No. 2 Bengals aim to defend Region title

ELLISVILLE, Miss. – After 62 regular season games, it all comes down to this.
The top two teams in the country are the two top teams in the Region 23 baseball tournament set to begin today in Ellisville, Miss.
“This is what you prepare all season for,” head coach Jeff Willis said. “We are playing the best baseball we have played all year.
“Our guys have confidence and are ready to play.”
Top-ranked Jones County Junior College (43-9) and second-ranked LSU Eunice (41-11) will join Hinds Community College (32-18) and East Central Mississippi Community College (32-13) in the regional tournament.
The Bengals head into Ellisville as the two-time defending Region 23 Tournament champions.
LSU Eunice will take on Hinds Community College in their opening round game at 2 p.m. today in the opening game of the tournament.
Jones County (43-9, No. 1 in the country) will meet East Central (23-27) in the other opening round game at 6 p.m.
On Friday, the two losers of Thursday’s games will square off at 2 p.m. (Game 3), followed by the winners in a 6 p.m. game.
The loser of Game 3 meets the winner of Game 4 at 2 p.m. in an elimination contest Saturday afternoon.
The championship game is slated for a 6 p.m. start on Saturday night, while the if necessary game would take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“East Central won the Mississippi state championship last year and they are getting hot at the right time,” Willis said. “Jones County has had a tremendous season.
“Hinds split six games with Jones and they are a very capable team as well.”
The last time the Bengals squared off with any of the three regional teams was back during the 2012 Region 23 Championship game, when they defeated Hinds 17-0 on their way to winning the NJCAA national championship.
“When you get into the playoffs, every body is handing on to every pitch,” Willis said. “It could come down to a key play or two each game.
“It is important not to lose two games or our season is over.”
LSUE rolled through the regional tournament last year with wins over Pearl River (7-3, 5-0) and Northwest Mississippi (8-0).
The Bengals advanced to the 2013 NJCAA Division II title game before falling 4-3 to Murray State College.
“They know what is at stake,” Willis said of the possible world series berth . “We just need to go out and play the game like they are capable of playing.
“I think they are going to do that.”