Five Bulldogs Voted To All-Region Teams

EUGENE, Ore. – No. 20 Mississippi State saw a five players named to the NFCA All-Region teams on Thursday afternoon. The five players are the second-most in program history, trailing only last year's record-setting six selections.

Peja Goold (P) was named to the First Team while Alyssa Faircloth (P) and Kiarra Sells (OF) were tabbed to the Second Team. Nadia Barbary (3B) and Morgan Stiles (SS) rounded out the selections on the Third Team.

The Bulldogs have had multiple all-region selections in nine consecutive seasons, dating back to 2017 and excluding the canceled 2020 season when no awards were given.

Mississippi State will play Saint Mary's (CA) on Friday in the Eugene Regional at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. With a win, State would play the winner of No. 12/13 Oregon and Idaho State at 4 p.m. on Saturday. With a loss, they would play the loser of that contest at 6:30 p.m.

Peja Goold – First Team – Pitcher

Goold, who was one of 17 players drafted to the play in the AUSL and was selected as USA Today Sports' SEC Newcomer of the Year, earned her second consecutive First Team All- South Region honor. Entering the NCAA Tournament, she ranks fourth in the nation with eight shutouts and is among the top 15 nationally in hits per seven innings (4.49) and WHIP (0.96). She has allowed a .177 batting average against that would rank among the top five in MSU single-season history.

In her final campaign, she has thrown her first career no-hitter while tallying five one-hitters. In just one year, she cracked the MSU career top-10 in shutouts, and that total is second in the program's single-season history. She is also boasts State's top-10 marks in strikeouts per seven innings (8.33) and total strikeouts (169).

Alyssa Faircloth – Second Team – Pitcher

Faircloth, the SEC coaches' selection as Newcomer of the Year, has established herself as one of the nation's premier strikeout arms. She leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 235 strikeouts, which is third in MSU single-season history. Along the way, she has broken State's single-season record for strikeouts looking (58). Faircloth ranks fifth nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (10.73) and fielding independent pitching (1.82). She is No. 13 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.61).

The Northport, Alabama, native has eight games with double-digit strikeouts this season and has four games with 14 punchouts, which is tied for the fifth-highest single-game mark in school history. She leads the nation in called strike plus whiff rate with a strike on 39.6 percent of her pitches. She has struck out 38.0 percent of batters she has faced, which is fifth nationally. This year's selection is the first all-region recognition of her career.

Kiarra Sells – Second Team – Outfield

Sells earned her first career all-region recognition after starting every game in right field and leading the team in average (.352), slugging percentage (.724), on-base percentage (.489), runs (43), doubles (12), home runs (14), total bases (105), walks (35) and stolen bases (8). She is also second on the team in RBIs (30). Sells posted 14 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games along with a career-long 18-game reached base streak.

After beginning her time in Starkville as a walk-on, she now finds herself among the top five in MSU history in career slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS and hit-by-pitches. In the regular season alone, she ranked fourth among SEC outfielders in both home runs and OPS. Her development caught the eye of the professional ranks as well as she was selected with a provisional pick in this year's AUSL Draft.

Nadia Barbary – Third Team – Third Base

For the third year in a row, Barbary was tabbed to an all-region team, making her just the sixth player in program history to earn three all-region honors at State. The senior started all 56 games at third base while batting .331, which is second on the team. She leads the team in hits (57) and RBIs (37) and ranks second in doubles (11), homers (12), total bases (104), runs (30) and slugging percentage (.605). Entering the NCAA Tournament, she needs just one hit to become the 13th player in school history with 200 for her MSU career.

This year saw Barbary climb into the top 10 in MSU career history in doubles, homers, total bases and RBIs. She has also tied the Bulldogs' career grand slam record and is third all-time among MSU third basemen in fielding percentage at the hot corner. The last two years have seen her produce 24 doubles and 23 home runs after recording just 30 total extra-base hits in her first two seasons. This year, her .999 OPS ranks third among third basemen in the conference.

Morgan Stiles - Third Team – Shortstop

Stiles earned her first career all-region honors this spring. The sophomore started every game at shortstop and ranked third on the team with a .308 average. She was second on the team in hits (53), runs (30), on-base percentage (.399) and walks (24) and third in total bases (68). Her 13 multi-hit games this year rank second on the team. She started the year on a 12-game hitting streak and 15-game reached-base streak. Stiles was fifth among SEC shortstops in OPS this season.

She was even more impressive defensively. After shifting over from second base, she posted a .977 fielding percentage with just three errors on the season. She led all SEC shortstops in fielding percentage and in conference play she had just one miscue in 57 chances.

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Five Bulldogs Voted To All-Region Teams

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Players Mentioned

Nadia Barbary

Alyssa Faircloth

Peja Goold

Kiarra Sells

Morgan Stiles

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