Strong pitching, hitting have Tigers off to good start

A veteran group has Nettleton softball off to a great start this season.

The Tigers are 11-1-1 overall and won their Region 4-3A opener against Choctaw County on Tuesday, 11-1. It was a typical Nettleton win, with everyone in the lineup recording at least one hit while pitcher Bailey Payne shut down the opposition.

Payne, a sophomore, has a 0.58 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched.

“She’s such a hard worker, and she comes ready to practice every day,” Nettleton coach Makenzie Sullivan said. “If something is not working right, even in the middle of the game, she will leave and she will go fix it, and when she comes back the next inning she’ll be ready to go.”

Nettleton is hitting .312 as a team. Leading the way is senior Zion Seals, who’s batting .424 with an .879 slugging percentage. Junior Savannah Harlow is hitting .381, Payne .355 and sophomore Anna Taylor .345.

“I feel like the whole lineup’s been hitting the past couple of games,” Sullivan said. “It just kind of clicked for us. … They’ve been doing a really good job of getting the pitches they can hit, laying off balls high or balls in the dirt, and just really making solid contact.”

The Tigers are a team full of experienced players, including senior Zyah Gunter and junior Chloe Humble. There’s also sophomore Kennice Finnie, the No. 2 pitcher. She has a 2.24 ERA in 25 innings.

There’s a lot of season left, but Sullivan is optimistic about what her Tigers can accomplish – so long as they stick to their approach.

“Every practice it’s a different day,” she said. “You can do one thing good one day, and the next day you might be 0 for 3 and then go 3 for 3, but you’ve got eight other people in the lineup that can pick you up. We’ve really built on that, that just because you’re 0 for 3, you still have to play defense. Somebody else is going to pick you up.”

Brown breaks own mark

Tupelo runner Andrew Brown broke his own state record in the mile run last weekend. And he did it in the same event that cost him most of last season.

The sophomore clocked a time of 4:15.60 at the New Balance Nationals in Boston, breaking his previous indoor state record by four seconds. Brown finished 45th overall and was the fastest sophomore in the race.

After competing at this event last year, Brown was ruled ineligible for the remainder of the outdoor season by the MHSAA. He was found to have entered the competition without the school first receiving permission from the MHSAA.

All-star hoops

Two North/South All-Star Basketball Games are set to be played Friday at Mississippi College in Clinton.

The games were originally scheduled for last Saturday, but inclement weather forced a postponement. The 5A/6A/7A girls game will be played at 5 p.m., with the boys to follow at approximately 6:30. Admission is $10.

The 1A/2A/3A/4A games were played last Friday.

Topics

Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez is lock for Opening Day, likely as No. 1 center fielder

The Detroit Tigers will be without two outfielders to start the 2025 season, allowing Wenceel Pérez to become the center fielder and leadoff hitter.
Yahoo Sports - 6d
Week 5 College Baseball Rankings: Where do the LSU Tigers rank?

LSU baseball is off to a 21-1 start. Where do the Tigers sit in all the major college baseball polls after week five?
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Red Wolves take down Marshall, 11-1, for statement win

Arkansas State baseball made a strong start to their conference play with an 11-1 victory over Marshall.
Yahoo Sports - 6d
When does 2025 MLB season start? Opening Day game schedule as new baseball season kicks off

Yankees vs. Brewers, Astros vs. Mets and Dodgers vs. Tigers are among the games on the Opening Day slate
CBS Sports - 4h
Tiger softball looking to get on track in Mizzou Invitational

The start of the season hasn't gone to plan for the Missouri Tigers, but they're finally playing at home in their invite
Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14
Auburn is the No. 1 seed in the South Region; Tigers seek redress after first-round ouster last year

Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament and is headed to the South Region, where coach Bruce Pearl and the Tigers will be trying to seek a little bit of retribution after a ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Texas softball: No. 2 Longhorns excited to open SEC play against No. 3 Florida

Texas softball is 24-1, one of the best starts in program history, behind slugger Reese Atwood and pitching ace Teagan Kavan.
Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14
Dodgers beat Cubs 4-1 in MLB season opener in Tokyo

Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five strong innings, Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice, and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Tuesday in Major ...
NBC News - 3d
Dodgers fall to Hanshin Tigers in final tuneup before start of season

Behind a superb start from Hiroto Saiki, the Hanshin Tigers didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning and defeated the Dodgers 3-0 at the Tokyo Dome.
Yahoo Sports - 5d

Strong pitching, hitting have Tigers off to good start

Topics

Related

Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez is lock for Opening Day, likely as No. 1 center fielder

Week 5 College Baseball Rankings: Where do the LSU Tigers rank?

Red Wolves take down Marshall, 11-1, for statement win

When does 2025 MLB season start? Opening Day game schedule as new baseball season kicks off

Tiger softball looking to get on track in Mizzou Invitational

Auburn is the No. 1 seed in the South Region; Tigers seek redress after first-round ouster last year

Texas softball: No. 2 Longhorns excited to open SEC play against No. 3 Florida

Dodgers beat Cubs 4-1 in MLB season opener in Tokyo

Dodgers fall to Hanshin Tigers in final tuneup before start of season

More from Yahoo Sports

Steelers brass skips Michigan pro day for Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers meets with the Pittsburgh Steelers, AP source says

Packers hosted pre-draft visit with Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

March Madness 2025: How to watch the Oklahoma vs. UConn NCAA tournament game tonight

ESPN picks 2 Jaguars' free agent signings as head-scratchers

More in Sports

Men's NCAA tournament: Colorado State thinking upset and more live updates

Steelers brass skips Michigan pro day for Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers meets with the Pittsburgh Steelers, AP source says

Packers hosted pre-draft visit with Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

March Madness 2025: How to watch the Oklahoma vs. UConn NCAA tournament game tonight