Gulf Coast heads to MGM Park Saturday

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast returns to MGM Park for its first Saturday afternoon doubleheader, but there will be one recurring theme.

For the third time in four home series, the Bulldogs (6-2) will be playing a team making its season debut. This time, Kaskaskia College, from Centralia, Illinois, an hour east of St. Louis, opens its season at the home of the Biloxi Shuckers.

"It's another Division I team," Gulf Coast coach Rodney Batts said. "They're good and they're going to be a challenge for us. They were one game away from the World Series last year."

First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tickets for this and all Gulf Coast games can be purchased at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/MGMtix.

Kaskaskia lost in the finals of the NJCAA Northern District tournament last year. The Blue Devils finished 33-14 and have a lot of talent returning.

Batts was coach at Delta State when Marcus Wilson, the Kaskaskia pitching coach, played in Cleveland. Wilson's staff will provide an important test for the Bulldogs.

"I told our team yesterday, offensively for our hitters it's going to be the biggest challenge we've had so far," Batts said. "It's going to be the best pitching staff we've faced. That's what we need.  We need to be challenged, and we're certainly going to get that this weekend."

Second baseman Marcus Buckley leads Gulf Coast batting .400. First baseman Michael Shubert has 11 RBI to top the Bulldogs.

Irby Dossett is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched.