Meet the Sun Herald All-South Mississippi Softball Team for the 2022 season
South Mississippi softball surged in 2022 with playoff surprises, explosive individual seasons and dominant performances from Coast veterans.
East Central, led by the Fan’s Choice Player of the Year Bree Phillips, represented the region in the final series before falling short against the Neshoba Central dynasty.
George County shocked the tournament field when it went on an incredible tear through the playoffs despite its losing record, an effort that makes Kasey McCann our Coach of the Year.
Vancleave’s Bryn Daughtery earns Player of the Year after a crushing season from the mound and the plate in the final year of an impressive career as a Bulldog.
Coach of the Year
McCann’s Rebels squeezed into the postseason with a losing record. Upon arrival, George County won six straight games and finished as South State runner-ups.
An earlier decision to infuse the roster with middle school players energized the roster and sparked an improbable run in the 5A playoffs.
Player of the Year
The graduated Bulldog capped a stellar career with a dominating season. She picked up 43 hits, 14 doubles, 4 home runs and 35 RBIs with a .439 batting average. Daughtery also struck out 193 batters in 147.1 innings pitched while working a 1.71 ERA.
Daughtery is following in her sister Erin’s footsteps and is continuing her career at Pear River Community College.
Fan’s choice Player of the Year
Phillips won a tight race to take home the Fan’s Choice honor as East Central’s strongest bat. The sophomore blasted 7 home runs and drove in 34 runs. Phillips had a .439 batting average with 47 hits.
She received 52,212 votes in the poll, beating out Teegan DeWitt’s 44,030. Both girls individually received more votes than every baseball player combined in the baseball Fan Vote poll.
Freshman of the Year
Teegan DeWitt, Hancock
DeWitt was a force from the mound in her freshman season at Hancock. She struck out 196 batters in 104.2 innings pitched while working a 1.07 ERA.
DeWitt also held her own at the plate with 21 hits and 20 RBIs. She helped lead the Hawks to a 19-win season.
Sun Herald Starting Nine
These were South Mississippi’s best baseball players, regardless of position.
- Bryn Daughtery, Vancleave - Daughtery was the Coast’s only player with 100 strikeouts as a pitcher and 40 hits as a batter.
- Teegan DeWitt, Hancock - DeWitt was the top strikeout pitcher on the Coast in her first year on varsity.
- Irina Sanford, George County - Sanford racked up 49 hits as a junior to bolster an impressive .500 batting average.
- Gracie Magee, George County - The sophomore struck out 91 batters from the circle and registered 42 hits and 38 RBIs from the plate.
- Bree Phillips, East Central - Phillips headlines a strong sophomore class on the Coast. She had a career-high 23 extra base hits.
- Kinsley Cospelich, Gulfport - The senior struck out 117 batters with a 2.04 ERA while also batting .369 with 31 hits.
- Bella Crawley, Ocean Springs - Crawley pitched 126.2 innings and struck out 132 batters while working a 1.71 ERA.
- Lauren Parker, St. Martin - Parker had 41 hits from the box while working a 2.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts from inside the circle.
- Karley Rouse, D’Iberville - Rouse picked up 21 RBIs on 23 hits while also striking out 119 batters and crafting a 2.11 ERA.
All-South Mississippi Team
- Kirsten Johnson, Biloxi - Johnson had 24 hits, 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 16 RBIs.
- Sara Bond, Stone - The senior had 24 hits with 4 home runs while also striking out 35 batters.
- Skylar Jones, Stone - Jones drove in 10 runs off 22 hits as a senior.
- Caroline Batson, Stone - Batson had 19 RBIs at the plate and struck out 54 batters from the circle.
- Reeana Williams, Stone - Williams had 26 hits, 6 doubles, 4 home runs and 29 RBIs with a .460 batting average.
- Breyona Tanner, East Central - Tanner had a strong freshman season, pitching to a 1.72 ERA in 73.1 innings.
- Kinsey Cochran, East Central - The sophomore racked up 42 hits with 15 runs driven in.
- Kailee Lawson, East Central - Lawson had 32 hits with 7 doubles and 13 RBIs.
- Lillie Evans, East Central - Evans had 29 hits, 7 doubles, 5 home runs and 36 RBIs in her sophomore season.
- Lauren Brooks, East Central - Brooks struck out 95 batters and had a 1.85 ERA from the circle while also tallying 19 hits.
- Adrianna Cuevas, Hancock - Cuevas had 35 hits, with 9 doubles, and 21 RBIs her junior season.
- Aleah Beaugez, D’Iberville - Beaugez picked up 40 hits as a junior, including 4 home runs, with 16 RBIs.
- Ashton Fairley, George County - Fairley had 40 hits, 11 doubles, 6 home runs and 36 RBIs in her junior season.
- Natalie Jones, George County - Jones brought in 16 runs as a sophomore with 36 hits.
- Jada McCalebb, West Harrison - The junior registered 28 hits with 1 home run and 23 RBIs.
- Peyton Hoffmayer, Ocean Springs - Hoffmeyer picked up 16 extra base hits, including 10 doubles and 5 home runs, while also throwing 40 innings of 3.68 ERA ball.
- Gracie McDonald, Ocean Springs - One of the top freshman on the Coast, McDonald had 36 hits and 10 RBIs.
Brooklynn Montana, Gulfport - The junior had 8 home runs and 40 RBIs while hitting .415.
- Carolina Woodward, Gulfport - Another top-performing freshman, Woodward picked up 39 hits with 15 RBIs.
- Haley Hughes, Gulfport - The sophomore picked up 38 hits and 20 RBIs and struck out 57 batters with a 1.80 ERA.
- Brooklyn Rhodes, Vancleave - Rhodes had 27 hits as a junior with 14 RBIs while also striking out 50 batters and working a 2.52 ERA.
- Lyndi Bakker, Vancleave - Bakker had 27 hits, 8 doubles and 4 home runs while driving in 22 runs as a senior.
- Izzy Martin, Pearl River Central - Martin led the Coast with 10 home runs while driving in 34 runs on 30 total hits.
- Ashlyn Dean, Pearl River Central - The senior had 24 hits, 5 home runs and 24 RBIs with a .275 batting average.
- Bayli Cucinello, Pearl River Central - The only eighth grader on the list, Cucinello struck out 61 batters in 83.1 innings and worked a 1.85 ERA.
- Kylie Burnette, Picayune - Burnette had 119 strikeouts with a 1.76 ERA and notched a perfect game.
Are we missing someone? Send in nominations to swatkins@sunherald.com.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 3:43 PM.
