UPDATE 07/22/19: Mississippi State officially announced Ricketts as their new head coach.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Samantha Ricketts has been named head coach at Mississippi State, according to a report from Eric Lopez of In the Circle podcast.
Sources confirmed to JWOS that an official announcement is expected imminently on Monday.
Ricketts spent the last five years on the Bulldogs’ coaching staff, including the 2019 season as the program’s Associate Head Coach. Working with the program’s offense, she served as the top assistant for the program and was part of a staff that led the program to four NCAA tournament appearances.
Under Ricketts’ tutelage, the Bulldogs’ offense posted a team batting average of .296 during the 2019 season, with seventy-two home runs. Three players hit double-digit home runs on the season, including sophomore Mia Davidson with 26 longballs.
Davidson has blossomed in her two years as a Bulldog, with forty-five home runs to her credit, as well as the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year trophy and a 2019 all-American nod.
Prior to joining the staff at Mississippi State, Ricketts spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Wichita State. She also spent a pair of seasons as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, her alma mater.
As a player, Ricketts was a two-time all-American and four-time all-Big 12 selection during her playing career at Oklahoma.
