POPLARVILLE, Miss. — After a successful regular season, the No. 9 Pearl River softball team is now preparing for MACCC Tournament play. The fourth-seeded Wildcats (30-15 overall) will take on fifth-seeded Northwest (29-11) Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The tournament, hosted by Jones College, will run through Saturday.
The winner of PRCC/NWCC will advance to take on the winner of Gulf Coast/Jones Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The team that falls will move to the loser's bracket and take on the loser of MGCCC/JC Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
"I'm very excited. The postseason is the best time of the year," Pearl River coach Christie Meeks said. "The best of the best teams are in the postseason, so we're thankful to have that opportunity. We want to shine, show out and play free. They've turned a corner and have gotten hot toward the end of the season. They feel good about it. Now they're through with their finals and their classes, so they're able to focus on softball in the last few weeks. I think they're excited about trying to shine."
Of the eight teams featured in the tournament, six have appeared in the NJCAA rankings at some point this season, making this tournament one of the toughest in the country.
"This conference is so tough," Meeks said. "Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. You're looking at the top eight teams in the tournament and there are five that didn't get in and could've had a shot at winning it all. This conference is extremely tough. It's going to be fun to see how this tournament plays out."
ABOUT NORTHWEST
The Wildcats and Rangers faced each other in the MACCC opener and split the series. PRCC grabbed game one 9-4 before falling in game two 2-0.
"Northwest is a great team. They're scrappy and they're tough. They're going to come with a lot of energy. Every team is going to be tough. I couldn't tell you who is going to win, it's going to be a coinflip. The postseason is the postseason for a reason."
NWCC is led on offense by McKaylee Polk and Saige Koczka. Polk is hitting .437 with 48 RBIs, 17 doubles, 14 homers and 39 runs scored. Koczka trails narrowly, hitting .425 with 45 RBIs, 10 doubles, 11 homers and 42 runs scored.
Gabby Dickerson has been the best Ranger in the circle, holding a 17-6 record across 127 innings. She has a 2.59 ERA and has struck out 161 batters.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats are led by arguably the best pitcher in the NJCAA, Brinson Anne Rogers (Statesboro, Ga.). Heading into Wednesday's matchup, Rogers is 16-3 with a remarkable 0.75 ERA. She has struck out a staggering 271 batters for a strikeouts per seven innings of 13.52. Rogers is second in the NJCAA in both strikeouts and ERA.
Julianah Overstreet (Vancleave) has been the biggest threat inside the batter's box this season. Through 43 games, the first baseman Is hitting .344 with 33 RBIs, 25 runs, 10 doubles and seven homers. Hannah Miller (Kokomo; West Marion) isn't too far behind, hitting .324 with 35 runs, 29 RBIs, 10 doubles and five homers.
TICKETS
Jones College encourages all fans to purchase tickets online at JCBobcats.com/tickets. Day passes are $10 while a tournament pass is $30.
TUNE IN
All games at the 2022 MACCC Tournament will be livestreamed at JCBobcats.com/Watch. For updated brackets, scores, schedules and more visit tournament central at bit.ly/2022MACCCSB.
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