VIDALIA, La. &045; At about the time fast-pitch softball was becoming popular in Concordia Parish, Miranda Doughty thought she’d give it a try.

It looked like fun, and Doughty was only 12 years old. Slow-pitch softball was the more popular of the two sports at the time.

Later on Doughty worked with Rut Horne on how just to go about throwing a softball with velocity instead of the customary high arc in slow-pitch softball. Horne coaches a summer league softball team, and he helped Doughty learn how to throw.

&uot;It was something all new thrown at me,&uot; she said. &uot;It gets harder as you learn different pitches and you learn to experiment with your pitches and not have all your control and speed at the same time. Then there’s the mental aspect of it.&uot;

It’s the mental aspect of pitching that helped Doughty overpower hitters in the playoffs and help the Vidalia Lady Vikings to their first state title in the history of the program. Doughty’s efforts earned her the 2003 All-Metro Player of the Year by The Natchez Democrat, while VHS head coach Gary Paul Parnham is Coach of the Year.

Doughty rose up in the second half of the season, threw three shutouts at the state tournament in Sulphur and finished the year with a 13-2 mark and a 0.42 ERA. She was also named the Class 2A Player of the Year.

&uot;That kid there turned it around big time,&uot; Parnham said. &uot;She worked her tail off this season. We had three pitchers who could go, but Miranda stepped up and took control of it. By the end of it she definitely was our No. 1 pitcher. She had control of all her pitches, and we very seldom threw a fastball. She had command of her curve and rise so well.&uot;

Those two pitches gave three teams nightmares at the state tournament as she struck out 28 batters in 21 innings. A member of a three-player pitching rotation earlier in the year with standout teammates Jenny Watson and Christy Corley, Doughty got the nod more and more as the season went on and her ERA dropped.

Doughty tossed a one-hit shutout to open the playoffs against Jonesboro-Hodge and threw five innings of relief in a 3-2 road win over Farmerville to lock up the team’s first spot at the state tournament since 1998.

What was the difference? Curveballs and riseballs that were incredibly sharp &045; some batters, she admitted, got nothing but riseballs at Sulphur &045; and a renewed sense of confidence on the mound to handle herself when things went bad.

&uot;I wouldn’t hang my head if I walk somebody or give up a hit,&uot; Doughty said. &uot;I learned I’ve got to have control out there. It (a runner on base) makes me tough. I put that runner on, but I don’t want them getting any farther than that.&uot;

Parnham agreed.

&uot;I think her confidence grew from last summer,&uot; he said. &uot;I think a lot of it had to do with her summer program and them going to the world championship. I think that did a lot for her confidence. She came out in the spring a more confident pitcher. She went out and made the pitches. She’s done everything I’ve asked of her.&uot;

As Doughty turned it on at the state tournament, so did others on the team. Seniors Heather Miller, Jenny Watson and Jaci Deweese played a big role in the outcome, while several underclassmen played bigger than their classification in helping the Lady Vikings win the title.

&uot;This is a special group of kids on this whole team,&uot; Parnham said. &uot;But those four seniors were special. They’ve listened to me chew them out and get on their case, but they stayed with it and were determined. But it was a total team effort. You can’t play nine on four. They had a very good supporting cast.&uot;

What got the Lady Vikings over the hump perhaps more than anything was their timely hitting. After spending most of the season belly-aching over his team’s inability to drive runners home, Parnham was relieved as the team scored first in the championship game against South Beauregard.

All through the three games the Lady Vikings drove in the runs at the most important times.

&uot;It was like those kids went to a different level,&uot; he said. &uot;All nine starters &045; and even the kids who didn’t start &045; stepped up to another level. You could see it if you’ve been with this team the whole year. It was like a determination thing &045; they were not going to leave the state tournament with a loss.&uot;

The four seniors now will likely go their separate ways, some with and some without softball in their future. Miller went on a tryout Saturday to Jones Community College in Ellisville, while Watson will try to walk on at Louisiana-Monroe. Deweese ended her softball career.

Doughty, meanwhile, will make it official with ULM at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday after meeting with head coach Rosemary Holloway.

&uot;I pretty much know where I’m going to go,&uot; Doughty said. &uot;I don’t want to say anything and change my mind.&uot;