One sister wears the red and black of William Carey College. The other sister wears the blue and gold of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Today both will be playing in collegiate national championship softball tournaments.

Brittany Fuller, a senior at William Carey College, has helped lead the Lady Crusaders into this week’s NAIA National Tournament at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex in Decatur, Ala. Tiffany Fuller, a freshman at Gulf Coast, has helped her Lady Bulldogs win the Region 23 Tournament and advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association championships in Normal, Ill. Both are former Warren Central softball players and the daughters of Rhea Fuller of Vicksburg.

For Brittany, advancing to the NAIA nationals after four years with the William Carey program, is a dream come true.

“It’s been fantastic. A lot of people thought we were too young after we graduated a lot of seniors, but Coach (Wendy) Hogue made it clear that we don’t rebuild here. We got refocused and have done well,” Brittany Fuller said.

And she understands that her family might be torn on which sister to support this week.

“They’re going to be pulled in all different directions. And my baby sister, Mandy, has her athletic awards banquet this week at Warren Central. But I am super psyched that my sister, Tiffany, is going to the nationals this week. We played them early in the fall and they struggled. I was worried they would have a bad season and that would ruin Tiffany’s first collegiate experience, but they’ve played really great of late,” Brittany said.

William Carey has been great all season. The Lady Crusaders sport a sparkling 40-6 record and come into the nationals ranked fifth in the country. Brittany has been a big reason why, filling the role for the third straight year as the team’s closer. She’s had to be called in for more work in tougher situations this season because Hogue brought in two young starting pitchers in Melanie Bush (15-1, 1.66 ERA) and Kelsey Jo Smith (13-3, 2.03) to replace two graduated seniors.

“Our freshmen pitchers have had to adjust to life in college and it’s a big mental thing. They usually have needed help in finishing games, so yeah, I’ve been in put into some tough situations, like bases-loaded in a tight game. But I love that opportunity,” Fuller said.

She has responded big time.

In 2008, Fuller had six saves on a 40-win team. This season, she has 13, which leads the nation. She also has one of the NAIA’s best strikeout per innings pitched ratios in the nation. In 24 appearances, Fuller has struck out 34 batters in 32 1/3 innings pitched, just over one per inning. She has walked only five and given up only five earned runs.

“My riseball and screwball have been pretty good this season. And in the last two weeks, the coaches have gotten me to use my dropball more,” Fuller said.

The Lady Crusaders have usually given Fuller a lead to work with behind a better hitting team.

“Our offense is a little better this year, but I think the biggest difference this year has been our will to finish. A lot of times last year, we would wind up splitting games. We were never consistent enough. We have that this year,” she said.

William Carey will open the NAIA nationals in pool play, taking on Waldorf College (32-11), then Notre Dame College (30-9) and Brenau College, Ga. (40-10). Fuller has already faced Notre Dame, getting a two-strikeout save in a 4-3 win, and another against Brenau in a 2 2/3 inning stint in where she fanned four.

“Honestly, I would rather have it where a team hasn’t been against me. I kind of like that surprise feel,” Fuller said.

Tiffany Fuller’s Gulf Coast team punched their ticket to the NJCAA nationals after coming back from a state tournament game loss to Copiah-Lincoln 8-5 after blowing a 5-1 lead. They returned the favor the next week at the Region 23 Tournament, beating Co-Lin 2-0 behind a complete game shutout from Tiffany, who was making just her second start in the circle. Tiffany is normally Gulf Coast’s centerfielder.

She’s excelled in that role and has become a force at the plate, hitting .342 with a .397 on base percentage. She has scored 32 runs, which ranks second on the team and she has driven in 15.

“Tiffany has had an outstanding year for us at Gulf Coast,” said Gulf Coast coach Kenneth Long. “She pitched a great game and beat the No. 5 team in the nation (Co-Lin) going the distance. She has played great defense for us all year and has been a great leadoff for our team.”

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com