By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
April 27, 2002
For many of the state's junior college baseball teams, today marks the farewell to the 2002 season.
For others, such as East Mississippi and Jones, it's an opportunity to either continue a season or better one's position for postseason play.
EMCC is hoping to make the Region 23 Division I Tournament and needs a sweep of Northeast Mississippi today at Scooba to have any chance of pulling off that feat.
Jones is already in the Region 23 Division I Tournament and is hoping to get in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges State Tournament as well. The Bobcats play at South Division cellar-dwellar East Central today in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Northwest Mississippi clinched the MACJC North Division championship with Tuesday's doubleheader split with Itawamba. The Rangers will host the MACJC State Tournament, May 3-5, at Senatobia.
Pearl River (18-4 South Division, 33-7 overall) has also clinched a berth in the four-team state tournament field. Jones (13-9, 22-19), Hinds (13-9, 26-17), Copiah-Lincoln (12-10, 23-17), and Gulf Coast (11-11, 20-21) are all still in the running from the South half.
Pearl River will host the Region 23 Division II Tournament, May 10-12, at Poplarville. Northwest Mississippi also has a berth in the Division II region tournament.
Gulf Coast already has a Region 23 Division I berth locked up.
In addition to Jones at East Central (3-19, 9-30), today's other South Division games have Co-Lin traveling to Pearl River and Gulf Coast hosting Hinds. Southwest concluded its season 8-16 in the South Division and 18-23 overall.
If Jones and Hinds finish with identical division marks, Hinds would advance to the state tournament due to winning the series three games to one.
In the North Division, Northwest (18-4 North, 30-6-1 overall) has clinched first place with Holmes (15-7, 31-11), Itawamba (15-7, 30-11), and Mississippi Delta (15-7, 23-16) all battling for the second spot in the state tournament.
Itawamba hosts Holmes in a 1 p.m. twinbill at Fulton's Crubaugh Field. The two split an earlier doubleheader at Goodman.
Delta will host Northwest in another key doubleheader as far as the state tournament is concerned.
As far as region play is concerned, East Mississippi (6-16 North, 14-29) has one final shot at making the Region 23 Division I Tournament when the Lions host Northeast Mississippi (8-14 North) today at 4 p.m. at Scooba. EMCC would have to win both games to pull even with the Tigers. A Lion sweep would leave the two tied at 2-2 in head-to-head competition as Northeast took the first two games at Booneville.
Delta has wrapped up the other North Division berth for the Region 23 Division I Tournament.
Coahoma finished 1-23 in the North half and 1-23 overall.
In Miss-Lou Conference play, Delgado has long since clinched the league championship with Meridian wrapping up the No. 2 spot last week by taking two of three at Bossier Parish. Both have secured berths in the Region 23 Division I Tournament, May 9-12 at MCC.
MCC plays a pair at Birmingham, Ala., today against Jefferson State.