When you first enter the Jackson Parish Recreation Department Sports Complex, the first thing you notice is a long line of banners along each side of the walkway, featuring images of JPRD All-Star teams from the past that have either won or finished as runner-up in youth state baseball and softball competitions. The room will now have to be made for one more.

Joining the “walk of fame” will be the 2026 Jackson Parish 10U All-Star team, which, after winning four of six games, finished as the state runner-up in the Diamond Youth Softball tournament held in Buckeye, LA, this past weekend. Making the impressive feat all the more enjoyable is that by virtue of their finish in the ten-team tournament, the JP10U All-Stars will be the first team in the history of the Jackson Parish Recreation Department youth softball program to compete in a World Series tournament that will be played in Laurel, MS on July 16-19.

“When we picked the 12 girls to represent Jackson Parish on the All-Star team, we not only looked at talent, but we remembered the kids with positive attitudes and who we thought were coachable. We never even looked at their stats,” said JP10U Manager Kristen Allen.

The effort put forth by the “Dandy Dozen” from Jackson Parish, which finished the All-Star season with an impressive 13-2 record, including an 11-game winning streak, has been truly Herculean. Beginning with five straight victories in just two days (June 12-13) to win a pre-district tournament in West Monroe, LA, the locals then reeled off four more victories in a row to claim the District 4 Tournament title that was played at the JPRD Sports Complex in Jonesboro on June 25-28. At the state tournament, JP10U played six games in just four days, finishing with a 4-2 record. Victories came against Tioga twice, Minden, and Sabine Parish, with their only losses being to eventual state champion Jefferson Parish Eastbank, first in the opening round of bracket play and again in the championship game after battling through the elimination bracket.

To give a perspective on how impressive the showing by these talented young ladies was is the fact that Jackson Parish had the smallest population base of all the teams that participated in the pre-district, district, and state tournaments, and it was only the team that came from the state’s largest population area (New Orleans) that finished one position in the state better. Real numbers show that in the state championship game, it was the team from Jackson Parish, made up of 12 girls, chosen from among a total base of 36 girls who played on the three local league teams competing against the JPRD Eastbank squad, whose 12 players were drawn from a league of 32 teams and a pool of nearly 400 players.

After the tournament, Allen proudly reflected on the team’s accomplishments but made a point of showing that the work is not done yet.

“This 10U group is so special,” said Allen. “They have come a long way as a team, and are still getting better every day. We are hoping to push through to the end of the World Series and come out on top, while also showing good sportsmanship and encouraging other teams. We want to represent our town and our state well.”

Allen was also exuberant in her praise of the character of her team, the sportsmanship shown by the players, the cohesion of the coaching staff and the support given by team followers.

“It’s not just about softball in this league, but building character and confidence. They all have the biggest hearts. We have watched them cheer on and lift up other teams’ players after a loss. They brought tears to my eyes when they lined up outside a losing team’s dugout, chanting ‘We are proud of you!’, reflected Allen. “Bethany, Cheyenne and I have balanced so well in coaching, and you don’t see that much. It has been a huge blessing! The players’ parents and families have also been a blessing.”

Diamond Youth Softball State Tournament Recap
Jackson Parish 10U All-Stars

Manager: Kristen Allen
Coaches: Cheyenne Allen and Bethany Garner
Team Members: Kylee-Ayn Allen, Malia Gunter, Lyla Hall, Kaylee Hammons, Caylee Mauthe, Ryleigh Puffer, Kadence Sampey, Natalie Sullivan, Mercedes Taylor, River Waggoner, Mez’Meri Walker, and Brenleigh Whitman.
State Tournament Summary: Beat Tioga 16-0 and 12-0 in Pool Play. Lost to JPRD East 11-1 in the first game of double-elimination tournament play. Beat Minden 5-2 and Sabine Parish 5-3 in elimination bracket play. Lost to JPRD East 8-0 in the championship game.

JP10U 16 Tioga 0 (Pool Play): Natalie Sullivan and Kylee-Ayn Allen combined on a four-inning no-hitter while striking out 11, and JP10U scored 7 runs in both the third and fourth innings to end the contest via the “run rule”. Caylee Mauthe led the offensive onslaught by going 3/3 with 3 RBI’s, while Ryleigh Puffer went 2/3, scored twice, and knocked in three. Sullivan went 2/3 and scored twice, while Allen also got two hits, including a double, scored three times, and knocked in a run. Malia Gunter got a hit, scored two runs, and had 2 RBIs; Brenleigh Whitman got a hit, scored twice, and had an RBI; and Mez’Meri Walker scored twice after getting a hit and reaching base on a walk. River Waggoner smashed a two-run triple, Mercedes Taylor hit a double and scored once. Kadence Sampson got a hit and scored, and Lyla Hall also scored a run and drove in an RBI after walking twice.

JP10U 12 Tioga 0 (Pool Play): The opponent did better this time around as they got one hit over three innings off of Kylee-Ayn Allen who struck out six for the shutout and JP10U batters continued to thrive on Tioga pitching racking up 10 hits in only two at bats that included a pair of doubles by Natalie Sullivan (2 RS, 2RBI) and a single and a triple by Ryleigh Puffer (2 RS, 3 RBI). Allen (2 RS, 2 RBI) helped her cause by slapping a pair of singles, while Caylee Mauthe (2 RS, 2 RBI), Malia Gunter (RS, RBI), Kaylee Hammons (RS), and Mez’Meri Walker (RS) all added singles. Brenleigh Withman also scored a run.

JPRD East 11 JP10U 1 (Game One Tournament Play): The tide turned in the first game of double-elimination bracket play, as JPRD East’s pitching dominated, holding JP10U hitless over the course of the four-inning contest. Natalie Sullivan scored the only run for the locals in the bottom of the fourth inning after reaching on an error, advancing to third on a groundout by Caylee Mauthe, and scoring on a Kylee-Ayn Allen sacrifice groundout following Malia Gunter’s walk.

JP10U 5 Minden 2 (Game Two Tournament Play): Breaking open a scoreless pitching duel, JP10U plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and then added an insurance run in the fifth to stay alive and move to within one victory of reaching the state championship game. Mez’Meri Walker opened the decisive inning with a walk followed by a single by Natalie Sullivan, who was the complete-game victor after holding Mindent to just four singles and striking out 8. Caylee Mauthe walked to load the bases, and then Malia Gunter hit a two-run single, Kylee-Ayn Allen hit a sacrifice grounder, and Brenleigh Whitman executed a perfect bunt single. An insurance run was added in the bottom of the fifth inning when Lyla Hall walked and scored after River Waggoner singled, Kaylee Hammons drew another walk to load the bases, and Kadence Sampey slapped a single.

JP10U 5 Sabine Parish 3 (Game Three Tournament Play): In the rematch of the 5-1 District 4 Tournament victory by JP10U, Sabine Parish broke on top with two runs in the top of the first inning, but JP10U showed their superiority by quickly re-establishing control with five runs in their first two at-bats. The rally started in the bottom half of the first inning when, with two outs, Malia Gunter drew a walk, followed by four straight clutch hits by Kylee-Ayn Allen, Brenleigh Whitman, Ryleigh Puffer, and Mercedes Taylor. The lead expanded to 5-1 in the next inning when River Waggoner, Kaylee Hammons, Kadence Sampey, and Mez’Meri Walker all showed a keen eye at the plate to coax consecutive walks, and Caylee Mauthe hit a sacrifice groundout. That would be all the runs Natalie Sullivan needed in her complete-game winning performance, where she scattered five hits and struck out seven over four innings.

JPRD East 8 JP10U 0 (Championship Game): It was déjà vu in the rematch, as once again JPRD East pitching was dominant, allowing only a single by Kylee-Ayn Allen in the top of the fifth inning. The score was only 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, but JPRD East scored 4 in their at-bat and added 3 more in the bottom of the fourth to put the game away. JP10U had runners reach base in both the third and fourth innings when Mercedes Taylor and Mez’Meri Walker each got hit by a pitch but were left stranded on base. Hopelessly behind 8-0 In their final at-bat against who proved to be one of the best hurlers in the state, JP10U showed the tremendous grit and character that made them a World Series qualifier by fighting back to load the bases on Allen’s hit and walks to Ryleigh Puffer and Mercedes Taylor before succumbing.

Team Statistical Recap: As a team, JP10U posted an impressive .366 team batting average, collecting 37 hits in 101 official at-bats, with 8 players hitting over .300 and 4 more checking in at over .500 over the 6 games played. A total of 39 runs were scored, equating to an average of 6.5 runs per game. Pitching statistics showed 27 hits were given up to 118 batters, with the team ERA at 4.817, which doesn’t reflect the true quality of the effort, given that in the two losses, 19 runs were scored compared to just 5 runs given up in the four wins.

Jackson Parish 10U State Tournament Offensive Statistics

NAME	AB	H	AVG	2B	3B	HR	RBI	RS	BB	SB
Mez’Meri Walker	3	2	.667	0	0	0	1	4	4	0
Kylee-Ayn Allen	13	7	.538	1	0	0	5	6	0	2
River Waggoner	6	3	.500	0	1	0	2	1	2	1
Ryleigh Puffer	10	5	.500	0	1	0	8	4	2	0
Natalie Sullivan	12	5	.417	2	0	0	2	6	1	2
Malia Gunter	8	3	.375	0	0	0	4	5	5	0
Kadence Sampey	6	2	.333	0	0	0	1	1	2	0
Caylee Mauthe	12	4	.333	0	0	0	6	3	1	0
Mercedes Taylor	7	2	.286	1	0	0	0	1	4	1
Brenleigh Whitman	11	3	273	0	0	0	2	4	1	0
Kaylee Hammons	6	1	.167	0	0	0	0	2	2	0
Lyla Hall	7	0	.000	0	0	0	1	2	4	1
TEAM	101	37	.366	4	2	0	32	39	28	7

Jackson Parish 10U State Tournament Pitching Statistics

NAME	GP	W	L	S	IP	BF	H	BB	SO	ERA
Natalie Sullivan	6	3	2	0	16.1	80	18	9	24	4.041
Kylee-Ayn Allen	4	1	0	0	7.1	38	9	9	14	6/545

Donate To Help Offset World Series Expenses

Donations are being accepted to help the Jackson Parish 10U Softball All-Stars defray expenses of their trip to Laurel, MS to participate in the Diamond Youth Softball World Series. Please help their dreams come true by contacting Kristen Allen at (832) 459-4126 or via Venmo at @Kristen-Gray-98. Your support is greatly appreciated.