High school softball took center stage this week (May 12-May 15) in Hattiesburg at the Southern Miss Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. The action started at high noon on Tuesday, May 12, when Mississippi’s top 14 high school teams began battling for the 2026 State Softball Championship title.
These 14 teams fought hard during regular play and then earned a spot in the state championship games by garnering either a North Half or South Half Championship title, thereby advancing to the state playoffs in Hattiesburg. The championship playoff bracket then matched up these 14 North/South winners from all seven of the official Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) classifications (Divisions 1A through 7A) in its annual “best 2 out of 3” tournament.
Four of the North/South matchups took only two games to crown a victor:
- Lafayette defeated Sumrall to capture the 5A state softball title in two games.
- West Union won its first-ever 1A state softball championship after defeating Sebastopol in two games.
- East Union garnered the 2A gold again (for the 4th time in a row) by defeating Enterprise in two games.
- West Lauderdale took home the 4A championship trophy after defeating Itawamba in two games.
The remaining three North/South state championship battles went into three games, with the final matchups taking place on Friday, May 15:
- Kossuth fought back against West Marion to win the final two games of the series and claim the 3A state softball championship title.
- After losing Game 2 in the series against Ocean Springs, Hernando came back and won the 7A state softball championship crown.
- And in the final high school game of this year’s season, South Panola defeated George County in the bottom of a nail-biting extra inning to capture the 2026 6A state softball championship trophy.
It is also interesting to note that six of the seven winners of the 2026 Miss Softball awards were also participants in the 2026 state tournament this week at Hattiesburg:
Addison Collum, West Union, 1A
Lucy Cochran, East Union, 2A
Caliann Mitchell, Kossuth, 3A
Layla Owens, Itawamba, 4A
Ella Robertson, Sumrall, 5A
Grady Beck Wilson, South Panola, 6A
Presley Merkich, Germantown, 7A.
This prestigious Miss Softball award is presented yearly by C Spire, in conjunction with the Mississippi High School Activities Association and the Mississippi Association of Coaches.
According to the official Mississippi Association of Coaches’ award announcement, “East Union’s Lucy Cochran now owns four “Miss Softball” titles, winning the award each year since its inception. For South Panola, Grady Beck Wilson brings the third straight award to campus (Sadie Bright in 2024 and 2025). Itawamba’s Layla Owens also defends her 2025 crown.”
For more information on the award winners and the 2026 Mississippi High School Softball Championship, go to the “Fast Pitch Softball” tab on the official webpage of the Mississippi High School Activities Association at https://www.misshsaa.com/.
