Judy Barber only wore the maroon and gold for one season, but that was all she needed to leave a permanent mark on Wildcat softball.

After putting together one of the greatest offensive campaigns in program history in 2008, Barber will officially be inducted into the Pearl River Community College Hall of Fame, presented by Keith's Superstores, on July 31 at the Hollywood Casino & Resort in Bay St. Louis.

"I was just shocked," Barber said. "I didn't know the criteria for getting into the Hall of Fame. I didn't know if you could only play one year and still be nominated. I was thankful, appreciative and honestly just in shock after all these years."

BECOMING A WILDCAT
Barber's path to Pearl River looked a little different than the path of today's student-athletes. During the recruiting process, Barber was in PRCC's district and was placed on the "protected list," meaning Pearl River held her junior college rights if she chose the junior college route.

"It was special to me honestly," Barber said. "It did limit my recruitment, but it's also a compliment to know they thought highly of me as a player."

Already familiar with then-head coach Leigh White, Barber embraced the opportunity and became a Wildcat.

Growing up, she primarily played slow-pitch softball and didn't begin playing fast-pitch until her freshman year of high school. Although she continued improving and became more comfortable with the faster game during her junior and senior years of high school, she arrived at Pearl River knowing there was still another level she wanted to reach.

"My main focus was hitting," she said. "I worked on outside pitches because that was my weakness. I worked on changeups because I struggled with them. Every chance I got, I worked on the things that I wasn't good at."

The focused approach paid immediate dividends.

Pearl River stormed to an 18-1 start in the opening weeks of the 2008 season, quickly establishing itself as one of the MACJC's top teams.

"We came together really well," Barber said. "Everyone was excited, and we got off to a really good start."

A YEAR TO REMEMBER
As the Wildcats piled up victories, Barber was putting together a season that has stood the test of time.

Less than five years after picking up the fast-pitch game, Barber finished the 2008 season batting .500 — good enough for the second-highest single-season batting average in program history. Ironically, Barber didn't know that her numbers still stood near the top of the all-time list.

"I knew that I had a high batting average, but I definitely didn't know it was one of the best in school history," she said.

When her freshman campaign ended, Barber had belted eight home runs, recorded 51 hits and driven in 43 runs. Her efforts earned her places on the All-Region 23 and All-MACJC squads — accolades that caught her by surprise.

"I was kind of shocked," she said. "I hadn't started as many games as I would have liked early on, so I didn't really think the numbers were going to pile up like that."

AFTER THE RIVER
Following her standout season at Pearl River, Barber continued her career at William Carey, where she developed into one of the top players in the Southern States Athletic Conference, eventually earning conference Player of the Year honors. During three years at William Carey, Barber appeared in 170 games, hitting .395 with 54 home runs, 49 doubles and 214 RBIs. She became a two-time NAIA All-American, three-time All-Conference selection and led WCU to three NAIA Tournament appearances.

She was inducted into William Carey's Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and now will join Pearl River's Hall of Fame as well.

"It's a complete closure to my career," Barber said. "It's an affirmation that I was able to contribute to my team and that all the hard work I put into everything was worth it. It really meant something."

Today, Barber lives in Beaumont, Mississippi, with her fiancé and daughter and works as a registered nurse.