NEWS-SPORTS-INFORMATION-NEWS-SPORTS-INFORMATION-NEWS-SPORTS-INFORMATION-NEWS-SPORTS-INFORMAT
Press Release Archives
January - February, 1999
SPECIAL
NOTICE
PRCC
board meetings scheduled for March 2
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College's regular March Board of Trustees meeting is set for Tuesday, March 2 at 1 p.m. in the Board Room of the Crosby Hall Student Life Building.
The meetings was moved from March 9 because
of spring holidays.
Pearl River Community College Student MAE Chapter off and reading
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College's new Mississippi Association of Student Educators (MASE) chapter is one of the largest in the state.
Michael Marks of Hattiesburg, MAE president, began a student chapter arm last year to attract college freshmen to the educational field, allowing the student to understand requirements as well as benefits of the job.
PRCC chapter sponsor Rosemary Woullard of Hattiesburg, said 25 students have joined the local organization since the start of the new year.
Crystal Shaw of Carriere has been elected president and Brooke Johnson of Poplarville vice-president.
Chapter activities have included several meetings and participation in the Student Program MAE Convention.
On March 2 the group will take part in
the Dr. Suess Birthday program with a pajama party at the Poplarville city
library. The program, a national event emphasizing reading, will
feature the SMAE chapter and members of the PRCC basketball team.
Chapter members will also read to children in local schools.
PRCC Nursing Department and Wellness Center will promote health and wellness in communities
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River
Community College's Associate Degree Nursing Department, in cooperation
with the PRCC Wellness Center, will promote health and wellness to several
communities within the PRCC district through April.
Lindsay Loustalot, nursing/wellness
coordinator, said Client Education Projects will be conducted by the Associate
Degree Nursing students beginning with the "Effects of Smoking on the Body",
Feb. 26 at Pearl River Central.
Two classes will be held for Pearl
River Central's second grade classes.
On March 3, a presentation will
be made by PRCC nursing students on the "Nutritional Influence on Teeth
Formation" at Happy Days Daycare Center in Poplarville. The target age
group is four years old.
"Eating Disorders" will be addressed
March 5 for seventh and eighth grade students at Poplarville Junior High
School, and "HIV/AIDS Education" will be presented March 17 to the Pearl
River men and women tennis teams in the Wellness Center on the Poplarville
campus.
A "Safety in the Home" program is
set for senior citizens on March 19 in the Wellness Center. That event
is scheduled for 11:30 a. m. and is open to the public.
Pearl River Community College preschool
students will attend a clinic on "Taking Care of Your Body - Transmission
of Germs" on April 9.
PRCC nursing students will address
Oak Grove High School seniors on April 16 about "Drug and Alcohol Abuse"
and the "Effects of Drug and Alcohol Abuse" on April 23.
The ADN program addressed "Heart
Disease" during February, and will study "Skin Cancer" in March, and "Poison
Prevention" in April. "Teen Pregnancy" clinics were conducted during early
February for Poplarville students.
Lady Wildcats Face Lady
Wolves For South Title Tonight;
Wildcats End Year With
83-74 Loss To Miss. Gulf Coast
PRCC Women Defeat Southwest 70-60 To Earn Berth In Division Championship Game
ELLISVILLE
Pearl
River Community College's Lady Wildcats will face Copiah-
Lincoln's Lady Wolves for the 1999 women's
South Division championship tonight (Thursday) in
a 6 p.m. showdown here on the Jones Junior
College campus.
The No. 1-seeded
PRCC ladies canned No. 5 Southwest 70-60 Wednesday their 15th
consecutive win to earn the
title berth, while the defending state champion Wildcats, the men's
No. 3 seed, fell to No. 2 Mississippi
Gulf Coast 83-64. The loss spoiled the 'Cats' hopes of a
division title "three-peat" and ended
their season at 16-8.
Gulf Coast's
men improved to 21-6 and will face top-seeded Copiah-Lincoln tonight at
8
p.m. for the men's championship. Co-Lin
(21-4) defeated No. 4 Southwest 81-66, while the No. 2
Lady Wolves dropped No. 2 East Central
75-71 in semi-final action Wednesday. The Lady
Wildcats improved to 20-4, while Southwest
ended its season at 8-13.
In the regular
season match-ups between the Lady Wildcats and Lady Wolves, PRCC was
an easy 64-55 victor November 19 in Poplarville,
but the C-L ladies gave The River all it could
handle February 1 in Wesson with Pearl
River escaping with a 75-74 win.
Against Southwest
Wednesday, the Lady Wildcats struggled early, trailing the scrappy
Lady Bears 22-21 with 5:15 left in the
first half. From that point, PRCC went on a 15-13 run to
end the half up 36-34.
Southwest's Misty
Stevens' two free throws opened the second half scoring to deadlock
the score, but The River quickly regained
the lead. Southwest's Bernadette Lewis sank two foul
shots and a bucket only minutes later
to give Southwest a 46-44 lead. Pearl River sophomore
Jessica Shanklin of Baton Rouge, La.,
scored with 12:20 left to give PRCC the lead for good at
49-48.
From that point,
Pearl River ended the game with a 21-12 run, capped by Petal freshman
Laura Walters' basket with 29 seconds
remaining. Walters' score pushed PRCC up by 10 its
biggest lead of the night.
Freshman Nichole
Hearns of Miami, Fla., led Lady Wildcat scorers with 19 points,
including two three-pointers, while Shanklin
added 14, freshman LaKita Robertson of
Thibodeaux, La., 13; Walters 9, sophomore
Norma Noel of Miami 8, and Alania Pendarvis of
Fruitland Park (Forrest County AHS) 7.
SWCC's Lewis hit a game-high 24 points, while Stevens
added 13, Sherea Gardner 9, Mandy Rogers
6, Terrel Wheat 4, and Donna Ricard 2.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 11 of 21 (52 percent), while SWCC was 9 of 21 (43
percent).
Pearl River's
men entered the Gulf Coast contest without freshman forward Neal Broome
the team's No. 3 scorer (16.8 points
per game) and No. 2 rebounder (6 boards per game).
Broome, a Bassfield High grad, suffered
a second-degree ankle sprain in the opening round
against Jones.
But his absence
wasn't as detrimental as the Wildcats' 17 turnovers. Gulf Coast led early,
but a pair of free throws by sophomore
Jason Revies of Hattiesburg tied things at 17 with 9:59
left in the first half. The Bulldogs regained
the lead, but it was Revies again, this time with a trey,
to pull PRCC within one.
Sophomore Nate
(Tank) Williams followed with a crucial defensive rebound on the
Bulldogs' ensuing possession, setting
the stage for Baton Rouge freshman Harold Jones' two free
throws that tied things at 28 with 2:30
left. The Bulldogs shut out the Wildcats during the
remaining time to boost its lead by 10
38-28 at the intermission.
Gulf Coast opened
the second half with a 21-13 run, jumping to a 19-point lead
its
biggest of the game with 9:10
left, but Pearl River fought back within nine 67-58
with
2:49. The Bulldogs finished off
the Wildcats with a 16-6 run to end the game.
Revies paced
all scorers with 24 points, including three three-pointers and nine rebounds,
while freshman Lemayn Wilson of Highland
Home, Ala., added 20 and a team-high 11 boards.
Jones scored 9, Williams 6, freshman Lamar
Lathen of Houma, La., 4; and freshman Doug Green
of Columbia (Columbia Academy) 1.
Markus Cox led
Gulf Coast with 20 points, while John Hicks added 17, Phillip Hillstock
15, Cedric McCrory 14, Raynell Brewer
6, Lawrence Martin 6, C.J. McBride 2, Travis Ramsey 2,
and Chris Bart-Williams 1.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 14 of 21 (67 percent), while MGCCC was 22 of 30 (73
percent).
At the North
Division Tournament being played at Itawamba Community College in
Fulton, the defending Region 23 champion
Northwest Rangers will face Northeast's Tigers
tonight for the men's title, while East
Mississippi will take on host Itawamba for the women's
championship.
The Rangers,
North winners a year ago, dropped Itawamba 91-82 in Wednesday's semi-
finals, while Northeast trimmed Mississippi
Delta 98-92. East Miss' ladies defeated Holmes 66-
53, while Itawamba defeated Northwest's
Lady Rangers 67-63.
The pairings
in tonight's men's and women's title matches will participate in Monday
and
Tuesday's State Tournament to be played
at the home court of the South champion.
Defending National Champ Jeff Davis Sweeps Pearl River 5-4, 9-3 Monday
Wildcats Drop To 0-6; Host Holmes In Rematch Saturday In Poplarville
BREWTON, Ala.
Pearl
River Community College's Wildcats were swept in
doubleheader baseball action here Monday
by defending national champion Jefferson Davis
Community College 5-4 and 9-3.
The losses marked
the third sweep of the Wildcats (0-6) in as many outings in 1999. Jeff
Davis is currently ranked No. 1 in the
national junior-community college baseball polls.
In the first
game, Pearl River led 4-0 after three, but JDCC made it 4-3 after scoring
two
in the fourth and one in the fifth, then
clinched the win with a two-run effort in the final inning.
In all, PRCC
had five hits, including a three-for-three effort from freshman first baseman
David Hobgood of Columbia (East Marion),
including a home run and three RBIs. PRCC had
two errors, while Jeff Davis had eight
hits and two errors.
Freshman Clay
Hannaford of Lumberton (0-2) was the losing pitcher in relief of
sophomore starter Steven Budde of Slidell,
La.
In the second
game, it was all JD for the first six innings. Heading into the top of
the
seventh, the hosts led 9-0, but Hannaford's
three-RBI triple finally put the Wildcats on the
scoreboard. Hannaford also singled in
the game.
In all, PRCC
finished with only three hits (no errors), while JDCC had eight hits and
one
miscue.
Freshman Matt
Williams (0-1) of Des Allemands, La., was the losing pitcher.
The Wildcats
return to their home diamond Saturday hosting non-division foe Holmes in
a
1 p.m. doubleheader in hopes of avenging
the Bulldogs' PRCC sweep last Friday in Goodman.
Alabama Southern hosts The River Tuesday
in Monroeville, Ala., in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Wildcats' Broome 'Doubtful' After Severe Ankle Sprain In South Tourney Opener
PRCC Faces Gulf Coast For Third Time In Second-Round Showdown Wednesday; Top-Seeded Lady Wildcats Open Play against Jones-Southwest
POPLARVILLE
The
defending state champion Pearl River Wildcats will square-off
with Mississippi Gulf Coast's Bulldogs
for the third time this season tonight (Wednesday) in the
South Division Tournament at Jones Junior
College in Ellisville with the winner earning automatic
berths in the upcoming State and Region
23 tournaments.
But PRCC's road
to a title repeat is littered with potholes. In Monday's 65-56 opening
round victory over No. 7-seeded Jones,
the No. 3 Wildcats' Neal Broome of Bassfield, the team's
second-leading rebounder (6 boards a game)
and third-leading scorer (16.8 points a game), went
down midway in the first half with a second
degree sprain to his right ankle and is listed as
"doubtful" for tonight's game by PRCC
trainer Brian Saffle.
In addition,
forward Harold Jones of Baton Rouge was sidelined against JCJC with a first-
degree ankle sprain suffered in the regular-season
finale against Hinds. His return to the lineup is
listed as "probable."
"Look, we're
playing a team (Gulf Coast) that beat us at home the last time we played
them and we've got two key guys hurt,"
said Wildcat head coach Richard Mathis. "They have a
bunch of excellent shooters, which can
give any team headaches.
"No, things don't
look too rosy for the Wildcats right now."
The No. 2 Bulldogs,
who walloped No. 7 East Central 77-50 to open Monday's round,
avenged their 68-65 upset loss in Perkinston
to The River on January 11 with a 90-81 lashing of
PRCC February 4 in Poplarville. That game
marked the first home loss by the Wildcats since their
February 25, 1997 double-overtime defeat
to Northwest for the state championship in Poplarville.
"We'll have to
play way over our heads the entire 40 minutes to win considering the
circumstances," Mathis continued. "We're
going to have to play solid defense, eliminate
turnovers, and get up in their faces and
challenge all those fine shooters."
The top-seeded
Lady Wildcats, who drew a bye in first-round action, face No. 5
Southwest tonight at 6 p.m. to open their
tournament play after the Lady Bears defeated No. 4
Jones 77-62 Tuesday night. In the two
teams' regular season match-ups, PRCC won 76-69 in
Poplarville on January 14, then recorded
an 18-point lopside 83-65 in Summit February 8.
In Monday's men's
game with Jones, the score was deadlocked four times in the opening
seven minutes, but forward Lemayn Wilson
of Highland Home, Ala., sank his first bucket en route
to a game-high 26 points and jump-started
a 24-13 Wildcat run that ended the first half with
PRCC on top 37-26. Wilson's initial basket
came on the same play that Broome went down.
Pearl River opened
the second half scoring to achieve its biggest lead of the game
13
points but JCJC answered with
a 21-12 run and pulled within two at 49-47 with 7:05 left.
PRCC's Tighe Lee of Columbia followed
with his fourth three-pointer of the night to ignite a
game-ending 16-9 run in which Wilson accounted
for eight points for the Wildcats.
In other women's
action on Tuesday, No. 3 Copiah-Lincoln defeated No. 6 Mississippi
Gulf Coast 85-578 and will face No. 2
East Central an 81-61 winner over No. 7 Hinds-Utica
on Monday at 2 p.m. tonight.
In men's action
on Tuesday, No. 4 Southwest defeated No. 5 Hinds-Utica 67-65 and
takes on No. 1 Co-Lin at 4 p.m. today.
The women's South championship game is set for 6 p.m.
Thursday, followed by the men's at 8 p.m.
The men's and
women's top two finishers eye State Tournament play Monday and
Tuesday at the women's South Division
winner's home court, while the Region 23 Tournament is
set for March 1-4 at Mississippi College
in Clinton where the top three men's and women's teams
from the North and South and two independents
(Bossier Parish and Meridian) will vy for a berth
in the National Tournament the following
week. The women's nationals will be held at Tyler,
Tex., while the men's will be held in
Hutchinson, Kan.
River Extravaganza set for Sunday, March 28
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River
Community College's night of food, fun and entertainment is set for Sunday,
March 28 in the White Coliseum.
The twelfth annual PRCC Development
Foundation's River Extravaganza will feature food from several area restaurants,
an auction, and concert with Ronnie McDowell.
Tickets are $30 per person with
net receipts going to fund teacher enhancement grants and student scholarships.
The foundation raised $58,000 last year during the event.
Dinner starts at 5 p.m. with an
auction scheduled for 7 p.m. and the McDowell performance at 8:15. Local
band Dealer's Choice will also be on hand.
Dub "Paw Paw" Herring of Picayune
will serve as auctioneer with WLOX-TV 13 news anchors Jeff Lawson and Miyoka
Broussard and Hattiesburg businessman Kelly Sanner serving as emcees.
To order tickets or for more information
call 601-795-1183.
Pearl River ready to take giant step into twenty-first century
POPLARVILLE - After
a decade of construction and renovation projects, totaling more than $20
million, Pearl River Community College is ready to take a giant step into
the twenty-first century.
"It's an exciting, progressive time
in the long history of our college," said President Ted Alexander. "We
are embracing the new millennium and its many challenges just as our forefathers
did more than 90 years ago."
Pearl River was Mississippi's first
chartered agriculture high school in 1908 and became the state's first
junior college in 1921.
"Our philosophy has always been
simple," said Alexander. "We want to provide the best educational opportunities
possible for the citizens of our six-county supporting district."
College officials have been working
from its long-range strategic plan which was developed more than 10 years
ago and has been updated annually. The plan addresses anticipated
physical plant and curriculum demands for the next century.
"Our strategic plan provides an
opportunity for us to establish, on a priority basis, the means for us
to effectively meet the needs of our students," said Alexander.
Both the Poplarville and Hattiesburg
campuses were completely remodeled in the 1990s to handle high-tech demands
and allied health curriculums outlined in the strategic plan.
A technology center, nursing building,
wellness center, math and science complex, cafeteria, media center, student
life center, and two resident halls were constructed and are in use on
the Poplarville campus.
A modern two-story allied health
center was added to the Forrest County campus and several new programs
were established to meet the medical support needs of the region. Older
buildings on the Forrest County campus have been renovated to house a workforce
development center, industry services, and a community college state-wide
video network.
The college's Workforce Development
Center served more than 10,000 local citizens this past year.
In April, a long awaited $2.2 million
administration building will be dedicated on the Poplarville campus. The
two-story structure faces U.S. Highway 11 and is expected to become the
focal point of the campus.
As soon as the administration building
is opened, the old administration will be renovated to become the college's
new information management computer complex.
Most of PRCC's work can be easily
seen in new and renovated buildings, however, nearly $2 million has been
spent in the infrastructure which includes underground fiber optic line
connections to every building, plus new water and sewer lines. A modern
new water tank towers over the center of the campus.
Resident hall students now have
internet, phone, and cable access.
Alexander reported that renovation
of two of the oldest buildings on campus, Huff and Pearl River, will start
this summer, and plans are being made to remodel Bilbo Hall, on the north
side of campus.
A committee of students, faculty,
and board members was recently established to start planning an additional
student center complex for the center of campus.
"We have plenty to keep us focused,"
said Alexander. "We realize that we are not at a stopping point. But, to
be honest, we never expected to be in a stopping position."
Pearl River's efforts must be working
as PRCC posted the highest enrollment increase in the state this past year.
Pearl River College serves Forrest,
Hancock, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion and Pearl River counties.
Holmes Sweeps Pearl River
Wildcats 0-4 After
Falling 5-4, 14-1 To Bulldogs
GOODMAN
Pearl River Community College's Wildcats dropped to 0-4 following
Saturday's road losses to Holmes in non-division
baseball action.
PRCC fell 5-4
in the first game of the doubleheader, then were pounded 14-1. The
Wildcats dropped their season-opening
doubleheader February 8 to Bishop State in Poplarville.
"Obviously, we'd
hoped to get off to a better start, but we knew we would struggle early
in the season," said PRCC assistant coach
Adam Breerwood. "We have only two starters that
played every day last season and with
18 freshmen on our roster, it may take us a little while to
get the ball rolling."
Freshman Clay
Hannaford (0-1) of Lumberton picked-up the loss in the first game in relief
of starter Rudy Smith, a freshman from
Slidell, La., who pitched the first five innings.
Pearl River broke
a 1-1 deadlock in the third with a solo run, then added two in the fifth
to
make things 4-1. Holmes answered with
a pair in the bottom of the fifth, setting the stage for a
two-run effort in the sixth to ice the
win.
PRCC finished
with five hits and two errors, while Holmes had eight hits and three errors.
Sophomore Scott
Putnam of Lumberton led the Wildcats with three singles, scoring two
runs and accounting for two RBIs, while
freshman Jeremy Chance of Purvis doubled (one RBI).
Sophomore Trey Light of Oak Grove singled
and had one RBI.
In the second
game, sophomore starter Steven Budde (0-1) of Slidell was the losing
pitcher in his two innings on the mound,
while sophomore Joey Dunaway of Slidell pitched two
innings of relief. Freshmen Kile Foster
of Bay St. Louis and Greg Mitchell of Picayune saw one
inning of relief duty each.
Holmes led 9-0
after four innings, including a five-run effort in the fourth. Pearl River's
only run of the game came in the top of
the sixth off a single by Weems, but Holmes answered
with five runs in the bottom of the stanza
to ice the 13-run win.
PRCC finished
with five hits and no errors, while HCC had 15 hits and one error.
Freshman Derek
Swan of Purvis doubled for The River, while Weems, Light, freshman
David Hobgood of Columbia (East Marion),
and freshman Chip Bilderback of El Centro, Cal., all
singled.
"Coach (Jim)
Nightengale (PRCC head coach) and I still believe in this team regardless
of
our 0-4 start," Breerwood said. "We're
not panicking. Our players are working hard to correct
mistakes and put wins on the board. This
is a long season...it's not how you start, it's how you
finish that counts."
The Wildcats
will get their first chance to redeem themselves when they travel to
Brewton, Ala., Tuesday to take on defending
national champion Jefferson Davis Community
College in a 12 noon doubleheader. They
then host Holmes Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader,
followed by Alabama Southern in Monroeville,
Ala., in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Yoga classes set for Pearl River Wellness Center
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community
College is offering a non-credit Yoga class during the spring semester.
Classes will meet at the Wellness
Center on Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. beginning March 18. Eight class
meetings are scheduled over a 9-week period.
Melanie Morris, director of the
Wellness Center, said Yoga - a 6,000 year old system of self- improvement
- is designed to
lead the student to an ever-increasing
knowledge of the needs of the body and mind in order to achieve and maintain
good
physical, mental and spiritual harmony.
The cost of the course is $40 per
person. Register at the Wellness Center on the Poplarville campus or call
795-9700 for more information.
The course is open to the public
and registration ends Friday, March 12. Morris said the class size is limited.
Pearl River College will field men and women soccer teams
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community
College will field men and women intercollegiate soccer teams this fall.
The Pearl River Board of Trustees
approved soccer as a new sport during the regular February meeting after
the college received authorization from the State Board for Community and
Junior Colleges in January to provide tuition scholarships.
"We certainly look forward in providing
an opportunity to make this educational opportunity available to students
within our six-county district," said President Ted Alexander. "The scholarships
will be awarded to only students from within district."
Athletic Director Keith Daniels
said he was in the process of hiring a coach, setting schedules, and purchasing
the necessary equipment.
"We know there has been a dramatic
increase in interest in the sport," said Alexander. "We are pleased to
provide our district students with this avenue of competition at the collegiate
level."
The biggest interest in the sport
seems to be in the Petal, Hattiesburg, Oak Grove, and North Forrest areas
in the northern portion of the PRCC district and in the Hancock County
and Picayune areas of the south.
Players from all district schools,
even if they do not have an organized soccer program, will be recruited
by PRCC coaches.
College officials said soccer will
be a fall sport and will include about 20 matches each year.
Pearl River recognizes
its faculty and staff for outstanding contributions to the college
POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community
College formally thanked its faculty and staff this past week with the
annual appreciation dinner which was sponsored by the PRCC Development
Foundation.
"The success of Pearl River College
and its students depends on you - our faculty and staff," said President
Ted Alexander. "Our increased enrollment this year relates directly to
your outstanding efforts."
Service awards were presented to
faculty and staff members with 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service.
Retirement plaques were presented
to Dr. James Barnes, chair of the Science Department and chemistry instructor
for the past 37 years; and Susan Donohue, sociology instructor and academic
coordinator for the past 16 years.
Walter Lowe, instructor of world
civilization, United States History, and political science, was recognized
for 35 years of service to Pearl River College.
Dr. Miller Hammill, dean of student
affairs, received a diamond pin for his 30 years of dedication to PRCC
and Custodian Helen
Jarvis and Poplarville Vo-Tech Director
Don Welsh received their 25-year pins.
Recognized for 20 years of service
were Nursing Instructor Becky Dale, Math and Science Department Chair John
Grant, Accounts Payable Clerk Rose Lott, Maintenance Employee Rusty Smith,
and Nursing Coordinator Patricia Strebeck.
Dr. Becky Askew, director of Guidance,
Recruitment & Orientation; Music Instructor Madelyn Lee, Office Systems
Instructor Janet Lewis, Custodian Shirley Johnson, and Nursing Instructor
Donna Rushton received ruby pins for 15 years of service to the college.
Service awards for 10 years of service
were presented to Custodian Janice Bolton, Sociology Instructor Dr. William
Coston. Financial Aid Director Mike Dobbins, Assistant Football and Golf
Coach Mike Humphreys, Recruitment Secretary Sharman Ladner, Biological
Sciences Instructor Dr. Susan Nodurft, Financial Aid Data Management Clerk
Michelle Owens, and Research and Grants Secretary Nita Travis.
Columbia High School's Limited Edition
was the guest entertainment for the event.
Sodexho-Marriot Food Services provided
the dinner. Doug Mooney, a member of the Development Foundation Board from
Picayune was master of ceremonies.
President Alexander and Foundation
Chairman Francis Herrin of Metairie presented the service awards. Donna
Wilson is the executive director of the PRCC Development Foundation. The
Foundation staff includes Margaret Smith and Lisa Magee.
Lady Wildcats Commit 25
Turnovers, But Win 14th Straight
In Decision Over Lady
Bulldogs
Wildcats Avenge January
19 Loss To Bulldogs With 75-61 Win In Regular
Season Finale
POPLARVILLE—Pearl
River Community College's Lady Wildcats, the No. 1 seed in
next week's South Division Tournament,
struggled against a scrappy Hind-Utica squad here
Monday in M.R. White Coliseum, but rallied
to a 71-65 win despite committing a season-high 25
turnovers in the regular season finale
for both squads.
PRCC's Wildcats,
on the other hand, avenged their 69-68 road loss to Hinds on January
19 and cruised to a 75-61 victory to conclude
the regular season at 15-7 overall, 8-4 in the
division. The Lady 'Cats improved to 19-4
and 11-1, Hinds' men are 13-11 and 5-7, and the
women 6-15 and 2-10.
The Pearl River
ladies' will draw a first-round bye in division tournament play set for
Monday through Thursday at Jones Junior
College in Ellisville. The Wildcats, the men's No. 3
seed, will likely play sixth-seeded Jones
on Monday.
The official
men's and women's brackets for the 1999 MACJC South Division
Tournament are to be drawn-up today at
a coaches meeting in Jackson.
In women's action,
PRCC trailed 36-34 at the intermission after committing 15 of their
season-high 25 turnovers in the first
half alone. The Lady Wildcats continued to struggle in the
second half. With 17:40 left, LaKita Robertson's
bucket briefly tied things at 41, but TOs
continued to plague PRCC. Some 12 minutes
later, Jessica Shanklin's two free throws gave The
River a short-lived 64-63 edge, while
foul shots by Norma Noel tied things at 67 with 1:40
remaining. Alania Pendarvis' bucket broke
the deadlock with 55 seconds left, then Robertson
added the final score 20 seconds before
the buzzer to ice the four-point win.
Noel led all
scorers in the contest with 21 points and hauled-in 6 rebounds, while
Robertson added 18 and had a team-high
9 boards. Shanklin scored 16 with 9 assists and 3 steals,
while Nichole Hearns and Pendarvis added
6 each, and Laura Walters had 4. Pearlie Fairley
scored 20 for the losers, while Sharon
Davis and Angie McDonald added 13 and 11, respectively.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 23 of 30 (77 percent), while Hinds-Utica was 7 of 16 (44
percent).
In men's action,
Hinds' led in the opening minutes, but the Wildcats quickly took control.
Pearl River led by 16—39 to 23 at the
intermission, then opened the second half with a 10-7 run
to garner its biggest lead of the game
at 49-30 off a pair of free throws by Nate (Tank) Williams
with 16:00 left. The Bulldogs fought back
to pull within nine ù 57-48 ù at the 8:55 point, but
the Wildcats ended the game with an 18-13
run to take the 13-point victory.
Lemayn Wilson
led all scorers with 22 points, including 9 rebounds and 5 assists, while
Neal Broome added 19, Jason Revies 18,
Lamar Lathen 6 (9 rebounds, 4 assists), Tighe Lee 4,
and Jason Broom, Williams, and Harold
Jones, 2 a piece. Hinds' Datron Wilson paced the
Bulldogs with 19.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 9 of 10 (90 percent), while Hinds-Utica hit a dismal 31
percent (4 of 13).
Lady 'Cats Retain Firm
Lead In South Race With
Convincing Win Over Lady
Bulldogs
Wildcats' Loss To
Gulf Coast, East Central's Upset Of Co-Lin Shuffles
Standings For Men
In South
POPLARVILLE
The
Pearl River College Lady Wildcats retained their lead in the
South Division women's basketball race
with their convincing win over Mississippi Gulf Coast,
while the visiting Bulldogs jumped to
first place in the men's derby with a 90-81 victory here in
M.R. White Coliseum.
The Wildcats'
loss the first at home since February 25, 1997's double-OT
heartbreaker
to Northwest for the state championship
dropped them into third place in the men's race, while
East Central's stunning 65-64 upset of
division-leading Copiah-Lincoln in Wesson dropped the
Wolves to No. 2 with Perk taking over
No. 1.
Pearl River's
men fell to 13-7 overall and 7-3 in the division, while Gulf Coast improved
to 18-5 and 9-2. Copiah-Lincoln dropped
to 18-4 and 8-2, while ECCC (10-13 overall) is tied
with Jones (7-14) for last place in the
South at 2-8.
On the women's
side, Pearl River improved to 17-4 overall, 9-1 in the division, while
Gulf
Coast dropped to 13-10 and 3-8.
In the men's
game, the score was tied twice in the first 18 minutes, but Jason Revies'
three
with 40 seconds left gave Pearl River
took its first lead of the game at 35-34. Lamar Lathen added
a pair of free throws at the 26-second
mark, but Gulf Coast's Lawrence Martin hit a buzzer-
beating trey to deadlock things at 37
at the intermission.
Pearl River took
a short-lived 40-37 edge in the opening two minutes of the second half,
but never regained the lead. PRCC managed
to tie things at 44 with 16:10 left, but Perk's Markus
Hicks followed with a three, kicking-off
a 25-10 run resulting in the 'Dogs' biggest lead of the
game 69-55.
The Wildcats
fought back within four 77-73 at the 1:55 mark,
but the Bulldogs
ended things with a 13-8 run to take the
nine-point victory.
Wildcat Neal
Broome scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, including
three threes, while Revies added 19 (two
treys), Harold Jones 10, Lemayn Wilson 8, Lathen 5,
Doug Green 4, and Nate (Tank) Williams
4.
Hicks paced Gulf
Coast with 21, including three treys, while Markus Cox added 19,
Lawrence Martin 10, C.J. McBride 9 (three
threes), Travis Ramsey 9, Raynell Brewer 9, Phillip
Hillstock 5, Cedrick McCrory 3, and Charles
Maryland 3.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 22 of 32 (69 percent), while MGCCC was 16 of 24 (67
percent).
In women's action,
the Lady Bulldogs were no match for the PRCC ladies. Leading by 11
50-39 at the half,
the Lady Wildcats opened the second half with a 24-13 barrage to take
their biggest lead of the game at 74-52
at the 10:00 mark. Even though Gulf Coast held a 24-16
edge in the remaining time, the Lady Wildcats'
lead was too much to overcome.
Norma Noel paced
Pearl River with 24 points, including a 13 of 14 (93 percent) showing
at the foul line, while Laura Walters
added 16, Jessica Shanklin 13, Nichole Hearns 11, Alania
Pendarvis 10, LaKita Robertson 9, Kizzie
Mark 6, and Shana Caldwell 3.
Gulf Coast's
Pasha Cook hit a game-high 25, while Trina Melton added 17, Tabia Love
12, Sheila Fairley 10, Mandy Theobald
7, Janet Irvin 6, and Pendra Lindsey 6.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 37 of 48 (77 percent), while Gulf Coast was 20 of 27 (74
percent).
Pearl River's
two remaining regular season games are against division foes with
Southwest playing host Monday in Summit,
then Hinds-Utica visiting Poplarville next Thursday.
Gulf Coast, on the other hand, eyes non-division
rival Delgado in New Orleans on Monday,
followed by a climactic rematch with Copiah-Lincoln
in Perkinston on Thursday.
The women's tip-offs
are at 6 p.m., immediately followed by the men.
The men's and
women's 1999 South Division Tournament is set for February 15-18 at
Jones in Ellisville (North tourney set
for Itawamba in Fulton), while the state tournament will be
played at the home court of the South
women's winner February 22-23.
Wildcats Tee-Off Golf Season March 17
POPLARVILLE — The 1999 golf
schedule at Pearl River Community College has been released by Keith Daniels,
PRCC athletic director.
The schedule is as follows:
DATE
SITE/CITY
HOST SCHOOL(S)
March 15 (Mon.)
Millbrook Country Club (Picayune)
Pearl River & Gulf Coast
March 16 (Tues.) Pine
Belt National (Hattiesburg-Laurel)
Jones
March 23 (Tues.) Eagle
Ridge Country Club (Raymond)
Hinds
March 24 (Wed.)
Wolf Hollow Country Club (Wesson)
Copiah-Lincoln
April 6 (Tues.)
North Wood Country Club (Meridian)
Meridian
April 13 (Tues.)
Big Oak Country Club (Tupelo)
Itawamba
May 19-20
State Tournament
(Wed.-Thur.)
Mallard Point Golf Club (Sardis)
Holmes
June 6-11
National Tournament
(Sun.-Fri.)
Riverwood Golf Club (Clayton, NC)
Louisburg
Wildcat coach Mike Humphreys, Region
23 Division III's "Coach of the Year" in 1996, has led the team for the
past six seasons, winning back-to-back regional titles in 1995 and 1996.
PRCC was runner-up in 1997.
Wildcats Tee-Off Golf Season March 17
POPLARVILLE — The 1999 men's
and women's tennis schedule at Pearl River Community College has been released
by Keith Daniels, PRCC athletic director.
The schedule is as follows:
DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION/TIME
Feb. 13 (Sat.)
Southwest (M&W)
Poplarville / 10 AM
Feb. 23 (Tues.)
Copiah-Lincoln (W) Wesson / 2 PM
Feb. 25 (Thur.)
East Central (M&W) Decatur
/ 2 PM
March 2 (Tues.)
Miss. Gulf Coast (M&W) Poplarville / 2 PM
March 16 (Tues.)
Hinds (M&W)
Raymond / 2:30 PM
March 18 (Thur.)
Jones (M&W)
Ellisville / 2 PM
March 23 (Tues.)
Southwest (M&W)
Summit / 12 Noon
March 26 (Thur.)
Hinds (M&W)
Poplarville / 2 PM
March 30 (Tues.) Jones
(M&W)
Poplarville / 2 PM
April 1 (Thur.)
Copiah-Lincoln (M) Perkinston
/ 10 AM
April 1 (Thur.)
Miss. Gulf Coast (W) Gulfport
/ 2 PM
April 8 (Thur.)
Copiah-Lincoln (M)
Wesson / 2 PM
April 9 (Fri.)
Copiah-Lincoln (W) Poplarville
/ 2 PM
April 13 (Tues.)
East Central (M&W) Poplarville
/ 2 PM
April 15-18
State-District (W)
Tupelo / TBA
(Thur.-Sun.)
Tournament
April 23-24
State-District (M)
Ellisville / TBA
(Fri.-Sat.)
Tournament
(M) Denotes men only, (W) women only, (M&W)
men and women.
Wildcats Sign 18 For 1999 Football
POPLARVILLE
Pearl
River Community College signed 18 high school football
players to grant-in-aid scholarships for
the 1999 season, says Keith Daniels, PRCC athletic
director and head football coach.
Listed alphabetically,
the signees include:
|
|
|
|
|
| TONY BENTON |
|
|
Bay St. Louis/ Bay High |
| JACK BYRD |
|
|
Picayune/Picayune |
| WILLIE CARTER |
|
|
Foxworth/West Marion |
| BOBBY EASLEY |
|
|
Waxahachie, TX/Waxahachie |
| TOM GRAHAM |
|
|
Purvis/Purvis |
| ANDRE GRANGER |
|
|
Waxahachie, TX/Waxahachie |
| CHRIS GRAY |
|
|
Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg |
| MAX LOTT |
|
|
Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg |
| JUSTIN MELLON |
|
|
Lumberton/Lumberton |
| STEVE ODOM |
|
|
Columbia/Columbia |
| KRIS ROBBINS |
|
|
Picayune/Picayune |
| TERRY SIBLEY |
|
|
Lumberton/Lumberton |
| BRAD STEPHENS |
|
|
Sumrall/Sumrall |
| LARRY THOMPSON |
|
|
Bassfield/Bassfield |
| BRANDON THORNHILL |
|
|
Foxworth/West Marion |
| ELTON THRASHER |
|
|
Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg |
| JOHN WEATHERSBY |
|
|
Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg |
| DARYL WILLIAMS |
|
|
Bay St. Louis/Hancock County |
Three 'Cats Ink Senior
College Football Pacts For 1999 Season
Williams Signs With
Houston, Gistorb with SW Louisiana, Walker with
Alabama State
POPLARVILLE
Three
Pearl River Community College Wildcats signed grant-in-aid
football scholarships with senior colleges
here Wednesday on National Signing Day.
Signed were tight
end Nate (Tank) Williams of Hattiesburg with the University of
Houston Cougars, defensive lineman Chris
Gistorb of Alexandria, La., with the Southwest
Louisiana Ragin' Cagins; and defensive
back Patrick Walker of Columbia with the Alabama State
Hornets.
Williams (6-7,
260), the son of Della Williams of Hattiesburg, played only his senior
season for Coach Doug Merchant's Hattiesburg
High Tigers, but his natural athletic skills
impressed the Wildcat coaching staff enough
to award him a scholarship.
This past season,
Williams missed two games due to injury, but finished the season with
six pass receptions for 91 yards (15-yard
average). He also rushed twice for 16 yards. Williams
was named to the MACJC South Division
All-State Team (first team), and was selected to play
for the South squad in the 1998 MACJC
All-Star Classic held December 5 on the campus of
Northeast Mississippi Community College
in Booneville. He caught two passes for 22 yards to
help the South to a 13-12 victory.
As a freshman
in 1997, Williams played in all 10 games and finished with 12 pass
receptions for 142 yards (11.8-yard average).
Gistorb (6-4,
275), the son of Jerry and Joyce Gistorb, missed two games due to injury.
He finished the season with 11 solo tackles,
15 assists, one tackle for loss, two pass hurries, and
two fumble recoveries. He was a MACJC
South Division All-State (second team) selection and
was selected to play in the All-Star Classic.
As a freshman
in 1997, Gistorb played in all 10 games, recording 21 solo tackles, 19
assists, 2 1/2 quarterback sacks, two
tackles for losses, five pass hurries, and one blocked pass.
Walker (6-0,
180), the son of Lillie Walker, started all 10 games for the Wildcats in
1998.
He finished the season as the team's No.
5 tackler with 34 solos and six assists, while recording
six pass break-ups, and picking-off a
team-high five passes (tied for No. 3 in Region 23). He also
returned four kickoffs for 110 yards and
a TD (90 yards). His 27.5-yard return average was
ranked fifth in the region.
Walker joined
Williams on the first team South Division All-State roster and was also
picked to play in the All-Star Classic.
Last season,
PRCC finished 2-8 overall, 1-5 in the division. In 1997, the Wildcats were
5-
5 and 2-4.
Lady Wildcats Leads Division
With 11th-Straight Win;
Wildcats Fall To No.
2 In South With Loss To Wolves
Stage Set For Rematch
With Arch-Rival Mississippi Gulf Coast Thursday
WESSON
Pearl River Community College's Lady Wildcats took sole possession of
first place in the South Division with
their last-second 75-74 win over Copiah-Lincoln, while the
Wildcats were 68-64 losers and fell to
No. 2 in the division behind the host Wolves here Monday
in Mullens Gymnasium.
The women's victory
their 11th straight pushed PRCC's overall record to 16-4,
and 8-1 in the division, while the Wildcats
fell to 13-6 and 7-2. Co-Lin's women fell to 16-5 and
6-3, while the Wolves improved to 18-3
and 8-1 and got revenge for the Wildcats' 64-55 victory
November 19 in Poplarville.
Last Thursday,
Pearl River swept Delgado out of New Orleans with the women winning
77-60 and the men 81-79.
The Lady Wildcats,
who haven't lost since December 1's defeat to East Central at
Decatur, trailed the defending state and
Region 23 champions 40-32 at the intermission, but
rallied in the final minute behind the
talents of sophomores Jessica Shanklin and Norma Noel and
freshman Kizzie Mark.
Trailing 73-69,
Noel's bucket at the 46-second mark pulled within two. Co-Lin's Krisztina
Hollosy, an foreign exchange student-athlete
from Hungary, banged-in a foul shot to make things
74-71, then Mark sank a two to pull the
Lady Wildcats within one with 28 seconds left.
Shanklin then
intervened, forcing a Lady Wolve turnover and setting the stage for Noel's
game-winning bucket with some 10 seconds
left.
Shanklin led
PRCC with 20 points, 10 assists, four steals, and three three-pointers,
while
Nichole Hearns added 16, including three
treys. Noel finished with 11, LaKita Robertson 11 and a
team-high eight rebounds, Mark 10, Alania
Pendarvis 2, and Laura Walters 2.
Co-Lin's Victoria
Mason led all scorers with 21 points, while Hollosy and Chastidy
Sandifer had 10 each.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 8 of 17 (47 percent), while CLCC was 19 of 31 (61
percent).
Against Delgado
last Thursday, Shanklin scored all of her 15 points from three-point
range four treys in the second
half to guide the Lady Wildcats to the win. PRCC led 32-39
at the half, then cruised to the 17-point
victory with a 45-31 edge in the second half.
Hearns led with
16 points (two threes), while Noel added 15, Pendarvis 13, Robertson 8,
and Walters 8. LaTasha Coleman led Delgado
with 18 points, while Shamika Rockward had 12.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 12 of 22 (55 percent), while DCC was 9 of 19 (47 percent).
In men's action
against Co-Lin, the Wolves were in command for much of the game.
PRCC trailed by as much as 14 in the first
half, but fought back and held the hosts to a 12-point
42-29 lead at the half.
Slowly, but surely,
the Wildcats got back into their game. Tighe Lee sank one of his two
three-pointers at the 5:41 mark to give
PRCC its first lead at 59-56, but just over a minute later,
Calvert Sims hit two from the foul line
to regain the edge at 60-59.
Pearl River tied
it at 61 off a pair of Neal Broome free throws with 3:33 left, then Jason
Revies, one of two sophomores on the Wildcat
squad, hit a foul shot, then a two to build the
PRCC edge to 64-61 at the 1:15 mark. From
there out, Co-Lin left it up to Reginald Patterson,
who scored all of his seven points in
the final minute five foul shots and a two-pointer
to
take the four-point victory.
Revies paced
PRCC with 19 points, while Broome added 16, Lemayn Wilson 14, Lee 8,
Lamar Lathen 6, and Doug Green 3. Co-Lin's
Thomas Terrell led all scorers in the contest with
25 pionts, while Broderick McCoy had 10.
Both teams produced
impressive shows at the foul line, PRCC hit 10 of 14 (71 percent),
while CLCC hit 16 of 19 (84 percent).
Against Delgado,
Pearl River opened with a 14-5 in the opening three minutes, but
Delgado went on a 12-2 run to take a 17-16
edge with 9:18 left in the first half. Pearl River
quickly regained the lead, but the score
was tied two more times before DCC ended with a 10-7
run and a 37-34 edge at intermission.
The Wildcats
regained the lead early in the second half and built their lead to as much
as
13 58-45 with
11:46 left. Delgado fought back with an 20-9 run over the next seen minutes
to tie things at 67. Lee hit one of his
three treys with 4:55 left to make things 70-67. DCC
managed to keep things close for most
of the remaining time, but the Wildcats sank seven of eight
foul shots in the final 1:20 to ice the
nine-point win.
Broome scored
23 of his team-high 28 points in the second half to pace Pearl River, while
Revies added 18, including a game-high
four three-pointers. Wilson scored 11, Lee 9, Lathen 7,
Harold Jones 6, Green 4, and Nate Williams
2. Lamont Turner led DCC with 28 points.
From the foul
line, PRCC was 18 of 26 (69 percent), while DCC was 14 of 17 (82
percent).
Pearl River eyes
the remainder of a four-game stretch of division foes to end the regular
season. Thursday Mississippi Gulf Coast
visits M.R. White Coliseum, then PRCC hits the road for
Summit to take on Southwest Monday, February
8. Hinds-Utica's visit to White Coliseum on
Thursday, February 11, will end the regular
season.
Thursday's men's
game with Gulf Coast will be for the No. 2 seed in February 15-16's
South Division Tournament set for Jones
in Ellisville.
The women's tip-offs
are set for 6 p.m., immediately followed by the men.
Hopes High As Nightengale
Enter 12th Season With Baseball Wildcats
Beefed-Up Pitching
Staff Could Send PRCC To Playoffs For First Time Since 1995
Baseball is a
game of breaks. Last season, Pearl River Community College's Wildcats
didn't get them when it counted.
But Jim Nightengale's
12th season as PRCC's head coach could be a reawakening for the
Wildcats who haven't seen post-season
play since 1995. A beefed-up pitching staff and a
smattering of veteran players at other
key positions should put PRCC back into the heat of the
South Division race.
Six players return
from last year's team that finished 22-22 overall and 10-13 in South
Division. And their solid input was reflected
in this past fall's four-game schedule, which
concluded with a successful 3-1 mark,
including a 6-5 victory over Panama City Gulf Coast,
which finished No. 3 nationally in the
JuCo ranks last season, and a hard-fought 14-12 loss to
defending national champ Jefferson Davis.
"We feel pretty
good about things right now," Nightengale said. "We know we've got the
talent to be competitive. We proved in
the fall that we can compete with any junior college team
in the nation, but now it's a matter of
living up to your potential. If we can mature, there's no
telling what we can accomplish.
"Right now, it's
only a matter of going out and doing it."
Assistant Coach
Adam Breerwood enters his second season at PRCC. Breerwood, a
former Nightengale pupil earned All-Region
23 and All-State recognition at The River before
heading to Hattiesburg for a two-year
stint with Bobby Halford's William Carey College
crusaders. Breerwood was a member of Nightengale's
1994 and 1995 squads. The '94 unit
finished No. 2 in the state, then made
the Region 23 Tournament the following year. That was the
last Wildcat team to hit the playoff circuit.
Breerwood earned
NAIA All-American, All-Gulf Coast Atlantic Conference, and All-
Southwest Region honors at Carey and his
29 doubles his senior season led the GCA. He finished
third in league in batting average at
.402.
As the Wildcats'
batting coach last season, his expertise at the plate resulted in the best
offensive season in Nightengale's 11 seasons
at PRCC.
"But in this
league, you win with pitching," Breerwood said. "This season, we've got
bigger numbers and better arms on the
mound. That, complimented by our solid returning corps
from last year, will hopefully give us
more wins."
The Wildcats'
playoff hopes in 1998 boiled down to the final doubleheader of the season
against arch-rival Mississippi Gulf Coast.
A sweep meant a trip to the playoffs, but the Bulldogs
pulled a sweep and won the South Division
crown. The losses ended PRCC season.
Division power
East Central eventually won the state championship, but, ironically, the
Wildcats defeated the champ Warriors three
of the four games they played last year.
Breerwood says
1999's division race is "a toss-up.
"It's that way
from year to year," he explained. "Even back when I played here. But I
feel
our pitching and batting strength should
place us right in the thick of things. Coming into this
season, we have high expectations and
have set big goals for ourselves. We've got some new
guys on board that will have to gel with
the others, but if we can do that and become a unit, the
sky is the limit."
Nightengale said
he has been pleased with the work of his team.
"This is a good
group to be around," he said. "They seem to all be pulling on the same
rope to accomplish the same goals. Our
sophomores worked very hard during the offseason and
on through the summer to get ready. I
feel they are deserving of a successful year.
"Hopefully, with
more hard work, we can get the job done and put this program back on
top."
The Wildcats
will get The River rolling Monday, February 8, when they host Bishop State
(Ala.) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. North
Division rival Holmes hosts a doubleheader February 13,
then Nightengale & Co. return to Poplarville
for a 12 noon nine-inning contest with Jefferson
Davis (Ala.) February 16. Holmes visits
the Wildcat diamond February 20 for a 1 p.m.
doubleheader.
Here are brief
capsules listed by position on each player:
PITCHERS
STEVEN BUDDE (Slidell, La.)
Budde, a sophomore who prepped at Salmen High,
transferred to PRCC after a successful
season at Chipola Junior College in Florida. A 6-3, 215-
pound righthander, he will be the Wildcats'
No. 1 starter and has the "complete package," says
Nightengale. "Steven works hard on the
field and in the classroom. He has all the tools to go on
and have a successful career in major
college ball."
RUDY SMITH (Slidell, La.)
Smith, a 6-2, 240-pound freshman who prepped at Slidell High,
is the Wildcats' sole southpaw on the
roster. "I've been really impressed with his work ethic,"
said Breerwood. "He's more than willing
to work and has lost over 50 pounds since the fall. Rudy
has proven to us that he's willing to
do what it takes to be a winner." Smith will be in the PRCC
starting rotation.
JOBY HOGAN (New Orleans, La.)
Hogan, a 5-11, 190-pound freshman who prepped at
Hahnville High in New Orleans, transferred
to PRCC after a redshirt season at Loyola University.
The righthander possesses a good curve
ball and fastball and will be in the starting rotation.
MATT WILLIAMS (Brooklyn) Williams,
a 6-2, 220-pound freshman who prepped at
Forrest County Agricultural High School,
transferred to PRCC from Itawamba Community
College in Fulton. Nightengale says it
will take the righthander a bit of starting mound time for
him to fully develop, but could eventually
wind up as a major force.
JAMES CAGLE (Purvis) Cagle,
a 6-3, 225-pound sophomore who prepped at Purvis High,
was a starter a year ago, but will be
used as a middle reliever this year. "We just wanted a
sophomore in those pressure-packed situations,"
said Breerwood.
JOEY DUNAWAY (Poplarville)
Dunaway, a 5-11, 185-pound sophomore righthander,
earned All-American honorable mention
status at Pope John Paul High in Slidell while playing for
former Wildcat head coach Ned Eades. He
was the key cog in PJPHS's state Class 2A
championship his senior year. "Joey will
be a solid middle reliever for us," Nightengale said. "He
has a solid curve ball that should get
us out of many jams."
KYLE FOSTER (Bay St. Louis)
Foster, a 5-10, 180-pound freshman righthander who
prepped at St. Stanislaus, has been a
"pleasant surprise" in preseason practices. "He will see
plenty of relief duty," said Nightengale.
CLAY HANNAFORD (Lumberton)
Hannaford, a 5-10, 175-pound sophomore righthander
who prepped at Lumberton High, transferred
to PRCC after a solid season as a closer for the
Belhaven Blazers. "We're very excited
about having Clay on our pitching staff," said Breerwood.
GREG MITCHELL (Picayune) Mitchell,
a 6-2, 180-pound freshman middle reliever, earned
All-State status as a punter on the Wildcat
football squad. The righthander possesses "great
athleticism," says Breerwood, "and should
be in full swing of things by early March."
FIRST BASEMEN
KYLE WILKES (Columbia) Wilkes,
a 6-0, 185-pound freshman who prepped at East Marion,
is "everything we expected," said Nightengale.
Wilkes is a left-handed hitter, but throws right-
hand. "Kyle knows how to hit and possesses
a very sweet swing. He'll be a key ingredient this
year."
DAVID HOPGOOD (Columbia) Hopgood,
a 6-2, 230-pound freshman who prepped with
Wilkes at EMHS, led the Eagles with 18
home runs his senior season. "If David swings the bat up
to his capabilities, he'll be in our lineup
every game as a designated hitter."
SECOND BASEMEN
JOJO MOUDY (Brooklyn) Moudy,
a 5-9, 165-pound sophomore, seemingly has a lock on the
starting spot. "JoJo will see lots of
action and showed promise at the plate during the fall," said
Breerwood.
CASEY WEEMS (Bay St. Louis)
Weems, a 6-1, 165-pound freshman, is the last of four
brothers to play college baseball. Two
of his brothers, Luke and Mike, played for the Wildcats.
Weems is very versatile (second or short)
and has a strong hitting background. He prepped at Bay
High under his father, Coach Fred Weems.
DEREK SWAN (Purvis) Swan,
a 5-10, 165-pound freshman, is a lefthander who had a
tremendous fall at the plate. "Derek will
be an asset," said Nightengale.
SHORTSTOP
SCOTT PUTNAM (Lumberton) Putnam,
a 5-10, 170-pound sophomore lefthander, is "our
quarterback in the infield," said Breerwood.
A starter in leftfield last season, Nightengale says
"he's on the same page with us in what
we're trying to do defensively. Scott's a true competitor
and plays as hard as we ask him to." The
former Lumberton High standout batted .320 last year
and will be the Wildcats' lead-off man
in 1999.
THIRD BASEMEN
JEREMY CHANCE (Purvis) Chance,
a 6-0, 175-pound freshman who prepped at Purvis
High, "has tremendous potential to be
a good college player," said Breerwood. "Jeremy has been
given every opportunity to prove himself
and has made the most out of all of them."
WAYNE GILES (D'Iberville)
Giles, a 5-10, 195-pound freshman, batted .500-plus two
seasons ago at D'Iberville High and produced
"double-digit" homers. A transfer from Mississippi
Gulf Coast, he is tagged "one of best
pick-ups of the spring" by Nightengale.
CATCHERS
ROB FORD (Picayune) Ford,
a 5-10, 200-pound sophomore, earned second team All-State
recognition a year ago after batting .360
and producing five home runs. "Rob's been working real
hard in the weight room and should have
even better offensive numbers this season," said
Nightengale. He was selected by the coaching
staff to wear No. 1 in 1999, representing the
Wildcats' team leader.
TODD SANDIFER (Purvis) Sandifer,
a 6-0, 180-pound freshman, will see plenty of action
behind the plate, but has been hampered
by a broken hand. "Todd had a slow start, but he should
come on strong," said Breerwood. "He has
showed a lot of promise at the plate."
LEFT FIELDERS
JOEY WILSON (Slidell, La.)
Wilson, affectionately called "Roach" by his teammates, is a 5-
10, 155-pound freshman who has earned
the starting berth. "Roach has good speed to get on base
and will give us a big offensive threat
in the No. 9 batting spot," said Breerwood.
PAUL PURVIS (Purvis) Purvis,
a 5-9, 165-pound freshman, missed the fall season because he
was a defensive back on the Wildcat football
team. But he possesses outstanding speed and
athleticism and "will see playing time
in the outfield," said Nightengale.
CENTER FIELD
TREY LIGHT (Oak Grove) Light,
a 5-11, 175-pound sophomore who earned All-State
honors last season as a starter. He led
the Wildcats in two categories in 1998 batting with a
.330 average and home runs with 9. "Trey
is a tremendous talent," said Nightengale. "With a little
hard work, he could be playing major college
ball a year from now."
RIGHT FIELDERS
CHIP BILDERBACK (El Centro, Cal.)
Bilderback, a 6-1, 175-pound freshman who will start
in right, is the Wildcats' "most improved
player from the fall," said Breerwood. "Chip has a
tremendous work ethic in the weight room
and on the field. We look for big things from him.
DAVID MOORE (Columbia) Moore,
a 6-2, 210-pound freshman who prepped at Columbia
High, is tagged "the most athletic person
on the team" by Breerwood. "David can do it all...run,
hit, and throw. He has outstanding ability
and with a little work, he could be a major force."
January 10, 1999
PRCC Board will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 12
Poplarville—Pearl River Community College's January Board of Trustees meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 12 in Crosby Hall here on campus.
The PRCC board voted to change the time from 1 p.m. to 10 a.m. at the December meeting because of scheduling problems. The Tuesday, February 9 meeting is scheduled for the regular 1 p.m. time slot
PRCC Roundball Returns To The Airwaves Jan. 11 Against Arch-Rival Miss. Gulf Coast On WFFF-FM
POPLARVILLE—Pearl River Community College men’s and women’s basketball returns to the radio airwaves on flagship station WFFF-FM (96.7) Monday, January 11, when the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats travel to Perkinston to take on arch-rival Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Long-time “Voice of the Wildcats” Larry Stanford returns to the microphone in 1999 and will broadcast all of PRCC’s remaining regular season South Division games — nine in all — and all post-season tournament games on the Columbia-based station.
Besides the Gulf Coast match-ups, the remaining South Division contests for the 1998-99 season include Southwest at Poplarville on Thursday, January 14; Hinds at Raymond on Tuesday, January 19; East Central at Poplarville on Thursday, January 21; Jones at Ellisville on Monday, January 25; Copiah-Lincoln at Wesson on Monday, February 1; Gulf Coast at Poplarville on Thursday, February 4; Southwest at Summit on Monday, February 8; and Hinds at Poplarville on Thursday, February 11.
The 1999 men’s and women’s South Division tournament is set for Feburary 15-18 (Monday through Thursday), while the state tournament is set for February 22-23 (Monday and Tuesday). Sites for both events will be announced at a later date. The Region 23 Tournament will be held March 1-4 (Monday and Tuesday) at Mississippi College in Clinton.
Non-division games remaining on PRCC’s schedules include a men’s only battle against East Mississippi in Scooba on Friday, January 8; followed by men’s and women’s contests against Mary Holmes at West Point on Saturday, January 16; and Delgado at Poplarville on Thursday, January 28.
Coach Richard Mathis’ Wildcats — 7-3 overall, 3-0 in the division — took their Christmas holiday break off a seven-game winning streak after starting the season with three straight losses. Coach Polly Kirkland’s Lady Wildcats are 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the division.
Women’s games begin at 6 p.m., immediately followed by the men’s.
