Mississippi playoff action wrapped up over the weekend and one of the powerhouses in the state, Newton County (Decatur, Miss.) recaptured the 4A State Championship, it’s eighth state title in softball (2000, ‘02, ’03, ’07, ’08, ’11, ’13, ’14).

That’s eight in the last 15 years, a pretty remarkable accomplishment!

Leading the way was one of the top batteries in the south, Darby Bishop, a 2015 pitcher who’s already a three-time all-state honoree (2014 yet to be announced), and Cassidy “Cat” Blount, a 2016 catcher who was a 2013 All-State pick.

This year, Darby went 21-0 with one save and a 1.53 ERA.  She also hit .621 with 44 RBI.  Cat hit .402 with 37 RBI and only had one error in 135 chances for a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate.

We checked in with the Dynamic Duo, who still have another year to terrify opponents in the Magnolia State… here’s a quick Q&A:

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StudentSportsSoftball: How does it feel to be part of a team with so much success in Mississippi?
Darby Bishop:  Great.  I couldn’t think of a better team to play with.
Cassidy Blount:  I agree with Darby, I moved here and joined this team two years ago and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it.

 

SSS.com: What do you think is the main characteristic of your team that makes it successful?
CB:  We have each others backs.  We all work hard, so we can depend on each other.
DB:  We can overcome the biggest obstacles. Hard work and dedication helps us come together as a team.

 

SSS.com: How strong are you as a pitcher/catcher combo?
CB:  Very strong.  We have worked together a lot and we communicate well.

 

SSS.com: Darby, what do you value most in Cat being your catcher?
DB:  Her ability to see the game.  Cat can read the runners and she can read the pitch.  She can tell me what my pitches are doing if they aren’t quite working as well as we want them to.

 

SSS.com: So Cat, what is Darby’s greatest strength?
CB:  Her movement on the ball.  The more spin a pitcher has, the better she is.  And Darby has great spin!  If I can call it, she can throw it.

 

SSS.com: What are your summer tournament plans?
CB:  Batbusters travel ball, camps and unofficial visits.  Our goal is to play as much as we can so we can get exposure in front of college coaches for the chance to be able to play at the college level.  We have our first tournament on May 24^th.

 

SSS.com: What do you like to do when you aren’t playing?
DB:   Regular stuff.  Rest, spend time with family and friends, and just hang out.
CB:  Sleep, ride four-wheelers, hunt, fish, hang out with friends and do just about anything a normal teenager would do.