Former Neshoba Central athletes play in World Series

Two Neshoba County athletes and former high school teammates at Neshoba Central played in the NJCAA DII World Series in Enid, Okla., last week as the East Central Warriors baseball team entered the series as the number 3 seed.

Sophomore third baseman/pitcher Reid Hall and freshman pitcher Creed Fulton, along with the rest of the team, made history this season as the Warriors set a new school record with an outstanding 55-9 overall record.

“You never think you’re going to be a part of something like that,” Fulton said. “Growing up playing the game at Northside and watching the older guys playing college baseball, then fast-forward to playing in the College World Series with the best team in the country is crazy to think about.”

Fulton described the experience of the first day of practice ahead of the World Series games in Enid as “a pretty good day.”

After the Warriors defeated Southeastern 2-1 in an elimination game last Tuesday, Hall took the mound in the 5th inning of Wednesday’s game three against Madison College.

Hall closed the game by tossing three innings of no-run ball, giving up zero hits, tallying four strikeouts, and allowing only one walk.

“I was just trying to fill up the zone and get outs as quickly as I could,” Hall said. “My mindset was to attack. I wanted to finish the ball game.”

Hall credited the team’s electric energy for pushing him to a memorable performance.

The third game ended in a 13-4 run rule as the Warriors defeated Madison College, advancing to the semifinal matchup against Brunswick.

In the first semifinal game on Thursday, the Warriors rallied with ten hits as a team and played perfectly on defense, beating Brunswick 5-3.

“The atmosphere was electric,” Fulton said. “The whole team was ready to go, and the fans drove from everywhere and supported us all the way through. I can’t thank them enough.”

The Warriors were ultimately defeated 2-1 by Brunswick in a heartbreaking loss in Friday’s game two, falling just one game shy of playing for the championship.

The Warriors finished the 2024 season tied for third in the NJCAA DII World Series, a milestone that will forever cement their legacy for seasons to come.

“We all came to the field every day ready to get after it and get to work,” Hall said. “We had a successful season, even though we didn’t finish where we wanted to. We all knew what it took to get there.”

This season, East Central fans were treated to see Head Coach Neal Holliman earn his 500th career win and witness the Warriors amass an impressive 31-0 nonconference win streak early on, another record for the team.

“The hot streak at the start is what really kicked it off for us,” Fulton said.

Both Fulton and Hall emphasized the importance of being good teammates and leaders and supporting each other daily, especially during high-stakes postseason games.

Hall ended his sophomore season with a .245 batting average, three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 61 games. He also finished with a 1-0 record on the mound with one save, a 0.00 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and two walks across eight innings pitched.

Fulton ended his freshman season on the mound with a 5.63 ERA, eight strikeouts, and nine walks in eight innings pitched through nine appearances.