Private schools prepping for postseason softball

Local MAIS softball teams are gearing up for the postseason, with multiple Madison County teams in contention for a run at a state title.

The two teams that will be starting their postseason runs this weekend are Canton Academy and Tri-County Academy, who qualified for their regional tournaments, with Tri-County winning their district and Canton Academy finishing second in their district. 

Tri-County will play in the South Regional tournament of MAIS 4A hosted by Riverfield Academy at ULM, while Canton Academy will play in the North Regional tournament of MAIS 4A hosted by North Delta School. Tri-County will open against Christian Collegiate on Saturday at 10 AM, while Canton Academy has a first-round bye and will play the winner of the matchup between Greenville St. Joseph and Kirk Academy on Saturday at 3 PM.

As for MAIS 6A, which includes Jackson Prep, Jackson Academy, MRA, and St. Joseph for local teams, they do not have a regional tournament and will go straight to the 6A state tournament, which will be October 5th and 7th at Magee Sports Complex. 

Jackson Prep will be the team to beat in 6A, sitting at a perfect 8-0 in district play. Memphis commitment Taylor Caton has been one of the best players in the state this year for the Patriots and will be a player to watch in the postseason.

Presbyterian Christian, Hartfield Academy, and MRA have all been that next tier of teams in the standings this year, with Jackson Academy and St. Joseph hovering near the bottom of the standings for most of the season.

All six of these teams will make the MAIS 6A state tournament, with the top two teams in the standings getting a first-round bye in a double-elimination style tournament. 

The MAIS 6A state tournament for 4A and 6A will both get started October 5th and finish on October 7th at Magee Sports Complex in Magee, Mississippi.