numbers for munching

1 — National ranking of the University of Tampa, which is hosting the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament that Delta State is playing in. DSU (40-12) opens with North Alabama on Thursday at about 6:45 p.m. 1 — National ranking of LSU-Eunice, which is hosting the NJCAA Division II Region 23 Tournament that includes Hinds Community College, Itawamba and Mississippi Gulf Coast. Hinds, the MACJC champ, plays ICC on Thursday at 3; MGCCC gets LSU-E in the nightcap. 3 — Number of losses, against 21 wins, by Jackson State in SWAC play this season. The Tigers went 35-11 overall and enter today’s SWAC Tournament opener against Texas Southern (about 6 p.m. in Baton Rouge) as the top seed from the East Division. 3.08 — The regular season ERA of Delta State’s pitching staff. Aaron Newcomb (2.66), Colton Mitchell (3.03) and Josh Branstetter (3.34) are the top three starters. 7 — National ranking of ICC, which won a state-best 38 games. 9 — Number of Hinds players who notched MACJC All-State honors, including Tyler Adkins (five wins, six saves) and Beau Wallace (three homers, 36 RBIs, 39 runs), who were also All-Region 23 selections. 10 — Regional titles (and D-II College World Series appearances) by DSU, which won the 2004 national crown. 12 — Home runs by Jackson State’s Kendall Logan; the rest of the team also hit 12. 12 — The number of DSU hitters who batted .299 or better in the regular season. Michael Vinson and Jon Carnahan led the way at .347. 20 — Combined wins (of the team’s 35) by Jackson State hurlers Quintavious Drains and Desmond Russell. 694 — Career wins by DSU coach Mike Kinnison. P.S. J.J. Hoover, a member of the loaded 2011 Mississippi Braves pitching staff, made an appearance against his former organization on Tuesday, working a sharp 1-2-3 inning for Cincinnati against Atlanta. Hoover, traded in spring training for Juan Francisco, has a 1.08 ERA in eight big league games. He was the 59th M-Braves alumnus to make the majors.