STARKVILLE — Mississippi State softball is just under a month away from opening the 2026 season and is already reeling in individual honors for an impressive freshman class.

Pitcher Brinkley Moreton, outfielder Kinley Keller and infielder Gabby Schaeffer were all named to the Softball America Freshman Watchlist on Monday.

Keller was named to the D1Softball D100 Freshman watchlist last week in expectation of a big campaign for the Bulldogs. She was a record-breaker in high school at Davenport in New Braunfels, Texas, where her .546 career batting average and 54 home runs set new marks in program history.

As a senior she recorded a .580 average at the plate, a .682 on-base percentage while hitting 18 homers and driving in 71 runs. Keller played travel ball with Texas Bombers Gold, and helped them to win the 2024 Alliance Fastpitch 18U National Championship.

Moreton was one of the top recruits in the country, signing as a two-way player out of Lincoln in Summers, Arkansas, where she was a three-time All-State player with a 1.49 ERA and 305 strikeouts over 150.1 innings and set a single-season state record with 65 RBI as a freshman.

Schaeffer came to Starkville from Monroe, New York, where she helped Monroe-Woodbury High School to back-to-back state championships. She averaged more than .400 at the plate in each season.

MSU softball will begin its season next month at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas, facing Baylor on Opening Day, Feb. 5. The Bulldogs will play their home opener against Southern Miss on Feb. 10.