Top Seeds Advance in Calhoun County Softball Tournament

Oxford, Alexandria, White Plains and Ohatchee win on opening day, will face off Tuesday

Apr. 7, 2026 at 9:04pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a high school softball game, with the players and field broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of vibrant green, blue, and orange colors.The Calhoun County softball tournament opens with the top seeds advancing, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the annual competition.Anniston Today

The top four seeds in the Calhoun County softball tournament - Oxford, Alexandria, White Plains and Ohatchee - all advanced in the winners' bracket on the opening day of competition. They will face off against each other on Tuesday at the Calhoun County Sports Complex.

Why it matters

The Calhoun County softball tournament is a highly anticipated annual event that showcases the top high school softball talent in the region. With the top seeds all winning on Monday, it sets up an exciting slate of matchups in the winners' bracket as the tournament progresses.

The details

In Monday's action, No. 1 seed Oxford defeated No. 9 Jacksonville Christian 10-3, led by home runs from Jayla Jackson and Madison Murphy. No. 2 seed Alexandria routed No. 7 Piedmont 14-1, with Baylee Elston and Ryan Lumpkin hitting homers. No. 3 seed White Plains shut out No. 6 Jacksonville 6-0 behind a dominant pitching performance from Carli Fritts. And No. 4 seed Ohatchee blanked No. 5 Pleasant Valley 3-0 on the strength of Annie Cox's pitching.

  • The Calhoun County softball tournament began on Monday, April 6, 2026.
  • The winners' bracket matchups between the top four seeds will take place on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

The players

Wendy McKibbin

The head coach of the Oxford softball team.

Brian Hess

The head coach of the Alexandria softball team.

Anna Burgess

The head coach of the White Plains softball team.

Kendall Poe

The head coach of the Ohatchee softball team.

Jayla Jackson

A player for the Oxford softball team who hit a home run in their win.

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What they’re saying

“We were a little slow, sluggish, but in the second inning, we started hitting the ball. I liked how we finished.”

— Wendy McKibbin, Oxford head coach

“After the way we finished last weekend's tournament, I was hoping we wouldn't have a lull. I put Khloe back on the mound to see if she had a little bit of bounce back.”

— Brian Hess, Alexandria head coach

“They had a mentality that no job was too little. I'm proud of the dugout. I gave Ella Ponder the job of, 'You bring energy, and I need runs.' She's out. She's had surgery on her ACL, but man, just her energy and just all of them doing their job, no matter what the job is. No matter how big or how small it may seem, they just did it.”

— Anna Burgess, White Plains head coach

“It was a total team win. We won that one inning. Annie pitched well. We played defense well and just got the timely hits.”

— Kendall Poe, Ohatchee head coach

What’s next

The winners' bracket matchups between the top four seeds - Oxford vs. Ohatchee and Alexandria vs. White Plains - will take place on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 pm at the Calhoun County Sports Complex.

The takeaway

The opening day of the Calhoun County softball tournament saw the top seeds flex their muscles, setting up an exciting slate of winners' bracket games on Tuesday. With the tournament's best teams all still alive, the path to the championship will be highly competitive as the event progresses.