Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs To Open 2027 Season At NFCA Leadoff Classic
September 22, 2026 | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. โย The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has released the schedule for its annual NFCA Leadoff Classic tournament in Clearwater, Florida, on Feb. 11-14. Mississippi State will open its 2027 season at the event, playing five games in three days from Feb. 11-13.
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Four of the eight Women's College World Series teams from 2026 will be in attendance. Mississippi State won the event in 2020 in head coach Samantha Ricketts' first season at the helm. This spring will be the Bulldogs' 10th appearance in the tournament, and they are 8-1 in the competition under Ricketts.
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The Bulldogs will open the event against LIU in the tournament's first game at 2 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 11. Following that contest, State will be one of eight teams in action at 5 p.m. when the Bulldogs meet Indiana. On Friday, MSU will open the day with a 9 a.m. first pitch against Virginia Tech before playing Liberty at noon. The Bulldogs close the tournament on Saturday against Nebraska at noon.
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MSU's last meetings with both Liberty, Indiana and Nebraska came in Clearwater in 2020, 2023 and 2025, respectively. The Bulldogs have not played LIU since 2014 and have not seen Virginia Tech since 2005.
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New in 2027 is the addition of the "Elevate the Game Incentive" program, which was made possible by a recent generous $100,000 donation from Tracy and John Sellers. "Elevate the Game" is one of the NFCA's core principles. The trailblazing incentive initiative will afford teams the ability to earn a financial award for their respective team based upon the NFCA's purpose, core values, and mission. Over the four-day event, all participating programs are eligible to receive allocations, ensuring equal access to incentives regardless of conference affiliation or 2026 performance.
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In addition to the tournament champion earning $50,000, there are targeted incentives totaling $50,000 will be distributed across three distinct award tracks that align with the core NFCA pillars of "Innovate. Inspire. Coach". "Innovate" rewards team statistical leaders (two offense & two defense), "Inspire" is presented to the program which best embodies sportsmanship, integrity, and the mission of the NFCA, and "Coach" is presented in recognition of outstanding coaching performance, strategic execution, and overall team leadership.ย
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All games will be streamed live for free on the GameChanger app with select games televised nationally on MLB Network. Tickets are now available for purchase on NFCA.org.
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow onย X (formerly Twitter),ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSB."
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Four of the eight Women's College World Series teams from 2026 will be in attendance. Mississippi State won the event in 2020 in head coach Samantha Ricketts' first season at the helm. This spring will be the Bulldogs' 10th appearance in the tournament, and they are 8-1 in the competition under Ricketts.
ย
The Bulldogs will open the event against LIU in the tournament's first game at 2 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 11. Following that contest, State will be one of eight teams in action at 5 p.m. when the Bulldogs meet Indiana. On Friday, MSU will open the day with a 9 a.m. first pitch against Virginia Tech before playing Liberty at noon. The Bulldogs close the tournament on Saturday against Nebraska at noon.
ย
MSU's last meetings with both Liberty, Indiana and Nebraska came in Clearwater in 2020, 2023 and 2025, respectively. The Bulldogs have not played LIU since 2014 and have not seen Virginia Tech since 2005.
ย
New in 2027 is the addition of the "Elevate the Game Incentive" program, which was made possible by a recent generous $100,000 donation from Tracy and John Sellers. "Elevate the Game" is one of the NFCA's core principles. The trailblazing incentive initiative will afford teams the ability to earn a financial award for their respective team based upon the NFCA's purpose, core values, and mission. Over the four-day event, all participating programs are eligible to receive allocations, ensuring equal access to incentives regardless of conference affiliation or 2026 performance.
ย
In addition to the tournament champion earning $50,000, there are targeted incentives totaling $50,000 will be distributed across three distinct award tracks that align with the core NFCA pillars of "Innovate. Inspire. Coach". "Innovate" rewards team statistical leaders (two offense & two defense), "Inspire" is presented to the program which best embodies sportsmanship, integrity, and the mission of the NFCA, and "Coach" is presented in recognition of outstanding coaching performance, strategic execution, and overall team leadership.ย
ย
All games will be streamed live for free on the GameChanger app with select games televised nationally on MLB Network. Tickets are now available for purchase on NFCA.org.
ย
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow onย X (formerly Twitter),ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSB."
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Friday, May 29
Thursday, May 28
Wednesday, May 27
Sunday, May 24