Five Bulldogs Earn Academic All-District Honors, Goold Academic All-American Finalist
May 26, 2026 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – Mississippi State softball saw five student-athletes named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team this week.
The Bulldogs were represented by Morgan Bernardini, Alyssa Faircloth, Peja Goold, Abby Grace Richardson and Morgan Stiles. Goold is a three-time all-district honoree and will be an Academic All-American finalist for the second year in a row. Bernardini is a two-time all-district honoree at MSU, and Faircloth was an All-American finalist last year while at Troy. Richardson was a junior college Academic All-American in 2023. Goold now advances to a national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.
Goold, graduated this spring with a degree in marketing, and will begin a professional playing career this summer with the OKC Spark. She earned her first two CSC honors while at Chattanooga and has earned Academic All-District honors every year of her career (freshmen are ineligible). She was named a Second Team All-American by Softball America and USA Today Sports' SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Bernardini is graduating with her degree in human development and family science. She too has been named to the SEC Honor Roll every year of her career thus far and was recognized as a NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete in 2024 and 2025. She is State's leading hitter during its historic NCAA Tournament run this season.
Richardson is graduating with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and has already been accepted into nursing school. She earned First Team CSC Academic All-American honors as a sophomore at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and was a member of the SEC First-Year Honor Roll last season. She doubled twice in the Super Regional series at Oklahoma last weekend.
Faircloth's first CSC honor came while she played at Troy. At MSU, she is majoring in kinesiology. This morning she was tabbed a Second Team All-American by D1Softball and she was selected by the SEC head coaches as the Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-SEC. Faircloth threw the only NCAA Tournament no-hitter in school history at the Eugene Regional.
Stiles is majoring in biological sciences with a focus on a career in health care. She earned SEC First-Year Honor Roll recognition last spring. This year, the Bulldogs' shortstop was tabbed Third Team All-South Region by the NFCA. She has started every game and is among the top three on the team in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, walks and runs. Stiles broke the MSU career record for hits in the NCAA Tournament last weekend and will look to add on to her record at the Women's College World Series.
With Goold advancing to the Academic All-America ballot, State will have a chance to claim its ninth Academic All-American in program history. Most recently, Mia Davidson was named a Second Team Academic All-American in 2022.
The Academic All-America program was created in 1952. The voting process was updated in the summer of 2022, raising the minimum GPA and athletic participation standards. Student-athletes must post a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and have played 90 percent of a team's games or started in 66 percent to be eligible. Pitchers must have made 17 appearances or thrown 15.0 innings. Freshmen are not eligible, and each school is limited to five nominations.
The Bulldogs will make their first Women's College World Series appearance on Thursday, May 28, facing No. 4 Texas Tech at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
The Bulldogs were represented by Morgan Bernardini, Alyssa Faircloth, Peja Goold, Abby Grace Richardson and Morgan Stiles. Goold is a three-time all-district honoree and will be an Academic All-American finalist for the second year in a row. Bernardini is a two-time all-district honoree at MSU, and Faircloth was an All-American finalist last year while at Troy. Richardson was a junior college Academic All-American in 2023. Goold now advances to a national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.
Goold, graduated this spring with a degree in marketing, and will begin a professional playing career this summer with the OKC Spark. She earned her first two CSC honors while at Chattanooga and has earned Academic All-District honors every year of her career (freshmen are ineligible). She was named a Second Team All-American by Softball America and USA Today Sports' SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Bernardini is graduating with her degree in human development and family science. She too has been named to the SEC Honor Roll every year of her career thus far and was recognized as a NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete in 2024 and 2025. She is State's leading hitter during its historic NCAA Tournament run this season.
Richardson is graduating with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and has already been accepted into nursing school. She earned First Team CSC Academic All-American honors as a sophomore at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and was a member of the SEC First-Year Honor Roll last season. She doubled twice in the Super Regional series at Oklahoma last weekend.
Faircloth's first CSC honor came while she played at Troy. At MSU, she is majoring in kinesiology. This morning she was tabbed a Second Team All-American by D1Softball and she was selected by the SEC head coaches as the Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-SEC. Faircloth threw the only NCAA Tournament no-hitter in school history at the Eugene Regional.
Stiles is majoring in biological sciences with a focus on a career in health care. She earned SEC First-Year Honor Roll recognition last spring. This year, the Bulldogs' shortstop was tabbed Third Team All-South Region by the NFCA. She has started every game and is among the top three on the team in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, walks and runs. Stiles broke the MSU career record for hits in the NCAA Tournament last weekend and will look to add on to her record at the Women's College World Series.
With Goold advancing to the Academic All-America ballot, State will have a chance to claim its ninth Academic All-American in program history. Most recently, Mia Davidson was named a Second Team Academic All-American in 2022.
The Academic All-America program was created in 1952. The voting process was updated in the summer of 2022, raising the minimum GPA and athletic participation standards. Student-athletes must post a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and have played 90 percent of a team's games or started in 66 percent to be eligible. Pitchers must have made 17 appearances or thrown 15.0 innings. Freshmen are not eligible, and each school is limited to five nominations.
The Bulldogs will make their first Women's College World Series appearance on Thursday, May 28, facing No. 4 Texas Tech at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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