Mississippi
How MHSAA softball teams have found success in new classifications during 2026
The MHSAA announced its new reclassifications in the fall of 2024, which saw schools shift in classes based on student population for the 2025-27 school years.
As Mississippi high school softball teams begin their first season in the new classes, several teams have outperformed with the change.
The Clarion Ledger reviewed six teams that have not let a new scenery change the outcome of their season.
Caledonia
Record: 14-2, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A
Until a March loss to New Hope, Caledonia had not dropped a game to an in-state team. The Cavaliers have been dominant in the circle, allowing only nine earned runs all year and posting a 1.07 team ERA; the most runs they’ve given up in a game this year is seven.
Myrtle
Record: 14-6, Old Class: 1A, New Class: 2A
Myrtle would like the chance to avenge its 1A title-game loss to Stringer in 2025, and will have to do so in 2A. The Hawks have put up 154 runs as a team, with help from Ally Murphy and Mary Ella Mayer. Myrtle has taken down two 7A teams in Oxford and West Harrison this year while aiming for its third straight 20-win season.
Northeast Jones
Record: 19-4, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A
The Lady Tigers have settled well in their new classification. Northeast Jones looks for its first 20-win season in decades, while being led by senior Caroline Myrick at the plate and in the circle. Northeast Jones has had nine games in which it has scored 10 or more runs and has not allowed more than nine runs in a game.
Pisgah
Record: 10-6, Old Class: 2A, New Class: 3A
Pisgah has appeared in the 2A title game in consecutive years, falling to East Union both times. Now out of 2A and into 3A, the Lady Dragons aim for a third trip to a championship game. Sophomore Alyssa McMurtrey and senior Hallie McCurdy have led Pisgah at the plate with a team batting average of .334 and 90 RBIs.
Purvis
Record: 10-4, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A
In the 2025 season, Purvis fell in the 4A title game to Itawamba Agricultural. Now the Tornadoes have a new chance and a new look at a championship in 5A. Senior Brooxie Shepherd has a .600 batting average, leading Purvis, and hopes to lead the Tornadoes to a third straight 20-win season.
Sumrall
Record: 17-3, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A
After moving up to 5A, Sumrall has taken charge as one of the best teams in the class. The Lady Bobcats are led by senior Ella Robertson and junior Kynnedy Lumpkins, who are hitting above .500 with a combined 16 home runs. Sumrall’s only losses have come from 7A teams, and is outscoring opponents 257-75 this season.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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