POCOLA, Okla. — The members of the Pocola fastpitch softball team are no strangers to winning.
“You can just tell that our girls are used to playing in big-time moments in big-time games,” head coach Eddie Combs said.
The Lady Indians made the state tournament last year, won the slowpitch title in the spring, and 13 of the players were also on the state title-winning basketball team.
It’s a group of girls used to making the Pocola community proud.
“Like in basketball, when we came home, the town was here and they had signs for us,” sophomore pitcher/shortstop Allyssa Parker said.
Now, Pocola looks like a strong contender to also bring home a championship in fastpitch for the first time since 1979.
The Lady Indians are 35-2 on the season heading into regionals this week. They won the LeFlore County Tournament as well as districts, and are ranked No. 11, not just in Oklahoma, but in the entire country by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
“I was expecting a good season, but nothing like we’ve had,” Combs said. “We’ve been on a good roll.”
“We’ve had a very good season, and our coach has pushed us to do the best,” said senior infielder Kail Chitwood. “We just have fun. We make the best of everything.”
The team is loaded with talent, including sophomore Allyssa Parker. Parker is a top-10 recruit nationally for the class of 2025 (ranked No. 8 per ExtraInning Softball) and leads the state of Oklahoma with 18 home runs this season.
She says the recognition the program is getting reflects the team's character.
“It really shows us that our hard work has paid off,” Parker said. “We come out here, we do our thing, we have fun, and it's very special.”
A special season that the team would love nothing more than to cap with a special ending.
“I feel like it's going to be a special year,” Chitwood said.
“To hang a banner in fast-pitch is something I as a coach have always dreamed of, something the players put on their goal to start the season,” Combs said. “It would be something that would last forever.”
