POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Preparations are well underway as Pearl River Community College is set to host arguably the most challenging region tournament in the country at Dub Herring Park. The six-team double-elimination Region 23 Tournament runs May 13-17. The winner of the tournament heads to Enid, Okla. for the NJCAA DII World Series May 25-June 1.
Pearl River earned the right to host the tournament after a remarkable season, which saw it capture its sixth MACCC title. The Wildcats set new records for single-season wins with 47 and consecutive wins with 29. The Wildcats went 25-3 in MACCC play — the most wins by a team in conference play since 2017.
THE FIELD
LSU Eunice earned an automatic bid into the tournament. A play-in series determined the rest of the field. East Central defeated Northeast in three games, Jones College knocked off East Mississippi in three games, Meridian swept Copiah-Lincoln and Hinds pulled out an upset sweep over Northwest. The tournament will potentially be the toughest in the country. In the most recent NJCAA poll, East Central was No. 1, Pearl River was No. 2, LSU Eunice was No. 3, Jones College was No. 12 and Meridian was No. 19. Seeding for the tournament is as follows:
- No. 1 Pearl River
- No. 2 East Central
- No. 3 LSU Eunice
- No. 4 Jones College
- No. 5 Meridian
- No. 6 Hinds
The opening matchups for the tournament are 3-seed LSU Eunice and 4-seed Jones College at noon, followed by 1-seed Pearl River and 6-seed Hinds at 3:30 p.m. 2-seed East Central and 5-seed Meridian get underway at 7 p.m.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
The Wildcats are led at the plate by Mississippi State transfer Hollis Porter (Hurley; East Central). The slugger set the single-season home run record in PRCC’s final regular season game, hitting his 20th of the year. He’s hitting .415 with 71 RBIs, 21 doubles, 29 walks. His slugging percentage is an unreal .862. Center fielder Bryce Fowler is hitting .426 with 14 doubles, 10 homers and four triples. He has driven in 48 runs and walked 21 times. He’s also stolen 23 bags. The Wildcats head into the tournament with one of the top pitching staffs in the country. They are currently second in ERA (2.19), second in strikeouts (527) and sixth in earned runs (128). Thomas Crabtree (Collierville, Tenn.) holds a 2.96 ERA through 70 innings pitched. He’s struck out 102 batters and walked just 21. His 102 strikeouts are sixth nationally and mark the first time a PRCC pitcher has eclipsed 100 strikeouts since 2008. Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) has the lowest ERA among the starting pitchers, pitching his way to a 2.14 ERA through 59 innings. JP Robertson (Madison; Germantown) holds a 2.37 ERA across 60 2/3 innings. He’s racked up 74 strikeouts against 21 walks. JT Schnoor (Pascagoula; Resurrection) rounds out the starting rotation. The Mississippi State signee has thrown 64 2/3 innings, striking out 92 against 27 walks. His ERA sits at 3.76.
ABOUT EAST CENTRAL
East Central set a program record with 50 wins on the season and comes into the tournament as the No. 1 team in the NJCAA poll. Mo Little is the largest threat in the Warrior lineup. The sophomore is hitting .370 with 71 RBIs, 60 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs and one triple. He has walked 41 times and stolen 18 bases. Barret Rodgers has a .389 batting average with 49 RBIs, 15 doubles and four homers. Luke Cooley has been one of the best pitchers in the NJCAA in 2024. The left-hander has thrown 72 2/3 innings and holds a 2.11 ERA. He has struck out 105 batters against 28 walks. Marbin Lezcano has been strong for the Warriors, throwing 57 2/3 innings and holding a 2.50 ERA.
ABOUT LSU EUNICE
LSU Eunice has been incredible on the mound this season, with its pitching helping lead it to 47 wins. Blake Lobell has been the Bengals’ top starter. He’s thrown 81 1/3 innings, striking out 105 against just 17 walks. His ERA sits at 1.99 and his WHIP is 1.02. Owen Schexnaydre has racked up 14 wins, throwing 58 innings and holding a 2.17 ERA. Dawson Willis has been remarkable for the Bengals at the dish. He’s hitting .312 with 12 doubles, six homers and two triples. He has driven in 48 runs and stolen an incredible 42 bases. Tyson LeBlanc is the top run producer, hitting .355 with 64 RBIs. He also has 16 doubles, three triples and two homers.
ABOUT JONES COLLEGE
The Bobcats wrapped up the regular season with a 39-14 record. Brady Thomas has been Jones College’s biggest threat this season. Through 53 games, Thomas is hitting .389 with 16 homers, 14 doubles and three triples. He has picked up 63 RBIs and walked 47 times. Gatlin Sanders is hitting .347 with 18 doubles and a triple. He has scored 44 runs and driven in 30. Trent Hillen and Beau Bryans have thrown the most innings for the Bobcats this season. Hillen has tossed 74 and holds a 3.89 ERA. He’s struck out 85 hitters and walked 37. Bryans has pitched 63 2/3 innings, holding a 3.82 ERA. He has 99 strikeouts and has walked 51 batters.
ABOUT MERIDIAN
The Eagles went 9-1 in their final 10 games to make the tournament. Blaise Priester is MCC’s largest run producer. The catcher is hitting .366 with 65 RBIs, 14 homers, 14 doubles and two triples. Rhett Ketchum leads the team in batting average with a mark of .408. He has 15 doubles, seven homers and two triples. He has driven in 54 runs, scored 59 and walked 32 times. Landon Waters has had a fantastic season on the mound. His ERA sits at 2.05 in 70 1/3 innings pitched. He has struck out 106 batters and walked 44. Caleb Hall has thrown the second-most innings for the Eagles. Through 60.1 innings pitched, he has a 4.77 ERA, striking out 43 against 21 walks.
ABOUT HINDS
Hinds put on a show against Northwest, upsetting the 12th-ranked Rangers to earn a spot in the tournament. Thomas Marsala has been a consistent bat for the Eagles. He’s hitting .395 with 13 doubles, 12 homers and two triples this season. He’s also picked up 54 RBIs and scored 58 runs. Cameron Hill has been an RBI machine, picking up 68 on the year. He’s hitting .313 with 18 doubles, 15 homers and two triples. Lincoln Sheffield has thrown 77 2/3 innings and holds a 3.59 ERA for Hinds. He’s added 81 strikeouts. Ryan Herbison has thrown 77 1/3 innings, pitching his way to a 4.19 ERA.
AMENITIES
PRCC has again partnered with Kat Daddy Katering for the duration of the tournament. The menu includes hot dogs, hamburgers, poboys, fries, nachos, sandwiches, funnel cakes, fried Oreos, and more. There will also be a snow cone truck at the tournament.
TICKETS
Tickets for the tournament are available NOW at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Tickets are $12 each day, and tournament passes are $43. Passes are on sale until 9 a.m. May 13. PRCC’s box office is CARD ONLY. Cash will NOT be accepted at the gate.
— PRCC Athletics (@PRCCAthletics) May 2, 2024
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Pearl River’s tournament central page is active at PRCCAthletics.com/Region23. It will be the home for all tournament information, including livestreams, photos, brackets, directions, scores and more.
TUNE IN
The entirety of the tournament will be livestreamed at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. All Pearl River games can be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
