The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) and Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) have announced the winners of the 2026 Miss Softball and Mr. Baseball awards, presented by C Spire.
The awards, created by collaborative effort between the MHSAA, MAC, and C Spire in 2023, feature a four-peat winner for “Miss Softball,” two schools sweeping “Mr. Baseball” and “Miss Softball” honors, and three other schools retaining the award from last year. All award winners will be honored during a special awards ceremony at the MHSAA Conference Center on May 6 and will be recognized during softball and baseball state championships in May.
The award winners for Miss Softball and Mr. Baseball are as follows (by classification):
| Class | Miss Softball | Mr. Baseball |
| 1A | Addison Collum, West Union | Jaxon Herod, West Union |
| 2A | Lucy Cochran, East Union | Cade Culpepper, Clarkdale |
| 3A | Caliann Mitchell, Kossuth | Kolby Stringer, West Marion |
| 4A | Layla Owens, Itawamba | Wyatt McDaniels, Mooreville |
| 5A | Ella Robertson, Sumrall | Drew Davis, Sumrall |
| 6A | Grady Beck Wilson, South Panola | Clay Tolbert, West Jones |
| 7A | Presley Merkich, Germantown | EJ Booth, Oak Grove |
East Union’s Lucy Cochran now owns four “Miss Softball” titles, winning the award each year since its inception. For South Panola, Grady Beck Wilson brings the third straight award to campus (Sadie Bright in 2024 and 2025). Itawamba’s Layla Owens also defends her 2025 crown.
While “Mr. Baseball” features no repeat student-athlete winners, two schools see the award return to campus from 2025. Last year, both Class 1A West Union (Jon Grey Morrisson) and then-Class 3A Mooreville (Brody Thompson) were represented in the state-wide awards.
Click here to view current and past winners of the MHSAA’s C Spire Outstanding Player Awards.