Bulldogs celebrate Sophomore Day on Saturday

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast will celebrate Sophomore Day at the final regular-season baseball game Saturday with a playoff spot on the line.

The Bulldogs are tied with Northeast Mississippi for ninth in the MACCC standings, with nine teams advancing to the postseason. Because of tiebreakers, Gulf Coast will need a sweep to clinch the final spot, unless Mississippi Delta can sweep Meridian. The Bulldogs would need just one win if that were the case.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Ken “Curly” Farris Field, with the sophomore class recognized before the first pitch. Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $7 for adults or $5 for youth online, or $10 and $7 at the gate. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

Coach Bob Keller and his staff will be saluting a 16-player class of sophomores: Harrison Bull (So., Long Beach/Long Beach), Adrian Byrd (So., Wiggins/Stone), Brandon Cain (So., Mobile, Ala./Baker), Tyler Gunter (So., D’Iberville/D’Iberville), Brennan Jones (So., Gulfport/West Harrison), Charlie Keller (So., Mobile, Ala./Mobile Christian), Blake King (So., Petal/Petal), Ty Mancha (So., Albuquerque, N.M./Mobile Christian), Jayden Mark (So., Petal/Petal), Cade Mattison (So., Hattiesburg/Lamar Christian), Charlie Olsen (So., Gulfport/Gulfport), Blake Roberts (So., Petal/Petal), Marc Stephens (So., Orange Beach, Ala./Gulf Shores), Brody Swindle (So., Fairhope, Ala./Bayside Academy), Kannon Varnado (So., Gulfport/Harrison Central), and Will Whittington (So., Hattiesburg/Presbyterian Christian).

One sophomore will also receive the Randy Rouse Award. It’s given in honor a former Gulf Coast player who died of leukemia in 1992. The award is voted on by the team and is given to the sophomore who best exemplifies sportsmanship, unselfishness, and loyalty.

Records

• MGCCC: 25-21/11-15 MACCC, T-9^th place in conference
• Northeast: 25-24/11-15 MACCC, T-9^th place in conference

Last Time Out

• MGCCC lost a pair of games Wednesday to Meridian, losing 12-1 and 7-6 at Perk.
• Northeast split a doubleheader against Mississippi Delta on Wednesday, winning 10-0 in eight innings and losing 4-3 in 11 innings.

Previous Meeting

On April 28, 2023, Gulf Coast lost a pair of games to Northeast in Booneville, falling 9-2 and 8-6.

Three Ahead

• May 3-5, Region 23 Tournament Qualifier, Higher Seed Hosts
• May 13-17, Region 23 Tournament, MACCC Champion

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.