The 2024 state softball championships will begin in Hattiesburg on Tuesday and three teams representing the Southern Six are in contention to bring home the gold.
Hancock, East Central, and St. Patrick advanced after capturing South State titles in their classes.
The Lady Hawks and the Lady Hornets took down region rivals George County and Vancleave with tough 2-1 series wins while the Lady Irish swept through Wesson.
Poplarville fell to Purvis in three games.
The Southern Miss Softball Complex will host all seven classifications in the best-of-three finals this week.
In 6A, the Hancock softball team joins the school’s volleyball team in playing for a state championship. Both of their South State titles came at the expense of the George County Lady Rebels.
Coach Joe Rankin’s squad is 22-4 after its three-game series against the Lady Rebels. Each game was a pitchers’ duel.
Teegan DeWitt outpitched Peyton Collins and drove in two runs in a series-opening 3-2 victory.
Addison Davis helped even the series with a three-hitter as the Lady Rebels won 3-0.
DeWitt went the distance once again in Game Three and got support from Brooklyn Cuevas and Abigail Carver at the plate as the Lady Hawks advanced with a 4-1 victory.
George County ended its season at 24-7.
This will be the first state championship appearance for Hancock as the Lady Hawks take on South Panola, which swept Neshoba Central to advance in the North.
The Lady Tigers are led by Sadie Bright, who is Miss Softball in 6A.
Game One is set for Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. with Game Two scheduled for Thursday at 2:15 p.m. Game Three, if necessary, will be on Saturday at a time to be determined.
In 5A, a similar South State title series played out as Region 4 foes East Central and Vancleave squared off.
The Lady Hornets took the opener 3-2 as Breyona Tanner went the distance and Baleigh Tullos picked up two hits.
Vancleave bounced back behind Brooklyn Rhodes for a 2-0 victory in the second game.
In the series clincher, Tanner once again proved too much in the circle as she limited the Lady Bulldogs to six hits in a 9-0 win.
Lillie Evans and Kailee Lawson each homered in the victory as the Lady Hornets won their third South State title in four years.
To open the 5A state finals, the Lady Hornets will play Corinth at noon on Wednesday. Game Two is set for Friday at 1:15 p.m. Game Three, if necessary, will be on Saturday. East Central’s last state title came in 2009.
St. Patrick extended its playoff roll with a sweep of the 3A South State championship series, defeating Wesson 4-2 and 7-3.
The Lady Irish, who will face Mantachie in the state finals, are 25-11 and have outscored their playoff opponents by a combined score of 99-9.
Seniors Allie Bennett, Maggie Buckley, and Brooklyn Mitchell have the Lady Irish on the cusp of their first state championship since 2018.
Underclassmen Peyton Parks and Zoriah Martin have come up big in the postseason as well for St. Patrick.
Mantachie comes into the series at 30-5 and is led by 3A Miss Softball Ramsey Montgomery. Game One is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m. while Game Two will be on Thursday at noon.
In the 4A South State series, Poplarville fell 5-3 in the opener against Purvis before picking up a win at home and forcing Game Three back in Lamar County.
The Lady Tornadoes shut out the Lady Hornets to advance to face West Lauderdale in the 4A state title series. Poplarville ended the season at 20-11.
