Baseball, softball playoffs are here. These Coast teams could win a state title
The Mississippi Coast is a hotbed for baseball and softball talent, and continues to prove so with teams contending for state championships on an annual basis.
This year will be no different, with a number of South Mississippi schools vying for a new set of rings.
The playoffs began last week with lower classification brackets sorting out first-round matchups, with 5A-7A joining the frenzy this week.
Here are the five Coast schools with the best shot at snatching hardware in May.
Softball
6A: George County
The Lady Rebels have been tripped up just twice this season, and most recently by a 7A Hernando club that has sat atop the state rankings throughout the year.
George County passed unscathed through its district schedule and swept rival Hancock, who denied the Rebels at South State a year ago. George County is the favorite to come out of 6A’s south side and for good reason.
The one-two combo of Peyton Collins and Addison Davis from the circle is among the best in the state. The pair is a combined 21-1 and is the only teammates in Mississippi that are both top-10 in ERA. The result of their dominance: half of the team’s 24 wins have come via shutout.
The lineup backing them up features six players with at least 20 hits. That doesn’t include slugger Kyleigh Howell, who has 14 extra base hits out of 18 total hits.
George County’s biggest challenger lies on the other side of the state in reigning champion South Panola, who boast returning Miss 6A Sadie Bright.
5A: East Central
The Lady Hornets have won 16 of their last 17 games and have impressive wins over George County and Ocean Springs on their belts.
The reigning South State champs have their sights set on revenge after a two-game sweep at the hands of Corinth in last year’s state final. A shakeup in the standings on the north side may have the door open for an East Central club that breezed through its district schedule without a loss.
East Central deploys a three-girl rotation that has been difficult for opponents to solve. Breyonna Tanner, Abby Danis and Abbie Huff have worked a 1.72 combined ERA while also accounting for 90 of the team’s hits.
Danis leads the team in the latter category as one of three starters with at least 30 hits.
Stone and South Jones represent the biggest challengers for the Hornets on the south side of the bracket.
Dark horses: Hancock, St. Patrick
Baseball
7A: Ocean Springs
The Greyhounds are 20-game winners for the first time since 2016 and poised for a postseason run coming off a dominant three-game sweep of rival Gulfport.
Pitching depth is a strength and a key reason Ocean Springs could play spoiler in a classification that typically handles Coast teams early in the bracket. Ace Jack Jordan brings a 1.27 ERA and is flanked by Tristen Fox and his 0.61 ERA and Adam Clower’s 2.55 ERA.
The emergence of Cannon Hensarling has only improved upon that depth. The senior has made five appearances, allowing just three earned runs in 23.2 innings with 35 strikeouts against only four walks.
If Ocean Springs does sling its way to South State, it’ll likely have Oak Grove and Mississippi State signee Maddox Miller waiting. The 6-foot-4 lefty has mowed down 82 batters in only 45 innings, but showed at least one weakness when Brandon stunned Oak Grove with a 7-2 win that featured six stolen bases from the Bulldogs.
Hensarling and AJ Arguello each have 22 stolen bases and the Greyhounds as a whole have over 100 bases swiped. Leveraging athleticism and pitching could be the key to jumping on the rest of the state.
6A: George County
Lucedale is a diamond town. Both the softball and baseball programs have claimed state titles in the last two years with baseball hawking down its first championship since 1997 in 2024.
The road has been a bit bumpier than last year’s run, but the Rebels are still a strong contender for a second straight title.
Ace Pat McAdory played a pivotal role in last year’s postseason run, sporting a 1.05 ERA across four playoff spots. The senior enters with a 1.42 season ERA and has a sturdy No. 2 in Carson Pierce behind him.
The lineup features five seniors with 20-plus hits. Experience will be important in what may be the most competitive bracket in the state.
Pearl River Central is a legitimate contender and Picayune enters as a dangerous three-seed. Lurking on the other side of the state is 6A runner-up Warren Central and a Saltillo team that won 18 of its 19 games consecutively.
5A: Vancleave
New coach, no problem for the Bulldogs. The reigning 5A state champions have won 15 of their last 16 games and have a 19-1 April record going back to last year.
Seniors Hunter Harper and Martin Shaw are spearheading a run at what Vancleave hopes will be a repeat of last season’s finish. Harper has thrown nearly 200 innings in his career and has a 1.80 ERA in his final campaign. He also has career-bests in hits (33), RBIs (35) and runs (26).
Shaw’s 41 hits are the most in 6A and he leads an offense that also features Max Bates and his team-high 10 doubles and 35 runs.
Florence brings a talented group of arms as Vancleave’s top contender for the South State crown and maybe toughest opponent in the path, with the top seeds from the north side sporting a combined 5-19 record against non-district teams.
Dark horses: Gulfport, Pearl River Central
