While the arrival of football season has ensnared most people's attention in recent weeks, the Parklane softball team has been continuing to put forth one of the most impressive seasons in its program's history.
The Lady Pioneers enter tonight's road contest against Madison-Ridgeland Academy with a pristine 20-1 overall record, and they are among the favorites to take home the MAIS' 4A D-I Championship this fall after they clinched their district earlier this week.
"We're really on a hot streak right now, and that's from us just having good approaches at the plate and swinging at good pitches," head coach Daniel Simmons said. "When we get the ones we want, we aren't missing."
With just three games left in the regular season before playoffs commence, here are some facts and statistics that demonstrate just how dominant Parklane has been thus far:
- Through 21 games, the Lady Pioneers are averaging 8.3 runs per outing. Their most in a single game came Aug. 21 when they rattled off 18 runs against Silliman Institute, and they have hit double-figures on seven occasions. Notably, both sophomore Camryn Poole and senior Halle Bennett have produced walk-off wins via home runs.
"Cam Poole has started hitting the ball really well after going through a slump for a bit, [senior] Zoe Alford has been hot all year and [sophomore] Brooklyn Wagner has done a really good job at the plate too," Simmons said. "Macy and Laney Simmons are also hitting it well, with Laney having a phenomenal year by hitting in the mid .400s."
- On the defensive side, Parklane only gives up 2.9 runs per game. The team allowed 10 runs to Columbia Academy on Aug. 5 for its most of the season, and it has secured five shutouts (including three in the past five games). Senior pitcher Phiffer Crawford plays a major role in that, but the likes of Poole, Alford and Macy Simmons have also shined defensively.
"Phiffer is in mid-season form right now and is really close to where she was last year before she got hurt," Simmons said. "But [8th grader] Kenna Morgan has pitched some quality innings for us as well. She's shown that she can step in the circle and get the job done, she's just young still."
- In terms of margin of victory, the Lady Pioneers have won a dozen games by four or more runs, and they've actually beaten a team by double-digits on six occasions. Only three schools (Oak Forest, Tri-County, Brookhaven Academy) have come within a single run of taking down PL.
- Of course, Parklane's record does feature one defeat. On Aug. 16 at the Belhaven Tournament, East Rankin rattled off three runs in the sixth inning to pull away for a 6-1 victory over McComb's side. But since that 9 a.m. game, the Lady Pioneers have rattled off 13-straight victories.
Thus, Parklane appears to be the team to beat at the 4A level, but Simmons and his team know that with the postseason comes a raised level of competition.
Despite claiming the MAIS 5A South-State title last year, the Lady Pioneers did eventually fall to rivals Brookhaven Academy in the 5A Overall Championship, which has seemed to light a fire under the 2025 squad.
In terms of what's next, Parklane still has plenty of work to do before playoffs commence. The aforementioned trip to face MRA is followed by two more road games against Brookhaven Academy and Columbia Academy next week, a pair of teams that pushed the Lady Pioneers to the brink earlier in the year.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Simmons & Co. will begin their postseason run in a new-look format. Much like in football, the 4A level has been divided into three divisions, with teams being placed among them based on how they finished in the regional brackets.
There will still be North and South-State titles, but following those tournaments will be D-I, D-II and D-III brackets. The top two teams from both the North and South will compete in the D-I tournament, the next two best from each division will take part in the D-II tournament, and so on.
"Number one, we have to keep everybody healthy and rested," Simmons said of the playoff run. "Number two, everybody in the postseason is good. There's no easy games, so we can't take any team for granted. There's some really good teams in the North and South, but if we can continue to play good defense and the pitching holds up, we can pull it off."
Parklane's postseason run will begin with the South-State playoffs scheduled for Sept. 27 and 29. The top-seeded Lady Pioneers will kick off the South-State bracket by hosting Silliman at 10 a.m. next Saturday, and with a win, they would face the victor of the Jackson Prep-Brookhaven Academy matchup.
The MAIS Overall Championships will take place Oct. 4 and Oct. 6.
