Breelyn Cain’s life in softball began when she decided to play tee-ball as a young girl because her older sister played. She enjoyed the sport because she was able to meet a lot of different people that she otherwise would not have had a chance to know, and she stuck with it.

Now, the rising West Lauderdale senior is proving that she is one of the most valuable players in the Mississippi High School Activities Association after being named 4A Miss Softball and leading the Knights to a state championship in the last month.

West Lauderdale coach Jake Loper said Cain, who pitches and hits for the Knights, sets herself apart from other players with her competitiveness and her drive to improve. She hit her way to a .356 batting average with 37 hits for the Knights this season, and she put up an .980 earned run average and 206 strikeouts in 150 innings pitched.

“I definitely think that she’s our leader,” Loper said. “Everybody looks to her, and I think she does a pretty good job. … Everybody kind of looks at her for the way that things should be done.”

Cain has developed into a leader in the dugout, and she continues to push her abilities on the field to new heights. Loper, who completed his first season leading the Knights in May, chose to move Cain up a few slots in the batting order this season after she proved her skill at the plate to him.

He said she definitely became a better hitter this season, and she was forced to learn to pitch more strategically by tough opponents like Brandon and Northwest Rankin. Cain said she has become a lot physically and mentally stronger since she began playing for the Knights in eighth grade.

“Any time you can send a kid out there in the circle like that that’s going to strike out 10-plus a game, that’s a game changer in itself,” Loper said. “Then she also brings that value of being a great leader, and she had the second highest batting average on her team. She’s just a really good player all around.”

Cain has experience at a few different positions in the infield and the outfield. She plays second base for her Hotshots Premier-Lawson team when not pitching and she played right field and first base briefly this season for West Lauderdale. However, she prefers to pitch.

“I feel like I have some authority over the field,” Cain said on pitching. “I control the pace of the game and how quick it’s moving, or how slow I want it to go.”

She leans on a screwball, a curveball, and a rise ball when in the pitching circle. Loper said Cain’s fastest pitches can top out near 63 mph, according to Loper, and she can rip balls by opponents or make them miss with her knuckleball changeup.

Her excellence in the pitching circle and at the plate earned her the 4A Miss Softball award in May, which Loper said she deserved because she works hard and does everything right. She led the Knights from the circle to a 6-2 victory over North Pike in game one of the MHSAA 4A State Championship a week later.

“In that first inning we were kind of nervous and were just trying to throw a strike rather than hitting our spots,” Loper said on Cain’s performance in game one. “After that first inning, we responded and scored three runs. I think she settled in well and didn’t give up another run the rest of the game, so it was a big moment. First time she’s pitched on a stage like that. I thought she did a great job.”

Cain said it was a great feeling to win a state championship, but she was nervous enough during the game that she needed to calm herself down while pitching. She tossed six strikeouts while giving up four hits and four walks in seven innings in game one, and she displayed some clutch pitching by tossing into three straight outs to end the game with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

“It was very different than anything I’ve ever pitched in before. The stress level was there because you’re in a different environment, you’re not on your home field,” Cain said. “There were some very tough situations in that game.”

Mabry Eason and Cain made up a pitching staff that was one of West Lauderdale’s greatest strengths this season, and nothing changed in the championship. Eason led the Knights to an 11-0 victory in game two by throwing a no-hitter through all six innings, and she was named MVP of the series after the game.

“They compliment each other well,” Loper said on his pitchers. “Breelyn’s more of a power pitcher, a blow-it-by-you kind of pitcher, whereas Mabry’s more of a spin it, spot it up, let your defense work kind of pitcher. A lot of teams I feel like prepare to be on time for Breelyn, and then Mabry comes in and spins it up there and we’re able to get a lot of weak contact and make plays on it defensively.”

Loper said his pitchers were able to get plenty of rest and rarely had to pitch in two straight games because there were two of them. Cain said her arm did not feel worn out, even near the end of the postseason, because of that rest.

“This year I feel like I was just able to take care of my arm better and have that relief with Mabry and her coming in, and it goes both ways,” Cain said. “We both were able to rest and keep our arms healthy throughout the year.”

Cain currently wants to continue her education after high school so that she can enter a medical field, and she said she would like to play softball in college, preferably at a four-year institution. Loper said basically every junior college and a few NCAA Division I schools are currently interested in her.

Cain still has another season ahead of her though, and she is already focused on earning more hardware.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter about winning district,” Cain said. “As long as we can get that North State title and that state title, that’s what matters most.”