Tuesday, May 13, 2008
MACJC runner up Pearl River hosting Region 23 Tournament
NJCAA Division II World Series berth on line in regional event starting Wednesday in Poplarville

     POPLARVILLE — A berth in the upcoming NJCAA Division II World Series is on the line this week as MACJC South Division champion Pearl River Community College plays host to the Region 23 Tournament here in Wildcat Stadium.
      PRCC, 36-19 overall after its No. 2 finish in May 1-4's MACJC State Tournament at Itawamba CC in Fulton, enters the event as the second seed behind top-seeded and state champ Meridian (32-17), the MACJC Central Division champions. MCC’s Eagles defeated the Wildcats 6-1 for the state championship on May 4.
      LSU-Eunice (40-10) out of Eunice, La., is the third seed, while MACJC North Division champ Itawamba (36-13) is fourth, North Division runner up Northeast Mississippi (32-18) is fifth, and South Division runner up Mississippi Gulf Coast (30-24) is sixth.
      “This is what we’ve been working towards all season long,” said Wildcat head coach Jamie McMahon. “Win this one and you’re headed to the World Series. Hosting the regionals is a plus for us, but the competition at this stage is very impressive. We’ve just got to play up to our capabilities.”
      Action begins Wednesday with an LSU-Eunice versus Itawamba match up kicking off the tournament at 1 p.m., followed by Meridian versus Mississippi Gulf Coast at 4 p.m., and Pearl River versus Northeast Mississippi at 7 p.m.
      The losers of the MCC-MGCCC and PRCC-NEMCC games will kick off Thursday’s action at 1 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. contest between the PRCC-NEMCC winner and the LSUE-ICC loser.
      The LSUE-ICC winner will take on the MCC-MGCCC winner in Thursday’s nightcap game beginning at 7 p.m.
      The tournament semi-finals are set for Friday with the championship round beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.
      LSU-Eunice finished second in the final NJCAA Division II poll released April 30, while Itawamba was fifth in the balloting. LSUE was first in the final 2007 poll and was the 2006 World Series champions after winning the Region 23 event. PRCC was Region 23 and Super Regional champions in 2002 and earned a berth in the World Series.
      The World Series is set for May 25 through June 1 in USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn.