OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (WLBT) – Mississippi State softball has officially entered uncharted territory.
For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs are playing in the Women’s College World Series, opening tournament play Thursday morning against No. 11 seed Texas Tech at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
The matchup features two of the hottest teams remaining in college softball, elite pitching staffs and one of the biggest postseason storylines in the country after Mississippi State stunned Oklahoma in Norman to punch its first-ever WCWS ticket.
For Mississippi State, simply reaching Oklahoma City already represents the biggest milestone in program history. But after eliminating Oklahoma on its home field, the Bulldogs are no longer viewed nationally as a feel-good underdog story. They are now viewed as a legitimate threat.
“We’re the only unseeded team in Oklahoma City this week, and we’re not supposed to be here, according to all the experts, and that’s exactly how we like it,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “We’re very much a program and a team where we don’t want people to pick us, we want to be counted out, because that’s when we get to play free and loose and prove people wrong.”
The coach who came home — and won
Samantha Ricketts is a former Oklahoma Sooner. She played at Oklahoma under legendary head coach Patty Gasso from 2006-09, breaking the program’s career home run record and RBI record at the time. She later returned as a graduate assistant under Gasso from 2010-11.
Then she went to Starkville. And last Sunday, she went back to Norman — and beat her old coach. Twice.
Ricketts became the first former Oklahoma player to defeat Patty Gasso, doing so in Game 1 of the Super Regional and then again in the clinching Game 3.
“It’s something that we’ve all foreseen and worked really hard to prove,” Ricketts said. “When a lot of people counted out Mississippi State and what we could accomplish here in Starkville, this group and the ones that came before them truly believed that it was possible.”
How Mississippi State got here
Mississippi State enters the WCWS at 43-19 overall after one of the most impressive postseason runs in the country.
The Bulldogs survived regional play before traveling to Norman and defeating Oklahoma in the Super Regional round — ending the Sooners’ nine-consecutive WCWS appearance streak, the longest active streak in the NCAA.
The defining moment came Sunday in Game 3. Mississippi State shut out Oklahoma 6-0 behind one of the greatest pitching performances in school history from sophomore right-hander Delainey Everett.
Everett threw a complete-game shutout while allowing only three hits in her first career start.
Mississippi State became the first team to shut out Oklahoma since Alabama did so during the 2019 Women’s College World Series, ending the Sooners’ streak of 399 consecutive games without being shut out. The Bulldogs are also the only team to beat Oklahoma twice this season.
Mississippi State’s win also marks the first time a program has reached its first-ever WCWS appearance by defeating the Sooners — and the first time since 2015 that Oklahoma has failed to reach Oklahoma City.
Now Mississippi State arrives in Oklahoma City as the only unseeded team in the field — carrying major momentum and a rapidly growing national reputation. The Bulldogs’ five NCAA Tournament wins this postseason are already a school record.
“Looking back at our freshman season, we never even made postseason, so it’s really a full circle moment to know that we really put our head down, put in the work, worked hard enough, and just the never-ending belief from our coaches, from Starkville, from everyone around us to just continue to push us through the highs and through the lows,” senior Morgan Bernardini said.
Battle-tested and ready
The hostile environment at Oklahoma prepared Mississippi State for this moment.
“That environment was huge to prepare us, because you’re not going to play in anything tougher than what we just did for three games,” Ricketts said. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen… We’re ready for this moment. We were prepared for that because of the schedule we played — eight SEC series against top 25 RPI opponents.”
The WCWS first-timer challenge
No team in the last 20 years has won the Women’s College World Series in their first appearance.
Only one first-time program — last year’s Texas Tech squad, ironically Thursday’s opponent — has even reached the WCWS finals in that span. Six first-time teams have left Oklahoma City without winning a single game.
The last program to win it all in its first WCWS appearance was Oklahoma in 2000 — the same program Mississippi State just eliminated.
“I think it’s kind of poetic that now after we beat them, we’re the team that gets to come for the first time,” Ricketts said. “For us, it’s going to continue to be focusing on Mississippi State softball, and why not us?”
This is not last year’s matchup
The two programs are familiar with each other — but this is not the same matchup from a year ago.
Texas Tech ended Mississippi State’s 2025 season in the Lubbock Regional, combining for 19 runs on 28 hits in two wins over the Bulldogs. But Mississippi State returned just four starters from that team, while Texas Tech returned three.
The Bulldogs completely rebuilt their pitching staff with transfers, and the results have been dramatic.
The Texas Tech challenge
Texas Tech enters Oklahoma City at 57-7 overall and has spent most of the season ranked among the nation’s elite teams.
The Red Raiders are led by one of the most dangerous pitching duos in college softball. NiJaree Canady is 25-6 with a 1.78 ERA and 226 strikeouts on the season, ranking No. 11 nationally. She has become nationally known for her overpowering stuff, elite strikeout ability and ability to completely control games from the circle.
But Canady is no longer the only arm Mississippi State has to worry about. Kaitlyn Terry is 24-1 with a 1.68 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP that ranks eighth nationally. She is also the team’s best hitter, batting .457 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. Terry was not on Texas Tech’s roster last season, making her a genuine unknown for the Bulldogs.
Texas Tech also brings massive offensive firepower. The Red Raiders rank No. 2 nationally in team batting average (.384), No. 2 in hits (628), No. 3 in home runs (136) and No. 3 in total runs (611). Leading that charge is Mia Williams, who has slugged 24 home runs with 82 RBIs, a .435 batting average and a .927 slugging percentage.
Mississippi State pitching
Alyssa Faircloth is expected to start Thursday. The junior left-hander transferred from Troy and was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year. Faircloth enters the WCWS with a 16-7 record, a 2.47 ERA, 264 strikeouts — fifth-most in the country — and opponents batting just .181 against her.
Earlier in the NCAA Tournament, Faircloth delivered arguably the best regional performance in Mississippi State history, setting program NCAA Tournament records for wins, strikeouts and strikeouts looking while not allowing a run in 15.2 innings during regional play.
Delainey Everett enters the WCWS at 3-1 with a 0.69 ERA. Her complete-game shutout against the Sooners marked the first seven-inning shutout of her career — and one of the most important wins in school history. Everett now gives Mississippi State something every WCWS contender needs: multiple trusted postseason arms.
Peja Goold, a transfer from Chattanooga, is 15-11 with a 2.36 ERA and eight shutouts on the season — tied for fourth in the NCAA.
Together, Faircloth, Everett and Goold have helped Mississippi State to a 2.29 team ERA that ranks No. 8 nationally. That depth becomes critical in a double-elimination format.
Key Mississippi State hitters
Mississippi State’s offense is not built entirely around home runs, but the lineup has become significantly more dangerous late in the season.
Nadia Barbary — .330 batting average, 14 home runs, 41 RBIs, .607 slugging percentage – has become one of Mississippi State’s biggest power threats and can change games quickly with one swing.
Kiarra Sells — .329 batting average, 14 home runs, .468 on-base percentage, 44 runs scored – creates constant pressure offensively because of her patience and ability to reach base.
Morgan Stiles — .314 batting average, 61 hits, Mississippi State career NCAA Tournament hits leader. Stiles continues delivering in postseason moments. Last season in the Lubbock Regional, Stiles collected three hits against Canady alone.
Kinley Keller and Morgan Bernardini both delivered huge offensive moments against Oklahoma and enter Oklahoma City playing some of their best softball of the season. Keller and Bernardini combined for five RBIs in the Super Regional clincher against the Sooners.
The WCWS format
The Women’s College World Series operates as a double-elimination tournament before the championship series.
If Mississippi State defeats Texas Tech on Thursday, the Bulldogs advance into the winner’s bracket and will face the winner of Tennessee vs. Texas on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT on ABC.
If Mississippi State loses, the Bulldogs fall into elimination play Friday evening at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 against the loser of Tennessee vs. Texas.
Thursday’s opener is important. Historically, teams remaining in the winner’s bracket gain major advantages because of pitching management and recovery time.
What this moment means
Regardless of what happens Thursday morning, Mississippi State softball has already changed the trajectory of the program. The Bulldogs have reached the WCWS for the first time, eliminated Oklahoma in Norman, become one of the biggest stories in college softball and established themselves nationally.
“A lot of us tend to look back at the perspective of like we’re playing for our younger selves,” Bernardini said. “When I get a little overwhelmed in a game, or like if a moment gets a little too big, I’ll look in the stands and I see all of the little girls who I was in that same situation…. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, you’re never out of a fight. As long as you work hard, you’re determined, you can determine your destiny.”
History says first-timers rarely win it all. But history also said Mississippi State couldn’t shut out Oklahoma.
Now comes the next challenge: proving this run is not simply historic — but sustainable.
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