By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

George County has a new head softball coach, but it’s a familiar face to the Lady Rebel program.
Assistant coach Anna Grace Cooley has been elevated to the top spot recently. Cooley, a 2016 graduate of George County, has served for several seasons as an assistant for the Lady Rebels including most recently under former head coach Kasey McCann as GCHS won the Class 5A state championship in 2023.
“Becoming a head coach has always been in the plans for me, so when this opportunity was presented to me I felt like it was time,” Cooley said. “Sometimes waiting for God to open and close doors is the hardest thing because you never want to make the wrong decision, but I feel like this was something he has been preparing me for. Being a part of this team in the assistant role for the last three years has been incredible. We’ve reached milestones that no other team in the history of George County Softball has done, and I have been blessed enough to play a small part in that success.”
Cooley was a standout in both softball and soccer for her alma mater, and then went on to become an All-State player on the next level at Pearl River Community College. She then moved on to play at William Carey to finish up her playing career.

“Of course the ultimate goal of any coach is to win a state championship, and that is no stranger to this team,” Cooley added. ‘Winning is what they know. I have said that since this group stepped foot on campus. A quote that comes to mind often for me is ‘how you do anything is how you do everything’”.

The Lady Rebels came up just short in getting back to the state finals this past season, falling to Hancock in three games in the Class 6A South State championship series. McCann then left to take over as head coach at Brandon High.

“Winning is the ultimate goal, but along the way I want to do things the right way and play a role in the development of these girls not only as softball players but also in the people they are off the field.” Cooley concluded. “A lot of the values and principles that you practice and learn through athletic competition affect your everyday life long after you stop playing the game of softball. Winning on the field also translates to winning off the field. I know that I would not be the person/coach I am today without having coaches and role models push me day in and day out to work hard and give everything I had to win in whatever it is I was I was competing in. The culture and foundation of winning is already here with this group of young ladies, I am just here to pull it out of them every single day. Success doesn’t come by accident, talent by itself usually doesn’t achieve the ultimate goal so no shortcuts will be made, we will do things the right way every single day and if we do that we will continue to grow and build this program! I look forward to this year and feel super blessed with this opportunity.”