Madison Moak began playing varsity softball at Brookhaven Academy when she was in the sixth grade.

She’d already gained a reputation at that young age for being swift of foot and she already knew then that she wanted to play Division I softball one day.

Moak can check off a bunch of boxes when it comes to her career accomplishments.

State champion while playing at BA, check.

National champion while starting as a freshman center fielder at Copiah-Lincoln CC, check.

And now, Division I softball signee after recently putting pen to paper to continue her career at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“As a little girl my dream was to play Division I softball and to be given that opportunity is an absolute blessing,” said Moak. “Southern Miss is somewhere I have always wanted to play, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

As a high school freshman, Moak had 82 hits and batted .577 at the plate for a BA team that finished as state runners-up. She was named Daily Leader All-Area Offensive MVP following that season.

She repeated that honor as a senior and helped push the Cougars to the first state championship in school history while leading the team with 78 hits from the top of the lineup.

Moak grew up on old Highway 51 just a long toss from the campus of Co-Lin.

She started in center field as a freshman during Co-Lin’s memorable run to the 2023 NJCAA Division II National Championship.

She had the fifth highest amount of hits on the team (63) and drove in 29 runs while sporting a .426 batting average. Moak scored 51 runs and had a team high 21 stolen bases for CLCC (49-10).

She’ll again be a leader on the field this season for CLCC coach Meleah Howard and a Wolves team that will be a national contender in 2024.

“I always knew we had the talent to win state in high school, and I wanted to take that winning mentality to the next level,” said Moak. “You always have a goal of winning championship, but to go win a National Championship in my freshman year was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

She joins a USM signing class that includes Hannah Christian (Hoover, Ala.), Olivia Christian (Hoover, Ala.), Kayla Giardina (Kenner, La.), Carrie Green (Loganville, Ga.), Jolie Hays (Northwest Rankin), Natalie Herrington (Pearl River CC), Chloe Miller (Northwest Rankin), Bella Ramon (Floresville, Texas) and Abbi Troquille (Tioga, La.).

She’ll also have a familiar face as a teammate in former Co-Lin infielder Maddie Weeks. Weeks will be a junior for the Golden Eagles after signing with the program last spring.

Southern Miss softball is a program with some momentum as it is in year two under current head coach Natalie Poole. Poole came to USM after being the head coach at the University of Memphis for 11 seasons.

Her first team in Hattiesburg finished 22-24 last season and the hope is that overall talent is up across the board ahead of the 2024 season beginning in the Hub City.

“You can definitely tell how much dedication all the coaches have towards making the program the best it has ever been,” said Moak. “It has been amazing to see how God has prepared my path.”

The path from BA to Co-Lin and now to Southern Miss for Moak is one that’s tracked perfectly, like a high shot to center field that she’s been able to easily run under and catch like a routine out.

That softball aligned path won’t end in Hattiesburg either, as Moak will major in education with the hope of becoming a coach herself one day.