The softball teams from the Coast that will compete for a championship in 2026
South Mississippi produced five Final Four teams and two state champions in 2025, and isn’t showing any signs of regressing in strength ahead of a new season.
George County and East Central both captured titles last season while Poplarville, Vancleave and Hancock each made it to the semifinal round.
The Coast has another opportunity to showcase its depth of softball talent beginning this month, allowing the next crop of contenders to rise into the spotlight.
Among that group are teams who must adapt to becoming the hunted and others filled with a potent mix of talented, vengeful-minded athletes.
Here’s each team primed for a run at a state championship in 2026.
Vancleave
It was a rebuilding season for the Bulldogs in 2025. That won’t be the case this spring.
Vancleave fielded one of the younger teams on the Coast a year ago and that experience could pay off in a big way as it vies to remove East Central from its seat atop the district and the entire 5A class.
Five underclassmen recorded at least 20 hits last season. Hadleigh Hall led the group with 41 and enters her junior season as one of the better hitters in South Mississippi. Vancleave also returns two-way standout Brooklyn Howard, who tossed 135.1 innings of 3.10 ERA ball as a sophomore.
Look for the Bulldogs to return to form in 2026 as a genuine contender for a deep playoff run.
East Central
If there’s a sport played on grass, East Central and Vancleave will be at each other’s necks in it. The Hornets got over the hump last year, but must replace a deep senior class and fend off their rival Bulldogs.
The reigning title series MVP Abby Danis is back to lead the way after posting a 1.26 ERA from the circle while also returning a Coast-best 53 hits at the plate.
Lizzy Kennedy is coming off a 42-hit season and will help anchor the lineup, as will Valerie Merrill and Hailey Gordon.
East Central will again be a contender in late Spring if it can find reliable pitching outside of Danis this season.
George County
The team that briefly tapped into the MaxPreps national top 25 poll a season ago appears primed to remain one of the best teams in the state, regardless of classification.
The Lady Rebels return 235 of the team’s 236 total hits from last season. George County used three pitchers last year and all three are back in maroon.
The staff led by Peyton Collins and Addison Davis held opponents to a stifling .216 on-base percentage in 2025. Within the lineup card, Kyleigh Howell will continue to be the centerpiece of a lineup that produced five 20-run scorers around her 21 extra base hits.
The 6A classification is George County’s to lose.
Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs and its powerful lineup were dealt an early first round exit from the 7A playoffs in 2025. Pitching was the weak spot, and it proved costly when Brandon plated 12 in Game 3 of the opening-round series to end the Greyhounds’ season.
But Ocean Springs will look a little different in the circle this season. Emma Franklin slides over from D’Iberville for her senior campaign and gives the Greyhounds a signature two-way talent to utilize.
Franklin has a career 1.60 ERA across 183.2 innings and took a huge leap forward at the plate as a junior, bumping her OPS up to 1.080 from .618.
She joins forces with K’Lee Gum, Kerrigan Scott, Laynee Davis and Taylor Farra to form what may be the strongest lineup on the Coast.
“There’s a lot of potential on this team,” Franklin said. “There’s been a lot of team bonding, so I know everyone trusts each other.”
The first regular season games of the year are being played over the weekend and district action will begin in early March.
This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
