By Cody Thomason
For The Vicksburg Post

Christmas is the time for giving, and the Vicksburg High softball team has found a unique way to get into the holiday spirit. On Friday night, they will play in a co-ed slow pitch softball game with the VHS baseball team to benefit the Warren County Sheriff Department’s Angel Tree Program.

Instead of their usual jerseys, the players will don ugly Christmas sweaters when they take the field, and instead of buying tickets, fans are asked to donate toys or make a monetary contribution to help the Angel Tree program. Meanwhile, two sheriff’s deputies will take on the role of umpire in the matchup.

The games begin at 6 p.m. at Vicksburg High’s Softball Swamp field on Army Navy Drive.

“This was all planned by the Vicksburg High softball players and their parents,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said. “They approached me and asked me, if they organized this game, would we accept the donations to be used for our Angel Tree Programs, and of course I said yes.”

The Angel Tree Program serves to give Christmas presents to the children of inmates at the Warren County Jail, crime victims and certain children in the county’s Headstart preschool program.

Pace said it was important to make sure these children wouldn’t be without a gift on Christmas day.

“These children cannot possibly help the fact that a parent, or parents, have made poor decisions that lead them to be in jail at Christmas,” Pace said.

The game will feature four co-ed teams with players from both the baseball and softball teams on each squad. Before the varsity teams square off, the junior varsity teams will face each other with an added element to make things especially interesting.

“Chance cards” will be sold for $1 in the stands. Each card will have an outcome for the next batter’s plate appearance, and can result in anything from a strikeout to a home run. Money from the sale of the chance cards will also benefit the Angel tree program.

“We want to make sure the community understands we really appreciate (their support) and want to help out with whatever we can,” Vicksburg High softball coach Brian Ellis said.

The softball team is no stranger to helping the community, as they find a way to give back each year. Ellis said the team has done volunteer work at events around the county.

“The girls are role models. They’re high school softball players, they’re student athletes, and I want them to be good role models,” Ellis said. “I don’t know if we can ever give back as much as the community gives to us, but we definitely want to make a huge attempt at doing that.”

Ultimately, Pace said this kind deed emphasized his opinion of the young people in the community.

“We have a good school system with good kids, and this is a reflection of that. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s only that handful that make bad decisions that you hear about, but the overwhelming majority of young people that I see every day are good kids, and this is just an example of that,” Pace said.

UGLY SWEATER SOFTBALL GAME:
• Friday, 6 p.m., at Vicksburg High softball field on Army Navy Drive
• Vicksburg High’s softball and baseball teams will play a co-ed slow-pitch game while wearing the ugliest Christmas sweaters they can find.
• Admission to the game is a toy or monetary donation that will be given to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department’s Christmas Angel Tree toy drive.