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#StateToTheShow: Five Bulldogs Prepare For Professional Seasons
STARKVILLE – As professional softball seasons approach, Mississippi State will be represented by five former players in the Athletes United Softball League (AUSL) and Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF).
Raelin Chaffin and Sierra Sacco’s AUSL career begins with the Talons in Rosemont, Illinois, on Saturday, June 7. They will face off against Mia Davidson’s Bandits, though that franchise will be without the Bulldog star for the first few weeks of the season. Davidson is one of 10 players who will miss the beginning of the season while finishing the first half of the Japan Diamond League (JDL) season. She will return stateside from her obligations with Denso Bright Pegasus on June 16.
This summer will mark the inaugural season for the AUSL, which is transitioning to a traditional team format for the first time. Davidson has previously played three seasons with Athletes Unlimited under its unique individual scoring format. She finished as high as third in the 2023 AUX season and was taken by the Bandits with the first pick in the fifth round of the AUSL Draft in January. She won her first professional team championship overseas this spring, winning Liga Mexicana de Softbol’s Serie De La Reina with the Diablos Rojos.
Sacco concluded her Bulldog career as a consensus All-American and a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She started every game of her career in centerfield and as the leadoff batter. Sacco among the top 10 in MSU single-season history in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, doubles and total bases this year.
Chaffin ended her career receiving NFCA First Team All-South Region and Second Team All-SEC honors. She became the first Bulldog pitcher to win 20 games, make 40 appearances and strike out 200 batters since 2015. Along the way, she set a new single-season school record with 10 wins in conference play. She was one of just three SEC pitchers with 200 strikeouts, and the only one to do so without reaching the Women’s College World Series. She led the league in strikeouts looking and ranked fourth in wins and innings pitched.
AUSL games will be broadcast by a combination of ESPN platforms, MLB.TV and local regional networks. ESPN platforms will air 40 of the league’s games, beginning with the Talons vs. Bandits game on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. CT. All games not on ESPN will be available through MLB.TV and the MLB App with no subscription required.
Meanwhile, Aspen Wesley recently re-signed with the WPF’s Monarchs who have relocated from Texas to Orlando, Florida. Chloe Malau’ulu will join her, signing with the franchise this week after spending two seasons with the OKC Spark. The Monarchs open their season in the Bahamas against the relocated Atlanta Smoke on June 19-21.
Last summer, Malau’ulu won an Association of Fastpitch Professionals championship with the Spark. She batted .235 on the season, playing 21 games. Wesley posted a 2.48 ERA and was named a WPF All-Star in her first professional season.
The Bulldogs have now seen 26 players go on to play professionally with 16 of those being coached by Samantha Ricketts. MSU was one of only two programs in the nation with two AUSL draftees this spring, and at least one future pro has been on the roster every season since 2013.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB.”
Raelin Chaffin and Sierra Sacco’s AUSL career begins with the Talons in Rosemont, Illinois, on Saturday, June 7. They will face off against Mia Davidson’s Bandits, though that franchise will be without the Bulldog star for the first few weeks of the season. Davidson is one of 10 players who will miss the beginning of the season while finishing the first half of the Japan Diamond League (JDL) season. She will return stateside from her obligations with Denso Bright Pegasus on June 16.
This summer will mark the inaugural season for the AUSL, which is transitioning to a traditional team format for the first time. Davidson has previously played three seasons with Athletes Unlimited under its unique individual scoring format. She finished as high as third in the 2023 AUX season and was taken by the Bandits with the first pick in the fifth round of the AUSL Draft in January. She won her first professional team championship overseas this spring, winning Liga Mexicana de Softbol’s Serie De La Reina with the Diablos Rojos.
Sacco concluded her Bulldog career as a consensus All-American and a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She started every game of her career in centerfield and as the leadoff batter. Sacco among the top 10 in MSU single-season history in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, doubles and total bases this year.
Chaffin ended her career receiving NFCA First Team All-South Region and Second Team All-SEC honors. She became the first Bulldog pitcher to win 20 games, make 40 appearances and strike out 200 batters since 2015. Along the way, she set a new single-season school record with 10 wins in conference play. She was one of just three SEC pitchers with 200 strikeouts, and the only one to do so without reaching the Women’s College World Series. She led the league in strikeouts looking and ranked fourth in wins and innings pitched.
AUSL games will be broadcast by a combination of ESPN platforms, MLB.TV and local regional networks. ESPN platforms will air 40 of the league’s games, beginning with the Talons vs. Bandits game on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. CT. All games not on ESPN will be available through MLB.TV and the MLB App with no subscription required.
Meanwhile, Aspen Wesley recently re-signed with the WPF’s Monarchs who have relocated from Texas to Orlando, Florida. Chloe Malau’ulu will join her, signing with the franchise this week after spending two seasons with the OKC Spark. The Monarchs open their season in the Bahamas against the relocated Atlanta Smoke on June 19-21.
Last summer, Malau’ulu won an Association of Fastpitch Professionals championship with the Spark. She batted .235 on the season, playing 21 games. Wesley posted a 2.48 ERA and was named a WPF All-Star in her first professional season.
The Bulldogs have now seen 26 players go on to play professionally with 16 of those being coached by Samantha Ricketts. MSU was one of only two programs in the nation with two AUSL draftees this spring, and at least one future pro has been on the roster every season since 2013.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB.”