For the second year in a row, Mississippi State softball has seen at least one of its players drafted to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
Bulldogs pitcher Peja Goold (15-10, 2.17 ERA) received a golden ticket on April 25, indicating she’d been selected in the AUSL College Draft. On May 4, when the picks were revealed, Goold was announced as the No. 10 overall pick taken by the Oklahoma City Spark in the second round.
Before beginning her professional career, Goold will try to help the Bulldogs to the Women’s College World Series for the first time.
Mississippi State (41-18) is facing No. 3 seed Oklahoma (51-8) in a best-of-three series in the NCAA Tournament super regionals. The Bulldogs won 11-9 in Game 1. Goold is the starting pitcher for Game 2 on May 23 (noon CT, ESPN) after giving up a home run, two walks, a single and a hit-by-pitch in just 17 pitches on May 22.
Here’s what to know about Goold’s AUSL future.
Watch Mississippi State softball vs Oklahoma
What is AUSL?
AUSL is a professional softball league that started in 2025. It features six teams that play a 24-game schedule with a best-of-three championship series at the end.
After the season there is the AUSL All-Star Cup. In this individualized format, players are drafted to new teams each week, earning points for positive plays and team wins. An individual winner is crowned at the end of the four-week season.
What is an AUSL golden ticket?
College players selected in the AUSL draft received a golden ticket during the NCAA season to inform them that they’d been drafted. The AUSL’s draft took place privately before the tickets were handed out periodically throughout the season. The draftees’ teams and order of selections were later revealed at the AUSL Draft Show on May 4.
Goold is the third Mississippi State player to receive a golden ticket. Sierra Sacco-Ferrie and Raelin Chaffin both recieved one last season. Sacco-Ferrie was the No. 5 pick in the 2025 draft and Chaffin was No. 12. Both were selected by the Talons.
Other Mississippi State players playing in AUSL
Former Bulldogs Mia Davidson and Sierra Sacco-Ferrie both play for the Portland Cascade. Kiarra Sells was a provisional draft pick this year meaning she will have the chance to join league’s Reserve Pool. This group of players can be called up by teams at any time to fill roster gaps caused by injury, national team commitments or other reasons.
AUSL salary
In 2025, the average AUSL salary was $40,000, and players had the opportunity to earn up to $80,000.
Peja Goold stats
Goold, a transfer from Chattanooga, has made 36 appearances this season with 25 starts. She’s pitched 148.2 innings, the second-most on MSU’s team.
Goold’s 2.17 ERA ranks ninth in the SEC and her 0.99 WHIP is tied for sixth in the conference and 15th in the NCAA.
She has 178 strikeouts on the season and her opposing batting average is .180. Goold was named the USA TODAY Sports Network’s SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
