Express softball team brings home USSSA title
Jul. 19—If the success of the Mississippi Express is any indication, the future of softball in Northeast Mississippi is bright.
The 14-and-under team recently went to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and claimed the USSSA Gulf Coast National Championship title. The Express went 6-1 during the tournament.
The team operates under the umbrella of Tupelo Parks & Recreation. Softball director Ben Haas said it's the program's first showcase team to win a national tournament.
"It's a pretty big deal. It's something that a lot of our teams have always wanted to accomplish," Haas said.
The Express were coached by Brittany Seale, a 2013 North Pontotoc graduate who played softball at Jones County Junior College and Memphis. This was her first team to coach.
"The girls that I had this past year, I can't say enough good about them," Seale said. "They were easily coachable, and they definitely wanted to learn the game in ways that they hadn't been coached before."
As a showcase team, the Express only play in big tournaments. They won one such tournament in Tupelo on Memorial Day weekend and won a couple more before heading to Gulf Shores.
Seale said her team's two greatest strengths in the USSSA tourney were fielding and running the bases.
"It was very clean softball being played. Outside of their defense, their baserunning was flawless," she said. "Baserunning and defense — you can't beat a team that does that very efficiently."
The team is composed of players from all over Northeast Mississippi. Maggie Parchman, of Corinth, was named tournament MVP, while Alcorn Central's Sydnee Norman was named Most Valuable Pitcher. Madison Buckley of Calhoun City was tabbed Best Defensive Player.
To Haas and Seale both, the Express represent the continued growth of softball in this area.
"Every year it just evolves more and more, and it's getting bigger and bigger every year," Haas said. "It's something special for these girls."