Jackson Prep falls in softball state tournament
While Jackson Prep fell just short in the MAIS 6A softball state tournament on Monday, it was still a great season for the Patriots.
Prep was dominant throughout the regular season, earning the one seed going into the state tournament, before falling to both MRA and Presbyterian Christian in very close games.
“I think we showed the ability to continue to battle, getting down like we did in that game (against PCS),” Jackson Prep Head Coach Cory Caton said. “Even with the challenges we face, this team kept pushing through and different players stepped up in different spots, so I’m proud of them for that.”
Jackson Prep finished the season with a 19-9-1 overall record and a 9-2 regular season district record, which was good for a regular season district title.
The Patriots were led by defending MAIS player of the year and Memphis commit Taylor Caton, who had another dominant season, hitting for a .699 batting average, with 50 RBIs and 12 homeruns in her senior season.
Junior Laila Swanigan was another key player for the Patriots this year and handled a majority of the pitching duties for Jackson Prep this year, throwing 90.1 innings, with a 2.94 ERA and 143 strikeouts on the year.
Even with the loss of one of the state’s top players in Caton and senior Sarah McKinley, the Jackson Prep roster should be in a very good place going forward and will have plenty of younger players ready to step up next year.
“We didn’t play our best games over the last two days and it’s not that anyone did anything wrong, sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Caton said “Only losing two girls and everyone else coming back gives them some fight and to know that they have to be able to finish it in both the regular season and postseason.”
Very few coaches get the experience to coach their daughter but Prep Head Coach Cory Caton got to experience that throughout Taylor Caton’s dominant high school softball career.
“It’s been unbelievable being able to coach her,” Caton said. “She’s been dealing with some injuries this year and she’s been able to play through it, she just loves the game and it’s been great to watch her be happy and do what she loves.”
There is no doubt that the Jackson Prep softball program will be back and ready to compete for a softball state title once again next season with the talent they return and the winning culture that has been established.