juco watch

The odds are with Itawamba Community College. The Indians are hosting the MACJC Tournament, which starts today at Roy Cresap Field in Fulton. ICC has the best record in the state at 37-19 and is ranked No. 7 in NJCAA Division II. But … stuff happens in baseball. The other three participants in the double-elimination affair got there, as did ICC, with two-game sweeps in the best-of-3 round. No slouches here. Jones County JC is 31-17, Hinds 31-16 and resurgent Mississippi Gulf Coast 27-17. JCJC, the defending state champion, is currently ranked 20th, and Hinds was ranked 17th last week. Here’s a number to chew on: Hinds scored 25 runs to get past Northwest on the road last weekend. ICC plays Gulf Coast and JCJC meets Hinds in today’s opening round. … Meanwhile, at Skaggs Field in Meridian, Meridian Community College will host the NJCAA Division I Region 23 Tournament starting Friday. MCC (33-20) won the Miss-Lou Conference regular season title to earn the host role in the three-team event. The Eagles play Delgado (La.) on Friday at 12:30 and meet Baton Rouge that night at 7:30. The tourney concludes on Sunday. Here’s a number to chew on: MCC’s Wade Wass, an Alabama signee, has 21 home runs. P.S. Just for the record, there are six Mississippi juco products currently in the majors: Jarrod Dyson, Desmond Jennings, Tyler Moore, Tim Dillard, Cliff Lee and Tony Sipp. And free agent Roy Oswalt could be back in The Show any day now.