Top 2027 Prospects To Watch In Mississippi

Often overlooked compared to its Deep South neighbors, Mississippi still churns out plenty of strong softball talent for a state its size. With its generally warm climate and location in the heart of SEC country, the Magnolia State produces its share of top prospects every year, and that is certainly the case with the class of 2027. From the Memphis suburbs to the Jackson metro to the Gulf coast, Mississippi's 2027 recruits are already making huge impacts on their high school and club programs.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top class of 2027 softball prospects from Mississippi.    Cochran was named MHSAA Class 2A Miss Softball as an eighth grader in 2023, and she took home that honor again last spring after an outstanding two-way season. She was 22-4 in the pitcher's circle with a 1.18 ERA and 245 strikeouts, and also batted .333 with 30 hits and 33 runs batted in. Cochran helped carry East Union to a second consecutive state title, throwing every pitch in the championship series and collecting four hits in seven at-bats. After pitching a shutout in the opening game, she overcame a three-run first inning the next day and hit a two-run double to help her team pull away for the victory.     Russell was Cochran's battery mate last spring, and the freshman duo carried East Union to the state championship. At the plate, Russell did not strike out all season, hitting .443 with a .524 on-base percentage with 47 hits, 30 runs scored and 27 RBI. In the title-clinching win over Pigsah, Russell was 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot, coming around to score after both hits. She was named Region 1-2A Offensive Player of the Year and figures to only keep improving with three years of high school softball still ahead of her.     Reynolds is coming off a high school freshman season in which she batted .458 with a 1.231 OPS in 33 games. Reynolds, who can play third base, shortstop and center field, had 14 doubles and seven triples to go along with 53 runs scored while walking more than she struck out. She also made just one error in the field and stole 29 bases. Reynolds hit safely in her last 17 games to help her team reach the MHSAA Class 4A championship round. She had surgery last month to remove a cystic mass from her neck, but was found to be cancer-free the next day and had the stitches removed the following week.     Clifton's hometown of Hickory Flat has a population of less than 500, but she still put up huge numbers last spring, hitting .448 with a 1.312 OPS and 11 extra-base hits in just 17 games. She was a perfect 19-for-19 on stolen base attempts, committed just two errors and was 8-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 86 innings pitched, holding opposing batters to a .123 average. Clifton threw a no-hitter on April 19 against Biggersville and started the season on fire at the plate with 11 hits—including three doubles, two triples and a home run—through her first five games.     Howell set a school record for single-season home runs with eight as a freshman last spring, batting .362 with an .800 slugging percentage. Playing primarily catcher and first base, she made just one error in 28 games to help George County advance to the MHSAA Class 6A semifinals. Howell homered twice and drove in six runs on April 16 against Pascagoula to put herself atop her school's home run leaderboard. If she keeps hitting like that for the next three years, a whole slew of records could have her name on them by the time she graduates.

Often overlooked compared to its Deep South neighbors, Mississippi still churns out plenty of strong softball talent for a state its size. With its generally warm climate and location in the heart of SEC country, the Magnolia State produces its share of top prospects every year, and that is certainly the case with the class of 2027. From the Memphis suburbs to the Jackson metro to the Gulf coast, Mississippi's 2027 recruits are already making huge impacts on their high school and club programs.