SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — When Tennessee holds its Junior Miss competition this summer, Marion County’s representative will be easily identifiable. She’ll be the one with a little dirt under her fingernails.
South Pittsburg High School’s Paige Case will be one of 16 candidates contending for the state’s Junior Miss title July 23-24 in Cleveland. If she has her way, she’ll be coming straight from a softball game.
Case is a junior and South Pittsburg’s starting shortstop and No. 2 batter this spring. She’s batting .453 and has scored 16 runs for the Lady Pirates, who are 12-5 and 7-3 in District 6-A heading into today’s district home game against Signal Mountain.
“She’s a competitor with a love for the game,” South Pittsburg softball coach Leigh Lawrence said. “She strives to be the best. She’s always the same, whether it be practice or the games. She wants it.”
Apparently she wants more than just success on the softball field. Case said she learned of the Junior Miss competition and its opportunities for scholarship awards in December. All of this year’s state winners will compete in America’s Junior Miss the following summer in Mobile, Ala.
After she committed to enter, her Saturdays were tied up from early January through mid-March. Once softball practice started her afternoons were filled from 3 until 5:15; Junior Miss rehearsals were from 5 until 7:30.
“I also had to balance homework with that,” Case said.
The local Junior Miss competition was held at South Pittsburg High School’s auditorium. Twenty-two girls were judged in various categories ranging from fitness to scholastics. If Case maintains her current academic status through next school year, she will be the valedictorian.
Her talent is playing guitar and singing. She was voted best in the interview portion of the competition.
“I thought it would be a good experience,” Case said. “It gave me a chance to step outside my comfort zone a little bit and show people a side of me they haven’t seen. There were about 700 people there. It was a little bit more intense than being on a ballfield.”
Also looking poised and self-assured in an evening gown is a far different talent than sprawling to keep a grounder in the infield.
“I was surprised she did it, but then again I’m not surprised about her winning,” Lawrence said. “That’s because of her being dedicated with everything she does, her work ethic and just being the person she is.”
Principal Allen Pratt said a great thing about living in South Pittsburg is the way its people support what the local youths are doing. In an example like this, the boundaries go a little farther than the city limits.
“We’re very proud of what she stands for,” Marion County director of schools Mark Griffith said. “I think she’s very well-rounded. She’s active in her community. She comes from a good family. She makes Marion County look good.”
To look good for the competition, she wore a gown by her favorite designer, Mori Lee. Case has her own aspirations of working in the fashion industry. She’s considering attending the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia or The Art Institute of Tennessee or the International Academy of Design and Technology — both located in Nashville.
Case now has plenty of time to come up with a different song for the Cleveland competition. What she’d really like to spend most of her time doing this summer is playing softball.
Any team need a fierce competitor that can maneuver in an evening dress?
“She’s always there to pick others up when things aren’t going well,” Lawrence said. “She’s a motivator. She makes things happen. She’s a great teammate and the girls love her. She will dive, slide, whatever it takes to win.”