Knox adds Samantha Bailey to the VHS softball coaching staff

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Vicksburg High School head softball coach Briana Knox has added Samantha Bailey to her staff, bringing Bailey back to the Missy Gators after a two-year absence.

“I’m very excited to have Coach Bailey returning back to VHS and we’re going to make some great moves this year and we’re also adding more discipline but we’re keeping motor and striving to be the best we can be,” Knox said.

Bailey, who coached as an assistant at VHS from 2019 to 2023, said she is eager to return to the place where her coaching career began.

“I’m super excited to be back with the program and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes and working with Coach Knox and we have a good group of girls so the we will work good together,” Bailey said.

When Bailey first joined the staff in 2019, she worked primarily with pitchers and catchers, a role she will resume this year. During her first four years, the Missy Gators won the district title each season, and in her last year they reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.

During that span, Bailey coached some of Warren County’s top talent, including Lexi Kistler, the Vicksburg Daily News’ first Player of the Year, along with Madison Spencer, Trinity McGloster, Emily Muirhead and Madelyn McAdam.

Bailey also made a name for herself as a “true Gator” when she served as head soccer coach for four years, leading VHS to four district championships and its first semifinal appearance in more than a decade. Twice during that run she was named VDN Coach of the Year.

Now that Bailey is back with her VHS family, she gets to experience the game with a new group of athletes.

“We’re in a new district this year and it’s great to see some new faces because most of the girls I started with graduated last year so I’m ready to build those new relationships,” Bailey said.

A 2003 graduate of Crowville High School, Bailey played as a pitcher before stepping into coaching. She now balances her mornings as an administrator at Bailey Academy with her afternoons on the field.

“Getting to come back as an assistant coach is a good balance for me because I can teach during the day then continue coaching the game that I love in the evenings,” she said.

The Missy Gators’ next season begins in February 2026, giving the team time to rebuild after losing five seniors to graduation last spring.