By Myra Bean
This is it. One of the weekends we have been waiting for. The South Panola girls fastpitch softball team will take on Coach Ashleigh Hicks’ former team, the Madison Central Lady Jaguars.
Make no mistake. The Lady Jaguars are tough. So are the Lady Tigers.
Therefore, these games should be very competitive games to witness, not hear about  second hand.
As the football team needs its fans, the softball team needs theirs.
The temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s with partly cloudy skies. Hopefully, no rain will fall to postpone these games.
The grills will be hot with hamburgers, hot dogs and the concession stand will be open with plenty to keep you cool on a hot day.
Bring your lawn chairs because there are not enough bleachers to hold a decent crowd.
This is so important for the city of Batesville and South Panola to host these North State games. I am not sure there are enough words to express how important and big this history-making event is for the team.
My stomach’s already rolling with a few little nerves. It gets that way before big games.
Believe me, these are a big games which lead to even bigger games.
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
That quote rolls across the South Panola baseball team website.
Someone said they don’t come to watch the games because they are afraid their loved one will strikeout and they will feel bad.
Strikeouts are part of what makes softball and baseball the games they are. They test the pitcher to catcher compatibility. They test the eye/hand coordination of the batter.
In short, it’s all part of the game.
So don’t let the fear of your loved one striking out keep you from supporting her. She just might hit that homerun and you were not there to see it.