In 2021, after Orange Beach’s softball team won their first state championship, Ava Hodo, who was then a seventh grader, went up to head coach Shane Alexander.

“She told me ‘Before I leave here, I’m gonna have six,’” Alexander recalled.

Fast forward to 2026, Hodo kept her word.

On Tuesday, May 19, the No. 1 Makos defeated No. 4 Plainview 6-0 in the Class 4A Softball Championship, bringing home their sixth consecutive state title, an all-time AHSAA state record and a historic feat Makos head Coach Alexander hopes the team realizes.

“I think as they get older and when they have kids, they can tell them about this story about Orange Beach Makos softball, because it doesn’t happen and I see a lot of coaches out here and they know too how hard it is to win one, but to do it six times is unbelievable," Alexander said.

Their accomplishment was celebrated in a special ceremony held at the Orange Beach Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 20, where the players and coaching staff received a warm welcome from the local community and school leaders.

Despite losing four seniors from last year’s team that Alexander described as tremendous, the Makos finished the season 46-1, hitting 493 runs while giving up 53 runs. Meanwhile, their pitching staff posted a whopping 0.962 earned run average against their opponents. Their only loss of the season came against the No. 7 nationally ranked South Warren out of Kentucky.

Sophomore pitcher M.K. McMullan was named the Class 4A State Tournament MVP, pitching a complete game shutout to clinch the title while allowing just four hits.

Their win gives Orange Beach the longest championship streak in AHSAA history, breaking a tie with Pisgah, who won five consecutive titles between 2001 and 2005. The Makos are now tied for the third most softball state championships in AHSAA history, trailing only Pisgah and Alabama Christian.

Alexander said that only 1% of high school kids have ever won a state championship in any sport. Under his leadership, his players have won at least one championship at a program that began playing against varsity competition in 2021.

“The team that sets the standard is the standard,” Alexander said. “This is known as the Mako way.”