Ricketts Returns To Alma Mater As No. 16 State Meets No. 2 Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. – For the first time in her head coaching career, Samantha Ricketts will return to Norman, Oklahoma, this weekend as her No. 16 Mississippi State team takes on No. 2 Oklahoma.

The Bulldogs will get a taste of the postseason on Friday, playing in Oklahoma City at Devon Field, home of the Women's College World Series. That game has been moved up to a 4 p.m. CT start to avoid potential weather moving in that evening. Saturday and Sunday's games currently remain as scheduled at Love's Field in Norman, but the teams will re-evaluate the forecast on Friday.

Ricketts played four years at Oklahoma where she was an All-American under Patty Gasso. She is looking to become the first former Gasso player to win a game as a head coach against the NFCA Hall of Famer. With a series win, Ricketts would also break the Mississippi State record for ranked wins as a head coach.

With just one win in the series, State will assure itself of double-digit conference wins in back-to-back years for the first time since 2014-15. Last year, the Bulldogs won 12 games – their highest SEC win total since the league switched to a 24-game schedule in 2013 – and finished with a .500 record in league games for the first time since 2007.

In the past two years, State has won 21 conference games, which ranks fifth in the SEC. The Bulldogs' 29 run-rule wins in that span rank sixth. State set a program record with 15 run-rule wins a year ago, and the Bulldogs boast 14 this season.

Game Coverage

Friday, April 17
4 p.m. – vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (Devon Park; Oklahoma City, Okla.) | Watch on SoonerSports.com | Live Stats

Saturday, April 18
1 p.m. – No. 2 Oklahoma (Love's Field; Norman, Okla.) | Watch on SEC Network | Live Stats

Sunday, April 19
1 p.m. – No. 2 Oklahoma (Love's Field; Norman, Okla.) | Watch on SEC Network+ | Live Stats

Leading Off

Facing Her Former Coach: Samantha Ricketts was an All-American under Patty Gasso at Oklahoma and will face her mentor for the sixth time as a head coach this weekend. No former Gasso player has ever beaten her as a head coach.

Ricketts' Record Year: MSU is just four wins shy of Samantha Ricketts' highest win total in a season with at least 10 games remaining. MSU's team batting average (.328), on-base percentage (.418) and slugging percentage (.569) would all be single-season school records.

Dawgs At Devon: Mississippi State will return to Devon Park, the home of the Women's College World Series, on Friday night for the first time since 2017. State is 1-0 in the storied stadium, winning neutral-site contest against UAB, 8-0, in six innings following a tournament in Norman.

Taking Down Top Teams: Samantha Ricketts boasts 43 victories against NFCA-ranked opponents in her coaching career, which ranks second all-time at Mississippi State. With a win in the series, State will have beaten multiple top-5 teams in the same season for the sixth time and first since 2022, when they beat No. 4 Florida and No. 2 Florida State in true road games.

Wesolowski's Weekly Award: Ella Wesolowski was named SEC Co-Player of the Week after batting .750 (6-for-8) with three doubles, four RBIs and a 1.125 slugging percentage while throwing out three runners.

SEC Sluggers: The Bulldogs lead the SEC in slugging percentage in conference games (.524). Morgan Stiles leads the team in home runs (5), RBIs (14) and slugging percentage (.829) in conference play. Her SEC-only slugging percentage is fourth in the league.

Sierra Sets The Table: Sierra Sacco is among the top 10 nationally in batting average (4th), hits (9th), runs (9th) and on-base percentage (5th). MSU is 60-9 when she scores since the start of last year.

Dual-Out Damage: The Bulldogs have already collected 98 two-out RBIs, which ranks 10th in program history. This year is one of three in program history in which State has averaged more than two two-out RBIs per game.

Barbary's Big Year: Nadia Barbary already has single-season career highs in hits (50), homers (8) and total bases (85), and her slugging percentage is 140 points higher than it has been in any prior season of her career.

About Oklahoma (36-5, 10-5 SEC)

Series History

Overall: 0-8 | Home: 0-2 | Away: 0-1 | Neutral: 0-5
Current Streak: Lost 8 | Last Meeting: Feb. 23, 2024, in Cathedral City, Calif. (OU 9, MSU 3)

Notables

After losing its series at Alabama in walk-off fashion on Monday night, Oklahoma is now 11-4 against ranked teams and 8-4 against ranked SEC teams. The Sooners previously played in Devon Park on April 9 to host then-No. 18 Oklahoma State. That game saw an NCAA regular-season record 9,259 fans in attendance. Oklahoma is fourth nationally with 77 homers, and of those, 42 have been hit by newcomers. The Sooners are also fourth nationally and second in the SEC in on-base percentage and walks offensively and WHIP defensively. They lead the conference in slugging percentage overall, but their SEC-only slugging percentage is fourth in the league.

On Deck

State remains on the road next weekend and heads to Lexington, Kentucky. The No. 16 Bulldogs will face the Wildcats on April 25-27.

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Ricketts Returns To Alma Mater As No. 16 State Meets No. 2 Oklahoma

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Sierra Sacco

Morgan Stiles

Ella Wesolowski

Mississippi State University Athletics

Ricketts Returns To Alma Mater As No. 16 State Meets No. 2 Oklahoma

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Sierra Sacco

Morgan Stiles

Ella Wesolowski

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