Although Samantha Ricketts has coached Mississippi State softball against her alma mater Oklahoma in each of the past three seasons, she referred to this year’s postseason matchup as a “full-circle moment.”
Ricketts’ Bulldogs (41-18) will face the No. 3 seed Sooners (51-8) in a best-of-three series in the NCAA Tournament super regionals beginning May 22 (noon CT, ESPN2) at Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
Ricketts played at Oklahoma from 2006-09 and began her coaching career there as a graduate assistant from 2009-11. She has been Mississippi State’s coach since 2020.
“For me personally, just looking at it from a perspective of starting in this program, that was kind of everything that started my career,” Ricketts said on May 21. “And then to continue on with the growth of Mississippi State and to now be back in this position and to be back in Norman is pretty special.”
Ricketts is 0-8 vs Oklahoma and this is the first time they will meet in the NCAA Tournament.
Ricketts was a four-time All-Big 12 player and two-time NFCA All-American. She played under eight-time Women’s College World Series champion coach Patty Gasso, who still leads the Sooners program.
Ricketts said that certain aspects of her coaching style came from how Gasso treated her and what she experienced in her time as a player at Oklahoma.
“When you get to work with different hitters, especially just in this era, this day and age, it’s trying to relate to them each differently, and I think that was something I learned as a player here. … You could see how those relationships (the coaches) had with players bled into their coaching styles. … Not every hitter was coached the same way, and I think that influenced a lot of my coaching style.”
Ricketts also noted how impactful it was to start her coaching career with the Sooners, especially because she got to be on staff while her younger sister Keilani Ricketts starred for the Sooners.
“It was fun to see her grow up in this program,” Ricketts said of Keilani. “… And to be a small part of (her growth) in my coaching journey and kind of start my coaching with my sister and then in the program I played in is something that is always really, truly special to me.”
Mississippi State is playing in the super regionals for just the second time. A series win over Oklahoma would give the Bulldogs their first Women’s College World Series appearance.
“I know that I’m the only one in the dugout that has that special relationship to this program,” Ricketts said. “And while it’s special to be back and have teammates around and see my old coaches, at the end of the day, when the game starts, it’s back to business. And for us, it’s focusing on us and what we can control in the dugout and what we’ve worked hard for within our program the last couple years to build to.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Samantha Ricketts, Mississippi State coach was OU softball star