will split in softball next season

[1/20/05]The new realignment plan from the Mississippi High School Activities Association raised few eyebrows when it was released with one exception.

Warren Central and Vicksburg will be in separate divisions in fast-pitch softball beginning with the 2006 season. It’s the first time since the early 1990s that the two Warren County schools have been split up in any sport.

Both WC coach Lucy Young and VHS coach Kori Crutchfield plan to continue the Warren County rivalry in non-division games and tournaments.

“Nothing will change as far as that goes,” Young said. “You’ll still have the rivalry, it just won’t make any difference in division play. But it certainly will matter as far as the bragging rights go.”

The realignment plans for soccer and baseball follow the one for basketball, which puts VHS and WC in Division 3-5A with Madison Central and Greenville-Weston. The two Warren County schools are also together for slow-pitch softball, along with Forest Hill and Natchez.

For fast-pitch, however, Warren Central is in Division 6-5A with Natchez and Forest Hill, which isn’t fielding a team this season. If Forest Hill doesn’t get a program up and running by next spring, that would mean automatic playoff berths for the other two schools.

“I do wish we had another one or two teams in that division, because it’ll just end up with our team and Natchez,” Young said. “It makes scheduling difficult. As to having any strong opinion about it, and not competing with Vicksburg, I don’t have any strong opinion about it.”

Crutchfield wasn’t upset about not playing in a division with Warren Central, but was unhappy with the way the new alignment worked out. She said the two-team division WC is likely to be in is unfair from a competitive standpoint.

Vicksburg will be in Division 3-5A with Madison Central and Greenville.

Madison reached the Class 5A finals last season and advanced to the semifinals in 2003. Greenville has not reached the playoffs the last two seasons, but did split a pair of games with Madison last year. Vicksburg was 8-18 in 2004.

“I don’t like that at all,” said Crutchfield, who is entering her first season as the Missy Gators’ coach. “Madison Central is one of the top teams, and they always have been. We still have the same chance as we do this year. But Warren Central, Natchez and Forest Hill? Forest Hill doesn’t even have a fast-pitch team. So both of them will go to the playoffs regardless. How is that fair?”

St. Aloysius’ divisions for baseball, softball and soccer are largely unchanged from their current ones.

In baseball and fast-pitch, St. Al will be joined by Bogue Chitto, Cathedral, Enterprise-Lincoln and West Lincoln. Salem also will be in Division 7-1A for baseball, but not for softball. For soccer, St. Al will be in Division 3-1A-2A-3A with current rivals St. Andrew’s and Madison-St. Joe. Greenville-St. Joe also will be included.