Northeast Mississippi Community College’s hosting the 2014 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Tournament is just the latest accolade in the resurgence of the Tigers’ baseball program.

Under the direction of head coach Kent Farris, Northeast has turned into one of the premier destinations in the entire Magnolia State for athletes to excel on the diamond at the two-year college level.

A total of 48 young men that have played for Farris in his eight seasons at the helm have signed scholarships at four-year institutions once their time in Booneville has come to a close.

A majority of those have inked at either the NCAA Division I or Division II level, including Phillip Chapman at the University of Memphis, current Tiger assistant coach Jon Andy Scott at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Brandon Farley, who now plays professional baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization, at Arkansas State University.

This year marks the third trip in a row to the postseason for Northeast and the sixth appearance in the past eight years. The Tigers finished as runner-up in the MACJC North Division with a 17-7 league record.

Northeast has won 20-plus games for the sixth time under the watch of Farris and is just three victories shy of claiming 30 wins for the fourth occasion.

Farris led the Tigers to the 2013 MACJC North Division championship with an 18-6 league record and 30-18 mark overall. It was the first division title in the sport of baseball at Northeast since 1992.

Farris recently became the second coach in program history to reach the 200-win plateau. He hit the mark with a 9-8 triumph over Pearl River Community College last weekend in the first round of the MACJC State Playoffs.