Fast-pitch truly league of its own

By By Jeff Byrd/staff writer
May 5, 2002
If you are a slow-pitch softball player and want to someday play college softball, your chances will probably be limited to just a few junior colleges.
That's because coaches here at the Gulf South Conference Tournament at Northeast Park said that the time is just not there any more to spend on converting slow-pitch players to fast-pitch.
West Alabama head coach Janet Montgomery agrees.
Both the Mississippi High School Activities Association and the Mississippi Private School Association allow its teams to play both a slow-pitch and a fast-pitch season. Slow-pitch is played in the fall and fast-pitch runs in the spring.
That is not the case in Alabama. A school must choose to play either or and the season is run in the spring. Montgomery sees an advantage for the players from Mississippi.
Looking over the rosters of the eight teams who make up the GSC Tournament field, only six players come from Mississippi. Delta State has five and Arkansas-Monticello has one, a pitcher in Lindsey Kight from Central Hinds Academy.
Arkansas-Monticello head coach Alvy Early said Kight has been a good fit for his program.
Kuhn did say that he is starting to look at the East Mississippi area for players. He mentions the play of red-shirt third baseman Jennifer Meeks.
One good bit of news for the potential player is that will soon be on equal footing with their baseball counterparts.
Dr. Jim Jordan, the athletic director at Delta State, said that IX legislation is changing the face of collegiate athletics for women.