Booneville, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball team aims to extend its historical run through the postseason in front of a hometown crowd this weekend.
The Tigers open the 2014 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Tournament against Jones County Junior College at 4 p.m. on Thursday. East Central Community College and Hinds Community College get the double-elimination event underway with a noon first pitch at Harold T. White Field.
"We're just happy to be hosting," said Northeast head coach Kent Farris. "We're looking forward to the challenges. Everybody from now on is very good and well coaches. We're just trying to get the kinks out, stay healthy and get ready to go."
It is the third trip in a row to the playoffs for Northeast and the sixth appearance in eight years under the direction of Farris. The Tigers, who are hosting the MACJC State Tournament for the initial time under its current format, finished as runner-up in the North Division with a 17-7 league record.
Northeast (27-18) claimed two dramatic victories over Pearl River Community College in the first round of the MACJC State Playoffs to clinch the opportunity to host the annual meeting of the Magnolia State's top squads.
Easton Hall was the hero of that series with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that propelled the Tigers to a 12-11 win in the decisive third game.
New Albany's Hall is currently second on the team with three homers, 34 RBIs and a .451 slugging percentage. He is also one of eight men on Northeast's team who hold a .400 on-base percentage or better after at least 50 at bats.
Trent Turner continued his superb freshman campaign against the Wildcats and increased his numbers to some of the top in the state.
The second baseman from Brandon currently leads the MACJC in the categories of batting average (.431) and slugging percentage (.692). He is also second in the conference in on-base percentage (.500), RBIs (47) and sacrifice flies (eight).
Heath Wood is just one run scored and two hits away from reaching the prestigious century mark in both of those statistics. The Kossuth High School alumnus owns a .472 on-base percentage with a team-best 23 walks and 12 stolen bases.
Ethan Taylor is coming off his best performance on the mound to date for the Tigers, who are receiving votes in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll. The Arkansas Tech University signee sat down 12 straight Pearl River batters at one point while scattering three strikeouts and eight hits.
Taylor has pitched more innings than any other Northeast hurler at 39.1 and owns a 4-2 record with only 11 walks allowed all season.
Riley Alef extended his dominance behind the plate by throwing out five of seven Wildcats that attempted to steal. He is tops in the state and third in the NJCAA with 20 runners caught stealing.
Jordan Montgomery also heads the Tigers' defensive efforts with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 51 chances from centerfield.
Top ranked Jones County is one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the country. The Bobcats (40-8) lead the state in doubles with 97 and have 125 total extra base hits.
Jordan Stark tops Jones County, which swept Holmes Community College in the first round, with 17 doubles, four triples and two home runs. Stark carries a .338 batting average with 32 RBIs.
Pitching is a focal point for the Bobcats and Westin Stringer heads the production with a 1.76 earned run average (ERA). Stringer has struck out 73 while giving up only 16 walks in 81.2 innings of work.
Trent Giambrone has been a part of 19 double plays on defense for Jones County, while catcher Tyler Graves holds a solid .994 fielding percentage with two errors in 352 chances.
MACJC South Division runner-up Hinds (29-16) earned a first round sweep over then-No. 20 Northwest Mississippi Community College and, like Northeast, is receiving votes in the most recent NJCAA poll.
The Eagles hit for power and are tied for third in the state with 30 home runs as a team. Chase Lunceford tops Hinds with seven long balls while Matt Jones, the reigning MACJC Player of the Week, has six dingers.
Austin Sanders paces Hinds with 21 pitching appearances and only nine earned runs allowed all year. He has garnered a 7-1 record with four saves in 37 innings of action.
Casey Sutton claimed MACJC Pitcher of the Week honors after holding the Rangers to three hits and two runs in a complete game effort. He did not give up a walk and struck out five hitters.
Defending state champion East Central (23-25) is perhaps the hottest squad entering the 2014 MACJC State Tournament. The Warriors took two out of three contests from nationally ranked East Mississippi Community College in the opening round to keep their campaign alive.
Kyle McCullouch leads East Central at the dish with a .324 batting average, four home runs and 24 RBIs. Chance Whitten has been sound as well with seven doubles and 27 RBIs.
Conner West is a consistent force for the Warriors on the hill. He holds a team-best 1.28 ERA in 42.1 innings with an average of eight strikeouts per outing.
Lane Fazande tops East Central with 168 putouts while Ben Cooley has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 54 attempts on the campaign.
All games of the 2014 MACJC State Tournament will be streamed live over the Internet. Click the "Tournament Central" tab to find the link to the video feed.