Hope Mills adds another Dixie Softball World Series championship in dominant fashion

Hope Mills has another Dixie Softball World Series championship.

The 10-and-under Angels-division Hope Mills All-Stars ran through district and state competition without a loss and capped the postseason with a 2024 Dixie Softball World Series championship title last week in East Ouachita, Louisiana.

“They showed up to play,” Hope Mills All-Stars coach Brad Gump said. “To see them succeed and win the World Series, it was amazing.”

This championship gives Hope Mills its second Dixie Softball World Series title in four years, joining the Hope Mills All-Stars 12U Ponytails’ trophy from 2021.

The way the 2024 Angels won was especially dominant, outscoring their opponents a staggering 200 runs to two.

Selected by coaches after the rec league regular season, the 2024 10U Hope Mills All-Stars outscored competition in district playoffs 91-0 to qualify for states. They went on to Bessemer City near Charlotte and allowed only one run against a five-team field for a World Series berth.

The title didn’t come without a test for Hope Mills, which suffered its first loss of the postseason in the World Series final against Lake Marion, South Carolina.

Hope Mills had won its second-round matchup against Lake Marion handily at 5-0, but the SC team fought its way out of the losers’ bracket to set up the final in the double-elimination, eight-team tournament.

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Lake Marion broke up a shutout with a run in the fifth inning and it was enough for the 1-0 win over Hope Mills to force a winner-take-all championship game, and Hope Mills responded with a four-run first inning to spark a 6-0 win for the World Series title.

“They were humbled and the resilience they showed by coming back the next day to beat the same team in the championship – It was impressive to see,” Gump said.

“They didn’t let that first loss dictate the season.”

Addie Almond and Michaela Lee led the Hope Mills pitching staff, with Almond striking out 53 in 22 innings and giving up only one run in the entire postseason, and Lee striking out 38 in 17 innings with no runs allowed.

As for offense, “they all hit the ball,” Gump said.

The Hope Mills All-Stars had a team batting average of .621 in the postseason with three sluggers averaging over .700 – Lee (.750), Nia Beaty (.714) and Jayla Chapman (.704).

“Between the three of them, they had 15 home runs and 67 RBIs,” Gump added.

The Hope Mills All-Stars will enjoy honors from city officials in the coming days, and they will need to plan for a place in the Hope Mills Christmas Parade. In the meantime, they'll get right back on the field for travel ball in the nearly year-long softball cycle that demands as much from parents as players.

"It wouldn’t happen without the parents," Gump said. "The commitment to their daughters, letting their kids play, paying all the time — you have to sacrifice a lot as a parent. It takes a lot of money. It says a lot about the parents’ commitment.

"Hopefully, these girls will play for a long time."

The complete 2024 10U Hope Mills All-Star team roster includes Nia Beaty, Addalyne Suarez, Jayla Chapman, Brynann Bryant, Natalie Seals, Anabelle Capps, Jewel Levale, Skyler Miller, Makaylin Oxendine, Lorelei Almond, Adalynne Almond, Michaela Lee and coaches Bradley Gump, Aaron Davis and Kenny Oxendine.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Hope Mills All-Stars win 10U Angels Dixie Softball World Series