(Courtney Blades one of the greatest pitchers in college softball history led the Lady Eagles to back to back Women’s College World Series appearances in 1999 and 2000.)
The 2000 Southern Miss Softball program was honored during the Southern Miss Spring Football game. One of the most historic runs in all sports at Southern Miss. The team was reinstated in 1999 and in their first and second year they advanced to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series. 8 members of that 2000 team were welcomed back on campus Saturday for a historic day celebrating the 25th anniersary of the program’s historic feat.
In just their first season back in 1999 the team made an immediate impact.  Led by legendary pitcher Courtney Blades, the Lady Eagles stormed through the competition, securing their first-ever WCWS berth. Blades was a dominant force, setting an NCAA record with 497 strikeouts.
The 2000 team would carry over the success from the previous season by also storming through the competition on the way to the back to back Women’s College World Series.  Blades continued her dominance in 2000 earning NCAA National Softball Player of the Year, even pitching a perfect game against #1 ranked Arizona in the WCWS. The Lady Eagles would lose to Oklahoma the next night, before beating Alabama to advance to the semifinals. The Lady Eagles would get to the closest any sport in program history has ever come to a National Championship as they made it to the final four of that years WCWS before losing 6-0 to UCLA
Another key player was Erin Johnson, who was selected to All WCWS Tournament along with Blades. These players, along with a talented supporting cast, helped Southern Miss achieve back-to-back WCWS appearances, a feat that remains one of the most celebrated moments in the program’s history.
If advancing to the Womens’ College World Series in their first year back-to-back wasn’t enough, the Golden Eagles also didn’t have a place to call home until the opening of the Softball Complex in 2002. The softball team had a lot of different homes prior to the opening of the Softball Complex – they used the now intramural fields located on campus until 1992, and in 1999 they played at local city parks. In 2000 and 2001 they played at a local sports complex in Oak Grove called Optimist Park, about 15 minutes away, and since those early years the Golden Eagles haven’t had much success on the diamond, winning only two C-USA Tournaments in 2000 and 2001, and winning the C-USA Regular Season in 2000 and 2004. The Lady Eagles have only been to four Regionals, with the most recent one coming in 2004.
(Above: Optimist Park in Oak Grove served as one of the temporary homes for the Lady Eagles during the 1999 and 2000 season.)
After the Spring Football game Saturday the attention focused on the Southern Miss Softball Complex as the Lady Eagles took on Texas State Bobcats in a crucial conference showdown. The 2000 Softball team was also honored before the softball game as well. Even though the Lady Eagles came up short in a 5-0 loss, it was a special day for Southern Miss athletics on campus.
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