HUGHES SPRINGS, Texas-Pearl Perry and Marisol Kennedy, key players during a spectacular two-season run of 60-plus wins and back-to-back state tournament appearances for Hughes Springs, locked up the first couple of seasons of their college futures on Thursday.
Perry, an outfielder who made a nearly 200-point jump in batting average from her sophomore to junior seasons, signed a national letter of intent with Northeast Texas Community College. Kennedy, a 38-game winner inside the circle the past three seasons, inked with Bossier Parish Community College.
"Both of these girls work extremely hard," Hughes Springs head softball coach Tisha Thompson said. "They are very competitive. They want to be good at everything they do, and that's why they are here doing this today."
Perry and Kennedy will be college rivals in 2020, but still have one more season together as members of the Lady Mustangs' program - one of the state's most successful groups over the past couple of seasons.
Hughes Springs is 64-7 the past two seasons, finishing as a state semifinalist in 2017 and a state finalist a year ago.
"We lost six seniors, but we'll be fine," Thompson said. "I want Pearl and Marisol to step up and be leaders, but I don't want them to feel any pressure and feel like they need to do anything extraordinary. Just keep doing what they have been doing the past couple of years."
Perry hit .262 with 10 RBI as a sophomore in 2017, and was a .432 hitter with seven home runs, eight doubles, 41 RBI and 29 runs scored last season.
"She got into the (batting) cage and got on a select team," Thompson said of Perry. "She worked her way up to that .400 average."
Kennedy has gone 8-4, 16-3 and 14-1 as a pitcher the past three seasons while hitting .341 with 16 RBI in 2016, .382 with a home run and 33 RBI in 2017 and .471 with three home runs, 10 doubles, two triples, 42 RBI and 38 runs scored in 2018.
She compiled a 1.42 earned run average with 78 strikeouts in 99 innings last season for the Lady Mustangs.
Bossier Parish and Northeast Texas Community College both compete in the Region XIV Conference's East Division along with Angelina, Kilgore, Navarro, Paris, Trinity Valley and Tyler.
Northeast Texas finished 12-33 overall and 7-21 in the conference last season. Bossier Parish was 44-13 overall and 22-6 in the league.