In his continuing quest to showcase fast-pitch softball to both his own players and the young girls of Warren County, Vicksburg High softball coach Brian Ellis put in a call to Alcorn State coach Josef Rankin late last summer.

Vicksburg had hosted a fall scrimmage game between Jackson State and East Mississippi Community College in 2015, and Ellis was hoping to set up something similar with Alcorn.
Ellis was floored by Rankin’s response.

“He was full of fall stuff,” Ellis said, “but then out of the blue he said, ‘How would you like to host our season opener?”

Ellis liked it very much.

After some bureaucratic formalities, it quickly became a done deal. Alcorn will play its 2017 opener against Kentucky State Thursday, at Vicksburg’s Softball Swamp field at 5:30 p.m.
Admission is $4 for the public, but Alcorn State and Vicksburg Warren School District students can get free hillside seating by showing their student ID at the gate.

It will be as much of a softball showcase as a regular-season game. Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs, Alcorn State athletic director Derek Horne, VWSD superintendent Chad Shealy and VWSD athletic director Preston Nailor will all throw out ceremonial first pitches. Vicksburg High’s band will be there to play the national anthem.

Alcorn’s team drove up from Lorman to practice at the Softball Swamp on Monday, and Kentucky State was to practice there Wednesday, weather permitting. Ellis planned to have his team watch both practices to see how teams at that level operate.

Ellis is hoping a big crowd will also show up Thursday to provide a big-game atmosphere and show off not only his program’s facilities, but the sport of softball itself.

“It’s bringing college softball to Vicksburg and the city,” Ellis said. “It’s not only helping my girls to see it at that level, it’s all the little girls who don’t normally get to see it. And then for Alcorn, they get to show their program off to people who might not get to go down there for a game. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

Rankin agreed, saying that playing in Vicksburg was a chance to connect with a city that Alcorn State University considers its home turf and show off an athletic program that’s often a bit under the radar compared to football and basketball.

“We just looked at it as an opportunity to play in this community, and to get a chance to play outside of our home,” Rankin said. “We’re hoping it’s something we can build on, and something we can make bigger. Basketball and football are both big, and we’re hoping this is something we can build together with Vicksburg.”

This will be the first of two Division I college softball games in Vicksburg this season. Around the same time this week’s game was being arranged, Mississippi Valley State also inquired about playing in the city.

Valley — whose roster includes Ellis’ daughter Chandler, a pitcher and former VHS star — will play Southwestern Athletic Conference rival Arkansas-Pine Bluff on April 12. That game will be at Warren Central.

Ellis’ original intent was to set up an annual fall event with some of Mississippi’s colleges. Now, he’s hoping, a regular-season game or two each year can become the norm.

“I hope it’s the first of many. Any time we can bring college softball to Vicksburg, it’s a win for everybody. You’re showing people you can support that kind of stuff,” Ellis said. “That’s one of my goals, is to get the game noticed here. Especially with a new sports complex. With the revenue from the city from a new complex, we could have two fields going at once and do something really special.”

While the softball event is the first of its kind in the city, Alcorn’s tennis team has often played some of its home matches on the courts at Halls Ferry Park. It’ll return Friday for a long weekend in town.

Alcorn’s women’s team will host Northeast Oklahoma Friday at 2 p.m. and again Saturday at 10 a.m. It will also play Central Arkansas Saturday at 2 p.m.

There is no admission charge for the tennis matches.

ALCORN IN VICKSBURG
• Alcorn State will play Kentucky State in a women’s fast-pitch softball game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Vicksburg High’s Softball Swamp field on Army Navy Drive.
Admission is $4, but students of the Vicksburg Warren School District and Alcorn State will get in free with a valid student ID.
• Alcorn State will also host three women’s tennis matches this weekend at Halls Ferry Park. The Lady Braves will face Northeast Oklahoma Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m., and Central Arkansas Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free.