2027 Softball
Meet the Softball coaching staff and explore each coach’s current role and biography.
Head Softball Coach
Samantha Ricketts, one of the rising coaching stars in college softball who has directed the most explosive offenses in Mississippi State history, was named the Bulldogs’ sixth head softball coach on July 22, 2019. Including her time as an assistant coach in Starkville, Ricketts’ 12 years in Maroon and White make her the second-longest-tenured head coach currently at MSU.
Full official bio
Associate Head Softball Coach
Tyler Bratton will enter his 13th year with the Mississippi State softball program in 2026. He was elevated to associate head coach on July 1, 2022, after spending the previous nine years as an assistant coach since December 2013.
Full official bio
Assistant Softball Coach
Taryne Mowatt-McKinney, a former All-American pitcher and the 2007 Women’s College World Series Most Valuable Player, was hired as Mississippi State’s pitching coach on June 30, 2023. In just two seasons, her impact has been immediate.
Full official bio
Assistant Softball Coach
Zac Shaw joined the Mississippi State softball staff in September 2022 as a volunteer assistant coach. He was promoted to a full-time roll in July 2023 with the NCAA’s addition of a fourth paid assistant in softball.
Full official bio
