Bulldogs ready for national stage

OXFORD, Ala. — Mississippi Gulf Coast has fought through a long, tiring and unusual season to reach the ultimate road trip this week.

The Bulldogs will play in the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship here starting Tuesday. One of the team's strengths seems certain to be on display here. It's a competitive group that focuses that drive in positive directions.

"I really like that about this team," Gulf Coast coach Kenneth Long said. "They are an emotional team, and you have to play this game with emotion. That's what makes this team good."

The Bulldogs, who are seeded seventh in the field, have been behind big in games and rallied, and bounced back from blowing leads to win others. The list of comebacks is lengthy, and they'll be on the national stage starting with the opening game against 10^th-seeded Triton (53-8). The team are scheduled to play at 6 Tuesday night.

"We saw their record is real good and looked at their stats," Long said. "They've got a real good pitcher, so we'll have to play good to beat them."

The tournament is being played at Choccolocco Park, and the outfield dimensions are larger than the Bulldogs are accustomed to seeing in the MACCC. The fences at Ross-Smith Field, for instance, are 205 feet from home plate.

At Oxford, it's more like 225 feet. That may shave off some of the home runs teams are accustomed to blasting, but that extra acreage gives the speedy trio of Gulf Coast outfielders more room to track down fly balls.

From left field to right, Caroline Moore (So., Maryville, Tenn./Maryville), Alexis Laughlin (So., Hurley/East Central) and Sarah Brannan (So., Enterprise/Enterprise) have taken away a lot of base hits this year with a combination of speed, athleticism and sure hands.

That trio, along with shortstop Rakeya Travis (So., Poplarville/Poplarville) and third baseman Kristian Jones (Fr., Southaven/DeSoto Central), can put pressure on opposing defenses if they get balls into the gaps. There will be more room for the balls to roll and the baserunners to churn.

There are daily passes for $12 with a tournament pass for $35. Children 12 and under are free, and parking is $5.

All games will be streamed exclusively on the NJCAA Network at http://njcaa.org/network. Day passes cost $10, with a tournament pass available for $25. The championship game will be streamed for $5.

Long has stressed to his team that they've played good enough to get this far, which is good enough to win games this week. There are some pre-tournament festivities Monday night, including a cookout and a home run derby, but the team needs to play relaxed like they have all year.

"We have talked about it some.," Long said. "We told them how it goes with when we first get there, how many people will be there and how much excitement there will be there."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.