STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head softball coach Samantha Ricketts announced the signing of outfielder Kiersten Landers, a graduate transfer from Florida State, on Monday.

 

Landers brings veteran experience after playing a key role on the Seminoles’ 2021 National Runner-Up team. She is perhaps most well-known for her pinch-hit walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth of the Super Regional against LSU that sent Florida State to Oklahoma City.

 

“We are thrilled to add a championship-caliber player in Kiersten to our roster,” Ricketts said. “Her experience on the biggest stage of our game will add to the goals of our program as we continue to progress forward. We are looking forward to adding her athleticism to our lineup and know she will provide depth on both sides of the plate.”

 

Landers comes to Starkville with two years of eligibility remaining, despite having already graduated from FSU with a degree in sport management. She redshirted her freshman year and saw her second season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she played her first full season that would count towards her eligibility, but she missed the entire 2022 season with injury.

 

In her redshirt freshman season in 2020, she started all but one game and led the team with a .358 batting average while playing in all 24 contests. She was also tied for the team lead in stolen bases and did not make an error in the outfield. In her collegiate debut, she was 3-for-4 with a double in her first at-bat. Later that same day she also collected three hits against No. 2 Alabama. By the end of her first week of collegiate play, she was named the ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 11, 2020.

 

Landers played in 45 games as a sophomore with 38 starts. She again was perfect in the field and was successful on 13-of-15 stolen base attempts. She opened that campaign with a grand slam on Opening Day.

 

The Charleston, West Virginia, native attended Hurricane High School where she was a four-time First Team All-State selection and batted above .500 every year. Hurricane won the state title in her junior and senior seasons. She played travel ball with the WV Outlaws.

 

Academically, Landers is a two-time NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete and four-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

 

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