ECCC softball opens ranked 15th in country

The East Central Community College Lady Warrior softball team will open the 2020 season Feb. 11 with a No. 15 national ranking in the first National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Softball Poll of the year.

First-year head coach Leigh White will have seven returning from last year’s team that finished 28-14 and with a No. 15 national ranking. The Lady Warriors advanced to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges State Tournament as the No. 4 seed before being eliminated in two games.

East Central softball teams have qualified for postseason play the past 16 seasons, with five straight years finishing in the final NJCAA Softball Division II Top 20 Poll.

White joined the East Central program last July after 16 years at Pearl River Community College.

White’s coaching philosophy is to develop the student-athlete as a whole person. “I believe in teaching young women to be successful on and off the field through discipline and structure within our program,” she said. “On the field we will play selflessly and have a Warrior mentality.”

White will rely on sophomore experience for the Lady Warriors to return to the state tournament in 2020.

Ten sophomores return from 2019.



Three first-team MACJC All-State players are back, including infielder Hannah Dufault, catcher Anna McNeer, and infielder Kaylee Webb.

Starting infielder Kailee Swindle (Hattiesburg, Presbyterian Christian) and outfielder Parker Breland (Union) are also back. Pitcher Braelyn Boykin started 19 games in the circle a year ago and compiled a 12-5 record.

Pitcher Brooklyn King, who pitched 34 innings last season, and infielder Annabell Watkins (Lake), who played in 15 games, are back. Sophomore utility player Katelyn Morson has moved over from the soccer pitch to provide depth in the field and speed on the bases.