POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Some of the NJCAA's best are headed to Pearl River Community College as No. 1 Pearl River prepares to host the Region 23 Tournament at Dub Herring Park May 4-8. It marks the third straight season the Wildcats have hosted the event.
Top-seeded Pearl River earned hosting rights after capturing its third consecutive MACCC championship. The Wildcats enter postseason play 44-9 overall, finishing 25-3 in conference action. PRCC is riding an eight-game winning streak and went 25-4 at home this season.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
The five-day tournament opens May 4 with a play-in game between 8-seed Southwest and 9-seed Hinds at 4 p.m. The winner advances to the double-elimination bracket beginning May 5 and will face Pearl River at 2 p.m.
The other opening-round matchup features 4-seed Jones College and 5-seed Copiah-Lincoln at 6 p.m.
Pearl River enters the postseason ranked No. 1 nationally, with Jones at No. 11 and Copiah-Lincoln at No. 24 in the latest NJCAA rankings. The winner advances to the Region 23 Championship Series May 13-15, hosted by the highest remaining seed.
TICKETS
Tickets are $15 per day at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets. All Pearl River box offices are cashless, and fans are encouraged to purchase in advance.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
Pearl River boasts one of the most complete offenses in the country, ranking 15th in batting average (.349), seventh in slugging (.623), seventh in RBIs (480) and fifth in home runs (96).
Coy Clements leads the attack, hitting .424 with a program-record 22 home runs, 67 RBIs, 67 hits and a .911 slugging percentage. Jackson Estes follows at .442 with 19 doubles, nine homers, four triples and a team-best 68 RBIs. Thirteen Wildcats are hitting .300 or better.
On the mound, PRCC ranks top 10 nationally in WHIP (1.51) and strikeouts (413), while posting a 5.20 ERA (16th nationally). Landon Watts has been a key arm in the bullpen with a 3.21 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings. Drew Harrison is 9-1 with 68 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings, and JP Abt has logged 40 1/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA.
ABOUT JONES COLLEGE
Jones enters at 35-16 (18-10 MACCC) after splitting the season series with Pearl River. The Bobcats hit .321 as a team with 43 home runs and 102 doubles.
Chase Russell (.384) and Dylan Champagne (.381) pace the lineup, with Russell leading the team in homers (13). Sanders Ainsworth leads with 63 RBIs.
On the mound, Colton Smith (3.44 ERA, 68 K) and Drew Lambert (3.71 ERA) anchor the rotation, while Trevor Hodges has been dominant out of the bullpen with a 1.69 ERA and 66 strikeouts against just 10 walks.
ABOUT COPIAH-LINCOLN
Copiah-Lincoln enters at 33-18 (18-10 MACCC), hitting .316 with 95 doubles and 49 home runs.
Trey Davidson leads the Wolves at .429 with nine home runs, 56 RBIs and 15 doubles. Bryson Jones is hitting .378 with a team-high 70 hits and 20 stolen bases, while Donovan Moore (.343) has added nine homers and a .515 OBP. Avery Griffin has scored a team-best 60 runs with six home runs.
On the mound, Co-Lin carries a 5.96 ERA with 403 strikeouts. Wes White leads the staff at 8-4 with a 3.75 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 60 innings. Tanner Blackwell has posted a 3.44 ERA over 34 innings, while Jennings Kimbrell has logged a team-high 64 innings with 63 strikeouts.
PRCC and CLCC split their season series.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST
Southwest enters at 29-23 (13-15 MACCC), leaning on speed and contact with a .266 team average and 157 stolen bases.
Tanner Moore leads the offense, hitting .351 with 67 hits, 35 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Justin Domiano (.297, .441 OBP, 32 RBIs) and Drew Swan (.290, 45 hits) provide steady production, while J.D. Hidalgo leads the team with six home runs and 29 RBIs. Luke Simmons adds a .420 on-base percentage with 17 RBIs.
On the mound, Southwest has a 5.83 ERA with 383 strikeouts in 401.2 innings. Rhyson Carroway leads the rotation at 5-5 with a 4.02 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 56 innings. Matt Newman has logged a team-high 60.2 innings, Easton Boyte has posted a 4.32 ERA in multiple roles, and Nik Carney leads the bullpen with six saves and 50 strikeouts.
Pearl River swept Southwest in the season series.
ABOUT HINDS
Hinds enters at 27-22 (13-15 MACCC), hitting .313 with 66 home runs and 461 hits on the season. PRCC and Hinds split their season series.
Brody Breithaupt leads the Eagles at .375 with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 52 RBIs, while Rolen Fanning is also hitting .375 with a .510 OBP. Ethan Keen provides major power with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.
On the mound, Hinds has 339 strikeouts in 356.2 innings. Jacob Galloway (66.1 IP, 60 K) and Brady Griffin headline the rotation, while Charles Chisolm has been effective out of the bullpen with a 3.05 ERA.
HOW TO WATCH
All Region 23 Tournament games will be livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
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