Softball Hits 15 Win Streak, Looks to Maintain Momentum
Two star players speak to the team's success, resilience, and hopes for the future.
The Mississippi College women’s softball team has seen great success this season, winning 15 games in a row and moving to the top overall spot in the conference. With their series sweep over #21 ranked Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday, March 22, the Choctaws turned their season around after starting conference play being swept by West Alabama. In a recent poll, the Choctaws ranked #24 in the country.
This weekend’s dropped double header against Valdosta State broke the win streak and set the team back to #3 in the GSC. Valdosta State now sits in the conference’s top spot. Still, the Lady Choctaws face the remainder of their season with resilience and optimism.
Two players who have stepped up big for the Choctaws this season are junior transfer Madelynn England and freshman sensation Blakely Gill. England has been impressive at third base all season, as has Gill in the position of catcher. Both players are batting over .400 for the season with 33 RBI’s for Gill and 17 for England, ranking first and second respectively on the team.
As a freshman, Gill has had a start that no one could have expected, including herself. “I made goals for myself before the season, but didn’t really know what those would look like,” Gill said. “I worked really hard and got after it but I really never expected it to be going as well as it has so far, but I definitely worked hard for it.”
The Choctaws’ 15 game win streak was the longest standing in the conference and something that many saw as a surprise after a rocky start to conference play. However, England spoke to the team’s resilient attitude.
“I think this team has a lot of grit and resilience; I don’t think we have gone down without a fight, even if it’s been late in the game and we haven’t started hot, we’ve found a way to score runs,” England said. “We’ve found a way for our pitching and offense to come together, it’s not just one piece anymore, and I think that’s a large reason we’ve been able to roll through teams like we are right now.”
In the midst of a winning streak this impressive, the Choctaws’ goals aren’t just to win in the conference, but also on the national scale.
“Ultimately, we want to win a national championship,” England said. “I think that has to be the goal. We try to look at the big picture, everything that we do and every practice that we have we are thinking of this goal. We do a good job keeping a game-to-game mentality, but the biggest goal we have right now is to win a national championship.”
Gill has the same hopes for the team, but individually, she also hopes to continue to put together spectacular performances. “For the team, obviously, I want to win a national championship, and for myself, I just want to keep going and developing at the rate I’m going,” Gill said.
As a freshman, Gill has looked to the guidance from upperclassmen who have helped her in her first year. “I think all the older girls, especially the older pitchers on the team, just kind of brought me in and reassured me all the time that I’m here for a reason,” Gill said. “They tell me I might be young, but I’m here to do a job, and never let me get too down, and if I do, they pick me back up.”
Perhaps the most impressive part of the Choctaws team right now is the depth of batting, with three girls batting above .400. England credits some of this success to her pre-hit mentality and her supportive teammates.
“I pride myself in my confidence,” England said. “My journey with softball has been rocky. I really had to work for everything I have, and knowing that when I step in the box that everyone in the dugout has faith in me that I’m going to execute whatever is in front of me, really is a huge part of why I’ve been so successful and why I hope to continue to be so successful.”
The Choctaws will host Christian Brothers starting on Friday, April 4 at 5 p.m.
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