Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
November 11, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE โ Samantha Ricketts and Mississippi State softball added five players on National Signing Day, including two pitcher/utility players, two infielders and a catcher.
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Four of the five players have been ranked by at least one major recruiting outlet. Middle infielder Bayleigh Taylor is No. 8 at her position in the class according to Softball America, while catcher Lacy VanTuinen is No. 13 and utility/pitcher Lexi Lohnes is No. 15 at their respective positions. Lohnes is also considered the No. 9 outfielder in the class by Extra Innings Softball.
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Notably, Taylor is the No. 20 overall player in the class according to Perfect Game, making her the program's 11th top-20 overall recruits since 2015.
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"We are really excited to welcome this group of future Bulldogs to Mississippi State," Ricketts said. "They bring a tremendous amount of talent, athleticism and versatility, and each of them has the ability to make a big impact on our program. This is a group of competitors who are passionate about the game and have a lot of potential to continue to grow and develop here at State. I want to thank Coach Bratton, Coach Shaw and Coach Mowatt-McKinney for all of their hard work in putting this class together and building relationships with these young women and their families. We are excited about what this group brings to our program and can't wait to get them to Starkville and in the Maroon and White."
MSU's signees hail from Mississippi, Georgia, Iowa, California, Missouri and Texas. Ankeny, Iowa, native Lauren Sandholm is MSU's second signee from the city in back-to-back seasons and was high school rivals with current Bulldog freshman Kensi Arringdale and played against freshman Lexi Thigpen.
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The class was considered the No. 19 signing day haul in the nation by Softball America and No. 23 by D1Softball. Under Ricketts, State has brought in six consecutive top-25 classes.
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The full class can be found below.
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow onย Twitter,ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSB."
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Four of the five players have been ranked by at least one major recruiting outlet. Middle infielder Bayleigh Taylor is No. 8 at her position in the class according to Softball America, while catcher Lacy VanTuinen is No. 13 and utility/pitcher Lexi Lohnes is No. 15 at their respective positions. Lohnes is also considered the No. 9 outfielder in the class by Extra Innings Softball.
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Notably, Taylor is the No. 20 overall player in the class according to Perfect Game, making her the program's 11th top-20 overall recruits since 2015.
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"We are really excited to welcome this group of future Bulldogs to Mississippi State," Ricketts said. "They bring a tremendous amount of talent, athleticism and versatility, and each of them has the ability to make a big impact on our program. This is a group of competitors who are passionate about the game and have a lot of potential to continue to grow and develop here at State. I want to thank Coach Bratton, Coach Shaw and Coach Mowatt-McKinney for all of their hard work in putting this class together and building relationships with these young women and their families. We are excited about what this group brings to our program and can't wait to get them to Starkville and in the Maroon and White."
MSU's signees hail from Mississippi, Georgia, Iowa, California, Missouri and Texas. Ankeny, Iowa, native Lauren Sandholm is MSU's second signee from the city in back-to-back seasons and was high school rivals with current Bulldog freshman Kensi Arringdale and played against freshman Lexi Thigpen.
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The class was considered the No. 19 signing day haul in the nation by Softball America and No. 23 by D1Softball. Under Ricketts, State has brought in six consecutive top-25 classes.
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The full class can be found below.
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Brooklyn Atha, INF | Buford, Ga. (Buford HS)
Atha is a four-star prospect and the No. 8 player in the state of Georgia according to Softball America, which ranks her as the No. 38 middle infielder in the class. Atha helped lead Buford High School to undefeated seasons and state championships in 2023 and 2025 and reached the state championship game in 2024 and 2026. In 2025, she was tabbed a Future Star by Softball America, and she recently closed her career with a .505 average, 13 home runs and 57 RBIs while turning in a 1.649 OPS. On the travel circuit, she won the PGF 18U Premier National Championship with Wow Factor this summer.ย
Lexi Lohnes, UTL/P | St. Charles, Mo. (Francis Howell North HS)
Lohnes is the No. 7 prospect in Missouri, according to Softball America and was also tabbed the No. 15 outfielder by the publication. Extra Innings Softball considers her the No. 9 outfielder in the class. She attended Francis Howell North High School where she recently broke the single-season wins record in the circle. Lohnes was tabbed the 2026 MSHSAA 5A Player of the Year after hitting .520 in her final season with 20 homers and a 1.245 slugging percentage while also recording 257 strikeouts in 141.0 innings. This season, she also broke the Howell North single-game record with a 20-strikeout performance. On the travel circuit, she was tabbed to the 2026 Alliance Championship All-Tournament Team.ย
Lauren Sandholm, P/UTL | Ankeny, Iowa (Ankeny Centennial HS)
Sandholm won the 2023 state title with Ankeny Centennial as an eighth grader and recently took the team back to the state championship game in 2026. She is a three-time all-state selection and holds single season school records for saves, ERA and strikeouts along with Ankeny Centennial career records in wins, innings pitched, saves, ERA and strikeouts. With Select Fastpitch she finished in the top 10 at the PGF National Championships in 2025 and was named a regional finalist for PGF All-American selection. She also played volleyball and qualified for the state track meet and won a state title in unified flag football with her school's Special Olympics program.ย
Bayleigh Taylor, INF | Liberty, Texas (Liberty HS)
Taylor is the nation's No. 8 middle infielder and the No. 10 player in the state of Texas according to Softball America. She is No. 33 overall in the class by the same outlet and considered No. 20 overall by Perfect Game. She was most recently named the Texas High School Class 1-4A Player of the Year and Texas Girls Coaches Association Athlete of the Year after leading Liberty to the state championship. She holds the school's career home run record and is a career .513 (176-for-343) hitter at the high school level. On the travel circuit, she played in the 2026 PGF All-American Futures Game after batting .320 with four homers and 36 RBIs this summer as her team finished third at the PGF National Championships.ย
Lacy VanTuinen, C | Fontana, Calif. (Ganesha HS)
VanTuinen is the No. 13 catcher in the class and State's third top-15-ranked catcher in the last two classes. She is Softball America's No. 22 player in California and No. 82 overall. She won the 2024 CIF Division 6 Championship with Ganesha High School and has been named first team all-league three times. VanTuinen has recorded double-digit homers in every high school season and has twice posted an OPS above 2.000. As a junior, she hit .585 and collected 37 RBIs. VanTuinen hit a walk-off homer to claim the PGF Platinum National Championship for Athletics Mercado this summer and finished the travel season with a 1.307 OPS and 61 RBIs.ย
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow onย Twitter,ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSB."
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Players Mentioned
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