Goold Selected By Oklahoma City Spark In AUSL College Draft
May 04, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Peja Goold was selected by the Oklahoma City Spark in Monday night's AUSL College Draft, becoming the 19th Bulldog drafted to play professional softball and bringing the program's total of professional players to 29.
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Of those 29 professionals, 17 were coached by Ricketts for at least one season at MSU. Ten Bulldogs have gone on to pro careers in the seven 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 six seasons.
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Goold was the No. 4 pick in the second round (No. 10 overall). She will be the third Bulldog to play in the Spark organization. Chloe Malau'ulu and Fa Leilua played in Oklahoma City in 2023.
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Goold has developed into a top arm nationally during her short time in Starkville. She is third in the nation with eight shutouts and ranks among the top 15 in wins (15), hits allowed per seven innings (4.46) and WHIP (0.96). She has pitched to a 2.13 ERA that leads the team and ranks among the top 40 nationally.
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The Stockton, California, native has thrown a no-hitter and five one-hitters this season. Her three shutouts in SEC play tied the school record and her .177 batting average against in all games would be fourth in school history. She is also among State's single-season top-10 in strikeouts per seven innings (8.32).
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The AUSL enters its second season in 2026 and has expanded to a six-team footprint. Goold joins Sierra Sacco and Mia Davidson. Those two were both selected in the expansion draft in December by the Portland Cascade. Sacco was a part of the champion Talons last summer, while Davidson missed the season with injury though she had been selected by the Bandits, which reached the league championship series.
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All three pro Bulldogs will open the AUSL season on June 9 with teams playing in home cities for the first time.
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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Of those 29 professionals, 17 were coached by Ricketts for at least one season at MSU. Ten Bulldogs have gone on to pro careers in the seven 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 six seasons.
Â
Goold was the No. 4 pick in the second round (No. 10 overall). She will be the third Bulldog to play in the Spark organization. Chloe Malau'ulu and Fa Leilua played in Oklahoma City in 2023.
Â
Goold has developed into a top arm nationally during her short time in Starkville. She is third in the nation with eight shutouts and ranks among the top 15 in wins (15), hits allowed per seven innings (4.46) and WHIP (0.96). She has pitched to a 2.13 ERA that leads the team and ranks among the top 40 nationally.
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The Stockton, California, native has thrown a no-hitter and five one-hitters this season. Her three shutouts in SEC play tied the school record and her .177 batting average against in all games would be fourth in school history. She is also among State's single-season top-10 in strikeouts per seven innings (8.32).
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The AUSL enters its second season in 2026 and has expanded to a six-team footprint. Goold joins Sierra Sacco and Mia Davidson. Those two were both selected in the expansion draft in December by the Portland Cascade. Sacco was a part of the champion Talons last summer, while Davidson missed the season with injury though she had been selected by the Bandits, which reached the league championship series.
Â
All three pro Bulldogs will open the AUSL season on June 9 with teams playing in home cities for the first time.
Â
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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Players Mentioned
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