Mississippi State softball ranked in multiple preseason top 25 polls

The upcoming 2026 softball season will see the Bulldogs once again take the field as one of the nation's 25 best teams.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State softball will begin the 2026 season next month with a number in front of its name.

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 23 in D1Softball's preseason top 25 rankings released Tuesday morning. Last week, Softball America ranked them No. 21. Two other prominent softball polls by NFCA and ESPN/USA have yet to be released.

The Bulldogs also had three players named to Softball America's Freshman Watch List on Monday.

Mississippi State's Kinley Keller, Brinkley Moreton and Gabby Schaeffer were named to the watch list and Keller was named to D1Softball D100 Freshman Watch List.

Keller competed on the travel circuit with Texas Bombers Gold, helping the program capture the 2024 Alliance Fastpitch 18U National Championship before finishing second nationally in 2025. A consistent offensive presence, she posted a batting average north of .300 in every season of her high school career. Keller starred at Davenport High School in New Braunfels, Texas, where she rewrote the record book, owning the school’s career marks in batting average (.546) and home runs (54).

Her senior season was a historic one. Keller set single-season school records in batting average (.580), on-base percentage (.682), slugging percentage (1.556), home runs (18), RBIs (71) and runs scored (56). She was a unanimous choice as District MVP, earned a spot on the Texas High School Coaches Association Super Elite 4A Team and was named MVP of the Austin Area High School All-Star Game.

Moreton showcased her talent on a national stage this summer, earning a spot in The Alliance Fastpitch All-Star Game and facing Keller at the 2025 Colorado Fireworks National Championship. Highly regarded as a recruit, she was ranked No. 23 in her class by Extra Inning Softball and No. 44 by Perfect Game at the time of her signing. A true two-way standout, Moreton recorded more than 800 strikeouts during her high school career and made history as a freshman by setting Arkansas’ single-season RBI record with 65.

Schaeffer arrives from Monroe, New York, after a decorated high school career at Monroe-Woodbury High School, where she helped lead her team to consecutive state championships. A steady presence at the plate, she hit better than .400 in every season and carried that production to the travel ball level with Rock Gold Manetta. Schaeffer also brings a strong defensive résumé, highlighted by a third-place finish at the 2022 PGF Platinum Nationals and a Golden Glove honor from her club in 2021.

D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings

1. Texas
2. Texas Tech
3. Oklahoma
4. Tennessee
5. Florida
6. Oregon
7. Florida State
8. Arkansas
9. Nebraska
10. UCLA
11. Texas A&M
12. LSU
13. South Carolina
14. Alabama
15. Clemson
16. Duke
17. Georgia
18. Stanford
19. Oklahoma State
20. Virginia Tech
21. Arizona
22. Washington
23. Mississippi State
24. Ole Miss
25. Virginia

Softball America Preseason Top 25 Rankings

1. Texas Tech
2. Texas 
3. Oklahoma
4. Tennessee
5. Oregon
6. Florida State
7. Arkansas
8. UCLA|
9. Clemson
10. Florida
11. Nebraska
12. LSU
13. Alabama
14. Texas A&M
15. Georgia
16. South Carolina
17. Arizona
18. Stanford
19. Oklahoma State
20. Duke
21. Mississippi State
22. Washington
23. Virginia
24. Virginia Tech
25. Ole Miss