The sting is back in the Enterprise Yellow Jackets. In a rare, double delight, the Enterprise softball and baseball teams have captured Region 7-2A championships this spring.

     Enterprise’s baseball team is celebrating its first region/district title in 31 years if sports historians are correct. Informed folks who proudly wear the maroon and gold believe it is the first diamond title since 1981.

     However, the Lady Jackets feel like seasoned veterans. They won the region crown last year and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. They are wiser, stronger and younger this time around.

     Coach Cass Brister’s Enterprise baseball team started slow but has finished fast. The fifth-year coach will send his team against the winner of the Lumberton-Scott Central series, next weekend, April 27-28. The Jackets (14-10, 8-2) earned an opening round bye in the state playoffs because they won the region title.

     Brister has five seniors and eight juniors on his 19-member varsity squad. The seniors are centerfielder Leighton Jordan, pitcher/rightfielder Blake Fugler, second baseman Lance Spring,  leftfielder Logan Killingsworth and shortstop Konner Burke.

     “Senior leadership has really been good this year,” said Coach Brister. “The players who are seniors were in the seventh grade when I took over.”

     For sure they have experienced the lean times and the good times. This year, the Jackets had to play all of their games on the road until after spring break, because of delays in completing construction of the outfield fence.

     “We didn’t have a home field until after spring break,” said Brister. “Our team showed some character by coping with that.”

     Enterprise juniors are catcher Chance Owens, third baseman Dylan Smith, first baseman Braxton Foster, and backups Tanner Rials, Grant Brister, Dakota Richardson, Taylor Rutland and Joseph Grice.

     Sophomores in Enterprise’s starting lineup are pitcher/shortstop Jackson Cole and rightfielder Austin Fuller.

     Ky Burke assists Brister with the coaching chores.

     Pitching depth is a key on every baseball team when the playoffs begin. Hopefully, the Jackets can be lucky and good.

    

     The Enterprise girls (13-7, 8-1) , under the direction of rookie head coach Ashley Jones, have made the best of what some guessperts considered a rebuilding year. The Lady Jackets are intent on advancing past the second round this year.

     Jones said her new team went through a period of adjustment early in the season. “I had to learn the girls and they had to learn me. I had to experience them; see how they played and learn from that.”

     Jones has two seniors on her 23-member roster. They are first baseman Kelsey Hux and shortstop/outfielder Haley Brazell. There is one junior on the team in pitcher/third baseman Taylor Nelson.

     Sophomores in Enterprise’s starting lineup are pitcher/outfielder Hannah Moak, second baseman Kristin Jergins and outfielders Sarah Terrell and Samantha Stuart.

     Two freshmen, catcher Kayla Britt and outfielder Hannah Kirtfield, have been instrumental in the team’s success. All-star catcher Karla Beth Hux graduated and is playing for Copiah-Lincoln Community College this spring.

     Terrah Nelson, a promising seventh grader, starts in the outfield.

     “Our girls have really improved this season,” said Coach Jones. Her assistant coaches are Chad Burke, Charissa Burke and Kyle Hux.

     Her team will host a playoff series next week after earning an opening round bye. The opponent has yet to be determined.

 

     Baseball has been a positive this spring. Brookhaven’s Panthers captured the Region 5-5A crown and Brookhaven Academy’s Cougars won the District 4-AA crown. Coach Randy Spring’s Panthers (22-3-1) earned an opening round bye and await the winner of this weekend’s West Jones/Pearl River Central series.

     Coach Casey Edwards carries his Cougars (15-10) to Wayne Academy at Waynesboro today for an opening round, best-of-three series. Games 2 and 3, if necessary, are scheduled for Friday at BA’s Harold Williams Ballpark, starting at 4:30 p.m.

     Baseball teams from Wesson, Loyd Star and West Lincoln are involved in state playoff action, starting Friday.

     On the softball scene, don’t be surprised to see Bogue Chitto’s Lady Cats and Wesson’s Lady Cobras make a strong run in the playoffs. The Lady Cats  have a state championship tradition on their side.

 

     Contact sports editor Tom Goetz by Email: tgoetz@dailyleader.com