State Well Represented At USA Softball International Cup
July 29, 2026 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – Four former Bulldogs will be in action at USA Softball's International Cup this week as Samantha Ricketts' Team American Samoa squad includes three of her former players. Sierra Sacco-Ferrie is also competing as a member of the U.S. Elite team.
In her second tournament leading American Samoa, Ricketts has added Chloe Malau'ulu to a roster that also includes Matalasi Faapito and Kiarra Sells, who both made their international debuts earlier this month at the Canada Cup.
The tournament will span five days from July 30-Aug. 3 in Oklahoma City. The event will feature 20 games as some of the top teams in the world compete on the international stage. Team USA will field both its national team and an elite team in separate pools. Any game featuring one of those two squads will be available to watch on ESPN+ with all remaining contests streaming on USASoftball.tv.
A World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)-sanctioned event, the International Cup will be split into two pools with No. 1 Japan, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 42 American Samoa and the U.S. Elite Team in Group A and No. 2 USA, No. 11 Australia, No. 4 Canada and No. 8 China in Group B.
Faapito and Sells helped American Samoa go 5-5 at the Canada Cup with two wins each over Singapore and the Chinese Taipei development team along with a victory against Peru. Malau'ulu has international experience with the squad from last summer when she helped the nation win gold at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games while batting .500 (12-for-24) with three doubles, a homer and eight RBIs.
Sacco-Ferrie played with the full national team in the USA Down Under series in Australia in January where she hit .375 (3-for-8) with two solo homers and five runs scored in her international debut.
The Americans have fielded a Women's Elite Team on three occasions since the tournament began in 2005 – 2010, 2016 and 2018 – posting a 12-6 all-time record while the full national team is 83-8 all-time. American Samoa will make its first appearance at the event this year.
Play begins on Thursday, July 30 when Ricketts and company open the tournament at 10 a.m. CT against Japan. Sacco-Ferrie and the U.S. Elite Team open up against Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will all share the same field in a head-to-head matchup on Friday at 4 p.m. with that game airing on ESPN+.
Following pool play, the top two teams from each group will advance to the playoff round on Sunday, Aug. 2, with the medal games slated for Monday, Aug. 3.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
In her second tournament leading American Samoa, Ricketts has added Chloe Malau'ulu to a roster that also includes Matalasi Faapito and Kiarra Sells, who both made their international debuts earlier this month at the Canada Cup.
The tournament will span five days from July 30-Aug. 3 in Oklahoma City. The event will feature 20 games as some of the top teams in the world compete on the international stage. Team USA will field both its national team and an elite team in separate pools. Any game featuring one of those two squads will be available to watch on ESPN+ with all remaining contests streaming on USASoftball.tv.
A World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)-sanctioned event, the International Cup will be split into two pools with No. 1 Japan, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 42 American Samoa and the U.S. Elite Team in Group A and No. 2 USA, No. 11 Australia, No. 4 Canada and No. 8 China in Group B.
Faapito and Sells helped American Samoa go 5-5 at the Canada Cup with two wins each over Singapore and the Chinese Taipei development team along with a victory against Peru. Malau'ulu has international experience with the squad from last summer when she helped the nation win gold at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games while batting .500 (12-for-24) with three doubles, a homer and eight RBIs.
Sacco-Ferrie played with the full national team in the USA Down Under series in Australia in January where she hit .375 (3-for-8) with two solo homers and five runs scored in her international debut.
The Americans have fielded a Women's Elite Team on three occasions since the tournament began in 2005 – 2010, 2016 and 2018 – posting a 12-6 all-time record while the full national team is 83-8 all-time. American Samoa will make its first appearance at the event this year.
Play begins on Thursday, July 30 when Ricketts and company open the tournament at 10 a.m. CT against Japan. Sacco-Ferrie and the U.S. Elite Team open up against Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will all share the same field in a head-to-head matchup on Friday at 4 p.m. with that game airing on ESPN+.
Following pool play, the top two teams from each group will advance to the playoff round on Sunday, Aug. 2, with the medal games slated for Monday, Aug. 3.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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