Oxford baseball advances to North half finals after walk-off win
For the second time already this postseason, Brady Stinnett was the walk-off hero for Oxford.
As the second game of the Chargers’ second-round Class 7A series against Madison Central dragged on into the ninth inning, Stinnett doubled to drive in the game-winning run and advance the Chargers to the North half championship.
“He had one in Game 1 against Germantown, he had a walk-off home run,” Oxford head coach Cade Hoggard said. “Brady’s been on fire. He’s been the steady guy for us, steady senior, really for all three years. But he’s been a guy that we’ve counted on all year. He’s been three-hole all year long, he’s thrown Game 1 of every week.
"To see him put it all together and be on fire in the biggest time of his high-school career, it’s awesome to see.”
Oxford survived a three-game bout with Germantown, and the Chargers avoided another road trip to Madison Central with Stinnett’s double to win Game 2, 3-2. Oxford will face top-seeded Hernando in the North half championship, but Class 7A has been wide open this year.
“I think 7A was a very tough classification, you could have looked up and there could have been a lot of different teams playing in this North half,” Hoggard said. “We’ve played well in the two series that we’ve had. Our guys have capitalized on the opportunities that they’ve had, but it feels good to get back. These seniors were there their sophomore year. We fell to DeSoto Central. Kind of came up short last year, so it’s good to see them have a chance to cash in their senior year.”
Hoggard believes the key for Oxford against Hernando will be to limit walks on the mound and errors in the field.
“We have to limit the freebies, we can’t walk them, we can’t make errors,” he said. “Our pitchers have to mix, and they have to throw strikes. And when we’re given opportunities in offense, we’re going to have to strike and cash in on those opportunities.”
Hayles to Pontotoc
Jamie Hayles is the new head volleyball coach at Pontotoc.
She replaces Kate Osbirn, who left to be head coach at Itawamba AHS.
Hayles spent the past three seasons leading the West Union program. Taking the Pontotoc job wasn’t too hard a decision for her, because she’s lived in the town for nearly a decade.
“Love the community. I know a lot about the program. It’s a good, solid program. They’re all about volleyball,” Hayles said.
Pontotoc won the Class 4A state title in 2021. The Warriors were 17-15 last season.
Hayles began her head coaching career at Hickory Flat. When she took over at West Union, the program was only two years old. The Eagles went 5-19 this past season.
“A lot of the girls, they are going to go on to do some really good things. The fundamentals have been set there,” Hayles said.
West Union baseball coach Ashley Russell has been hired to replace Hayles.
North finals
It’s time for the North finals in the MHSAA softball and baseball playoffs.
Softball gets going today, with the best-of-3 series scheduled to wrap up by Saturday. The state championships start next Tuesday in Hattiesburg.
North half for baseball begins Friday, with any necessary Game 3s set for Monday. The state championships begin May 21 in Pearl.
