Bulldogs gear up for rugged Region 23 Tourney

PERKINSTON — The strength of the field at the NJCAA Region 23 Softball Championship is something to behold. Half the 10-team field is in the NJCAA Division II Softball Top 20, and two others are in the next five teams receiving votes. 

The entire field is in the top 20 D-II teams in the Massey Ratings, a computer ranking used by the region to help seed the tournament. The tournament starts Tuesday, with Mississippi Gulf Coast playing East Central in the second-and-last game of the first day in Ellisville. It's scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

"It's tough, 1 through 10," Gulf Coast coach David Kuhn said. "It's unbelievable. It's crazy that East Central is the 10^th seed. It's crazy we're seventh. I feel like anybody can beat anybody. It's going to be tough."

Single-day passes for the tournament, which concludes Sunday, cost $10, or a six-day tournament pass costs $50. It will be cash-only at the gate, or you can purchase using a credit card online at http://jcbobcats.com/tickets. All games will be streamed at http://jcjc.tv.

Gulf Coast (36-18), which has won 13 of its last 16 games, swept East Central (29-22) at Perk in early April, the third and fourth games of that stretch. The Bulldogs won the opener 11-6 powered by a grand slam by Kamryn LaFosse (Fr., Lake Charles, La./Sam Houston), then rallied with three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh for a 6-5 victory. Olivia Plummer (So., Gulfport/Gulfport) delivered a walk-off infield single to provide the winning margin.

"They've got a very good team, and they're very explosive offensively," Kuhn said. "We were very fortunate to come back and beat them in Game 2. They're dangerous, well-coached with good players. It's going to be a tough task."

Playing in a 10-team, double-elimination tournament means lots and lots of games. There will be 18 or 19 required to crown a champion when all is said and done Sunday.

It's critical to stay in the winners' bracket as long as possible, and Gulf Coast will be one of the four teams having to play that extra Tuesday game.

"We have a chance the way we've been playing the last three or four weeks," Kuhn said. "We've been swinging the bats well, pitching well. If we continue to play like we have, I like our chances to keep going day by day."

NJCAA Region 23 Softball Championship

May 9-14

Ellisville

Tuesday, May 9

Game 1: No. 8 Itawamba (29-16) vs. No. 9 Holmes (27-19), 4 p.m.

Game 2: No. 7 Gulf Coast (36-18) vs. No. 10 East Central (29-22), 6:30 p.m

Wednesday, May 10

Game 3: No. 4 LSU Eunice (39-18) vs. No. 5 Northwest Mississippi (31-9), 11 a.m.

Game 4: No. 3 Pearl River (40-11) vs. No. 6 Northeast (41-11), 1:30 p.m.

Game 5: No. 1 Jones (43-6) vs. Itawamba-Holmes winner, 4 p.m.

Game 6: No. 2 Copiah-Lincoln (38-8) vs. Gulf Coast-East Central winner, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 11

Game 7: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 5, 11 a.m.

Game 8: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 6, 1:30 p.m.

Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 3, 4 p.m.

Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 4, 6:30 p.m

Friday, May 12

Game 11: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 a.m.

Game 12: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 12, 1:30 p.m.

Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 11, 4 p.m.

Game 14: Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 12, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 13

Game 15: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 1:30 p.m.

Game 16: Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 13, 4 p.m.

Game 17: Winner Game 16 vs. Loser Game 15, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 14

Game 18: Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 17, 2 p.m.

Game 19: Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 17, if necessary

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.