Sacco and her offense and what Taryne Mowatt-McKinney has done with Raelin and her pitching," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "They've both really blossomed into their specialties. You're able to see them having their best years in their last years. That's really a credit to them buying into our program and our coaching staff, and beyond that to the strength staff, the nutrition staff and everyone really pouring into them to get them to be the best they can be."

Sacco has transformed herself into one of the nation's premier hitters in her final season, ranking among the top 15 nationally in batting average (.471), hits (72), runs (60) and on-base percentage (.565). She leads the SEC in doubles (16) and has more extra-base hits this season alone than in all prior years of her career combined. The former slapper has launched 10 homers this season, and her 45 RBIs lead a Bulldog offense that has already broken the program record for RBIs in a season.

Besides her bat, Sacco has stolen 15 bags, which leads the team. She's been perfect defensively in centerfield and has not made an error since the 2023 season. Along the way, she's collected four outfield assists. The Marreo, Louisiana, native has started every game her teams have played in her career, batting leadoff and playing centerfield in 219 consecutive contests. Her 98 career stolen bases are ninth among active players nationally, and her 263 hits are fifth.

"It definitely just makes me feel like all of my hard work paid off," Sacco said. "I spent a lot of hours with just myself and a tee in the cages. It just makes all of that worth it, and I know I can do anything I put my mind to. I'm so excited. I was really hoping we'd both get drafted, and I didn't really know that was possible until the two from Virginia Tech did it. Once I saw that, I was like surely Raelin will come with me. I'm just very excited and glad she's going to be with me."

This weekend, Chaffin became the eighth pitcher in program history to win 20 games in a season, which leads the SEC in 2025, and the first Bulldog to do so since 2015. Her 16 complete games rank third in the SEC, and she is second in the league in innings pitched (145.0). The Bulldog ace has struck out 173 batters, which is 18th nationally and seventh in program history.

The Bossier City, Louisiana, native has already tied the single-season school record with nine wins in conference play with one series still remaining on the schedule. Her 7.00 strikeouts per seven innings in league games ranks fifth in program history. She spent her first three seasons at LSU, but she has nearly matched her career win total this year alone while doubling her innings pitched from her previous single-season high and turning in her lowest ERA in her four-year career.

"I was telling [assistant coach] Zac [Shaw] I didn't think they'd take us both," Chaffin said. "That was fine. I was super happy for Sierra. We've been talking about it for weeks like if this girl doesn't get drafted, I'm going to lose my mind because she's one of the best players I've ever played with. I think that's why a lot of emotions came out because it was just true shock. I'm really, really thankful for the opportunity."

Sacco and Chaffin bring MSU's total of professional players to 28. Of those, 16 were coached by Ricketts for at least one season at MSU. Nine Bulldogs have gone on to pro careers in the six years since she was named the program's head coach, and at least one player has signed a professional contract in each of the last five seasons.

Former Bulldog catcher and All-American Mia Davidson was already selected in the league's inaugural draft in January during which each of the four teams selected its first 12 players. Davidson will play with the Bandits this summer after being taken with the first pick of the fifth round (No. 17 overall).

The AUSL begins play on June 7 with the Bandits and Talons meeting in Chicago, Illinois, and the Volts and Blaze matching up in Wichita, Kansas.

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

Sacco, Chaffin Receive AUSL Draft Golden Tickets

Players Mentioned

Raelin Chaffin

Sierra Sacco

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