STARKVILLE – A pair of Mississippi State softball student-athletes will return to the program this fall in new roles on staff. All-American and AUSL Champion Sierra Sacco will serve as a student coach, while 2025 all-region selection Lexi Sosa returns as a graduate manager.
Sacco spent two seasons in Starkville, earning All-SEC honors both years on her way to a consensus All-American season as a senior. She was the fifth overall pick in the 2025 AUSL College Draft and played 22 games this summer for the AUSL Champion Talons while batting .300 on the pro circuit.
In her final collegiate season, she posted a .450 average that ranked fourth in program history and 12th nationally. Her 1.286 OPS ranked sixth in MSU single-season history, and she finished the year second all-time for runs (64) and third for doubles (19) in a season. Her average and doubles led the SEC.
A standout with her glove as well, Sacco was tabbed to the AUSL All-Defensive Team and has not made an error in a college or professional game since 2023, a streak that includes 279 combined chances.
“We are so thankful that we get to keep Sierra Sacco and Lexi Sosa in Starkville a little while longer as the newest members of our support staff,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Coming off her first summer as a pro softball player, Sierra will start her coaching career assisting with the hitters and outfield.”
Sosa was one of State’s school-record six all-region selections in 2025. She played in 51 games last year, making 40 starts in the circle and as the designated player. She launched 10 homers in her senior season, and 63 percent of her hits on the year went for extra bases.
Sosa posted a 3-1 record in the circle while picking up two saves and finishing just two strikeouts shy of her single-season career high.
“Lexi will be assisting Matalasi Faapito in throwing batting practice and preparing our hitters,” Ricketts added. “The experience of two former SEC pitchers and an All-American hitter will be invaluable for our preparation mentally and physically as we get ready for another season of Bulldog softball.”
Faapito will enter her second season as a graduate manager after exhausting her eligibility in 2024.
Mississippi State opens its fall exhibition schedule next week on Friday, Sept. 19, hosting Wallace State Community College (2:30 p.m. CT) and Northwest Mississippi Community College (5 p.m. CT). The Bulldogs’ 2026 SEC schedule was released by the…
Sacco spent two seasons in Starkville, earning All-SEC honors both years on her way to a consensus All-American season as a senior. She was the fifth overall pick in the 2025 AUSL College Draft and played 22 games this summer for the AUSL Champion Talons while batting .300 on the pro circuit.
In her final collegiate season, she posted a .450 average that ranked fourth in program history and 12th nationally. Her 1.286 OPS ranked sixth in MSU single-season history, and she finished the year second all-time for runs (64) and third for doubles (19) in a season. Her average and doubles led the SEC.
A standout with her glove as well, Sacco was tabbed to the AUSL All-Defensive Team and has not made an error in a college or professional game since 2023, a streak that includes 279 combined chances.
“We are so thankful that we get to keep Sierra Sacco and Lexi Sosa in Starkville a little while longer as the newest members of our support staff,” head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “Coming off her first summer as a pro softball player, Sierra will start her coaching career assisting with the hitters and outfield.”
Sosa was one of State’s school-record six all-region selections in 2025. She played in 51 games last year, making 40 starts in the circle and as the designated player. She launched 10 homers in her senior season, and 63 percent of her hits on the year went for extra bases.
Sosa posted a 3-1 record in the circle while picking up two saves and finishing just two strikeouts shy of her single-season career high.
“Lexi will be assisting Matalasi Faapito in throwing batting practice and preparing our hitters,” Ricketts added. “The experience of two former SEC pitchers and an All-American hitter will be invaluable for our preparation mentally and physically as we get ready for another season of Bulldog softball.”
Faapito will enter her second season as a graduate manager after exhausting her eligibility in 2024.
Mississippi State opens its fall exhibition schedule next week on Friday, Sept. 19, hosting Wallace State Community College (2:30 p.m. CT) and Northwest Mississippi Community College (5 p.m. CT). The Bulldogs’ 2026 SEC schedule was released by the…
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