Two days later, ECCC comes out on top

By Marty Stamper/special to The Star

DECATUR — After watching her teammates fire blanks with runners in scoring position the previous two innings, Tiffany Thomas rifled a shot down the left-field line to plate Candace Griffin with the winning run as East Central Community College edged Meridian Community College 7-6 in Friday’s completion of Wednesday’s rain-suspended MACJC Central Division softball doubleheader.

ECCC improved to 11-3 in the division and 27-17 overall with the sweep.

Meridian fell to 8-5 and 19-21. Hinds is 10-4 in division play. The top two teams advance to the postseason.

MCC hosts Holmes in a noon tripleheader today, while ECCC hosts Hinds in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.

One win today would give ECCC the division championship.

“We’ve got to come with the same kind of intensity that we had in these two ballgames against Meridian,” said ECCC coach Scott Hill. “Hinds has already shown they’re capable of beating anybody. They’ve got a good offensive team and they’re going to play hard. We’ve got to keep the intensity up to come back and win a ballgame.”

If MCC and Hinds have identical division records, Hinds would advance to the playoffs due to a 3-1 advantage in head-to-head games.

“That’s basically it in a nutshell, but this group here dug a hole for themselves,” said MCC coach Robert Eakins. “They didn’t want to play all year until adversity got their back against the wall. They’ll take what they get.

“They have basically played when they felt like playing and then when they get their backs against the wall, they want to dig down deep, but it’s too late then. You’ve got to play up front.

“East Central has got a fine ballclub and they didn’t panic. They did the things that they had to do.”

ECCC took a 13-8 win in Wednesday’s opener before rain halted the second game with a 6-6 tie.

When play resumed Friday with ECCC batting in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Warriors got runners at second and third with one out, but Shanese Hunter got a pair of groundouts to keep the tie intact. The second out of the inning came when MCC shortstop Courtney Gordon fielded a grounder and gunned down Laura Smith at the plate.

ECCC threatened again in the sixth with runners at second and third with one out, but Hunter got a strikeout and a groundout to escape unscathed.

Griffin and Thomas made sure the seventh inning would be the final one.

Griffin led off with a single when her Texas Leaguer fell in left-center field between three Lady Eagles. After a pair of wild pitches on bunt attempts by Thomas, the sophomore catcher from Union lashed a single down the left-field line as Griffin came home with the game-winner.

“We were wanting her to push the runner over to third with less than two outs. I guess now we’re saying we’re glad she didn’t,” Hill said of the game-winning hit. “She bunted at a ball that was in the dirt, but the ball went to the backstop and we advanced anyway.

“With two strikes, she gets up there and drives one down the line. That was her second hit in the 2 1/2 innings we played today. That was a real satisfying hit because it was a hit against a very good Meridian team. They kept battling. We had our chances and they kept getting out of the inning. I was starting to get worried because we couldn’t push one across.”

Kady Chandler held the Lady Eagles at bay in relief to get the win. She retired all six batters she faced on Friday after setting down all six when she entered the circle on Wednesday.

MCC had a chance to put the Lady Warriors away on Wednesday, leading 6-1 with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the third inning.

Three straight ground balls produced no further damage.

ECCC then got a three-run homer from Whitnee White in the bottom of the third and pulled even with two runs in the fourth as Sondreia Hillie tripled in one run and scored on a throwing error on the play.

“We had a chance to break the game open when it was 6-1 and we went up to the plate not disciplined and gave them some added life and they took advantage of it,” Eakins said. “My hat’s off to EC.”

MCC Lady Eagle Softball in tight Playoff race

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagle softball team lost a 13-8 decision to ECCC on the road Wednesday. With the loss, MCC fell to 19-20 overall but still maintain a winning MACJC Central Div. record at 8-4. ECCC improved to 26-17, and 10-3 in division play. Hinds is also in the playoff chase with a 10-4 league mark.

MCC will travel to Pensacola Junior College for a double-header on Thursday before making up a contest with Holmes CC in a rare triple-header on Saturday, April 28 at Tommy McDonald Field in Meridian. Games are slated to start at noon on Saturday.

Eagles close regular season with split

By Robby Atkinson/special to The Star

The Meridian Community College Eagles closed the 2007 regular season in both a positive and negative way on Tuesday at Scaggs Field.

The Eagles allowed four late runs in game one of its doubleheader with conference rival East Mississippi to drop a 6-2 decision.

MCC rebounded in game two to take a 6-1 win and end the 2007 regular season with an overall record of 37-11.

Meridian will now advance to play in the 2007 MACJC State Tournament which will be held on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast. The tournament will be held May 3-6 and the final bracket will be complete for the tournament after the final conference games are completed this weekend. East Mississippi (19-29, 3-11) will finish out the regular season with a doubleheader at home against Hinds on Saturday. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at Scooba.

East Mississippi 6
Meridian 2

East Mississippi struck for four runs in the final two innings to take a four-run upset over Meridian in game one.

A.J. Freeman led the four-run rally for the Lions with a two-run single in the seventh and Jay Stoddard pitched a complete game for the Lions to push his record to 4-2.

"We are out of the playoffs and all we are playing for his pride," said East Mississippi head coach Tony Montgomery. "We beat a very good team. I was very happy with the effort in game one and it was nice to get such a huge win on the road."

The Lions cracked the scoreboard in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

A.J. Freeman led the game off with a single and later scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Ben Fleming to give EMCC the one-run lead. Meridian answered the run with a solo home run by Drew Snider in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1.

East Mississippi took the lead back from the Eagles in the third inning thanks to an RBI single by Billy Beard to make the score 2-1.

Meridian bounced right back in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2. Scott Mosley smashed a single thorugh the middle to tie the game after David Woods had reached on a single. The Lions would score one run in the sixth and three insurance runs in the seventh inning to take the game one win. D.D. Young had an RBI double in the sixth inning for EMCC and Freeman added the two-run single in the seventh for the Lions.

MCC 6
EMCC 1

The Eagles were able to strike back and take a five-run win in game two to earn the split over East Mississipi. Wade Weathers was the star of game two for Meridian by pitching six strong innings and collecting 13 strikeouts.

"He (Weathers) pitched a great game for us in the second game," said MCC head coach Chris Rose. "We were able to bounce back in the second game and earn the split, but the real season now begins with the postseason around the corner. We hit the ball a lot better in the second game and we have some things to work on before next weekend."

Meridian scored its first run of the game in ths first inning on an RBI single by Michael Guerrero to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. MCC continued to pour on the runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead over the Lions. Snider earned an RBI on a groundout which scored Toddrick Stevenson who reached base on a double earlier in the inning.

Matt Holliman also added an RBI double in the two-run inning for the Eagles.

The lone run of game two for EMCC came off the bat of Fleming who connected on a solo home run in the fourth inning to cut the score to 3-1. MCC added a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth inning to take the win over East Mississippi. Holliman drove one run in for Meridian on a sacrifice fly and Tyler Moore added a solo homer for MCC.

MCC Tennis Prepare for State/Region, Women Claim Runner-Up

The Meridian Community College men’s tennis team will host the 2007 NJCAA Region XXIII men's tennis tournament on Thursday thru Sunday, April 26-28. Play will begin on Thursday at 4:00, Friday from 8 am-6 pm, and Sat. from 8 am-3 pm.

“Our men’s team has played hard all year,” said MCC tennis coach, Wanda McPhail.
“We have a really good chance of repeating as MACJC State champions.”

MCC Women Claim State/Region Runner-Up

The MCC women’s tennis team came up short in their attempt to win a fifth-consecutive MACJC State/Region XXIII title last weekend in Tupelo. Itawamba Community College won the 2007 State/Region championship and MCC claimed Runner-Up while Mississippi Gulf Coast was awarded third place.

Meridian had a participant in the final match of every bracket besides one- the #2 doubles. MCC ended up with 29 total points, just 4 shy of eventual champion ICC’s 33.

MCC’s Sierra Woolery won the #1 singles bracket by defeating Mindy Morse of Co-Lin in the 2nd round, 6-0, 6-0; Molly Foster of Hinds in the 3rd round 6-0, 6-0; and Marja Djuvan of ICC in the finals 6-4, 6-4.

MCC’s Alycia LeMerle made it into the #2 singles bracket final by defeating Whitney Kyzar of Co-Lin in the 2nd round, 6-1, 6-1 and Whitney Miller of Pearl River in the 3rd round 6-0, 6-0. In the finals, LeMerle lost to Krystle Ozols of ICC 4-6, 1-6.

MCC’s Lane Deuex made it into the #3 singles bracket final by defeating Brittney Smithey of Pearl River in the 2nd round, 6-0, 6-0 and Abby Staples-Wells of Jones County in the 3rd round 6-1, 6-0. Deneux lost to Paula Sims of ICC in the finals 6-3, 4-6, 0-6.

MCC’s Leslie Bunn made it into the #4 singles bracket final by defeating Lisa Rittenhouse of Jones County in the 2nd round, 6-0, 6-0 and Iris Watson of Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 3rd round 7-5, 6-1. Bunn lost to Haley Huggins of ICC in the finals 2-6, 4-6.

MCC’s Jody Webb won the #5 singles bracket by defeating Samantha Coon of Southwest Mississippi in the 2nd round, 6-0, 6-0; Kelsey Roberts of Jones County in the 3rd round 6-1, 6-0; and Cathrene Simmons of ICC, 6-2, 7-6 (6).

MCC’s Molly Moon made it into the #6 singles bracket final by defeating Marissa Chafflin of Jones County in the 2nd round, 6-2, 6-3 and Cher Newman of Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 3rd round 6-2, 6-0. Moon lost to Farren young of ICC in the finals 4-6, 3-6.

In #1 doubles action MCC’s Woolery/LeMerle made it to the finals of the #1 doubles bracket by defeating Eckman/Roberts of Southwest Mississippi, 6-0, 6-0 and Benson/Sanford of Jones County 6-0, 6-0. Woolery/LeMerle lost 1-6, 0-6 to Djuran/Ozols of ICC in the finals.

In #2 doubles action MCC’s Denuex/Bunn made it to the 3rd round finals of the bracket by defeating Carrol/Moulder of Hinds, 6-0, 6-0. Denuex/Bunn were defeated by Sims/Huggins of ICC 2-6, 3-6 in the 3rd round.

In #3 doubles action MCC’s Moon/Webb won their bracket by defeating Zelaya/Zelaya of Pearl River 6-0, 6-0 in the 2nd round, McDill/Brown of East Central 7-5, 6-3 in the 3rd round; and Simons/Young of ICC 6-2, 7-5 in the finals.

Lou Hart heads MCC’s honorees into JUCO Sports Hall of Fame

WESSON — Nine-time state amateur women’s golf champion Lou Weddington Hart will head a trio of honorees representing Meridian Community College to be inducted into the Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame here tonight. The induction ceremonies will begin at 7 p.m. in the Billy Thames Center on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Joining Hart in MCC’s inaugural class in the Hall of Fame will be Ronald Murray of the Detroit Pistons and Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians, who played basketball and baseball at MCC, respectively. Both Murray and Lee are currently involved in their professional sport seasons, but Hart will be on hand to be personally inducted into the Hall.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of these three individuals,” said Dr. Scott Elliott, MCC president who will present Hart with a commemorative medallion at the banquet. “Of course, we cannot help but being especially proud of Lou Hart because she is a native of Meridian and excelled not only as a player for MCC, but also as a coach. Most important, I can’t think of anyone who has been associated with MCC sports through the years who better models the integrity, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit that we expect of our student-athletes.”

Hart played golf for Meridian Junior College in 1971-72 despite there being no intercollegiate program for women. In 1971, she represented MJC in what was to become the NCAA women’s intercollegiate golf national tournament. The next year, she played on Coach Jim Redgate’s MJC men’s team, a squad that won every tournament and dual match it entered. After graduating from MJC, where she also excelled academically, Hart went on to play two seasons for the Florida State women’s golf team.

After completing her college eligibility, Hart became the most prolific women’s amateur competitor of her time. Besides winning the state amateur title a then-record nine times, she recorded seven runner-up finishes. Hart then won the state senior amateur title twice (so far) and, to date, is the only player in Mississippi history to have captured both the women’s amateur championship title and the senior amateur crown. Hart has twice qualified for the championship flight of the USGA national senior amateur championships.

This summer she will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson, following in the footsteps of her legendary golfing father, Hunter George Weddington. They will become the only father-daughter duo in the history of the State Hall of Fame. Hart was also an inaugural inductee into the Meridian Community College Hall of Fame, joining Dr Bill Scaggs and Tommy Dulaney in that class.

Hart coached the MCC men’s golf team for 12 years, retiring in 2006. Her coaching record was just as impressive as her playing achievements. Hart’s Eagle teams won seven Region 23 championships, three MACJC state championships, and finished ranked in the top 10 nationally seven seasons. She coached 12 NJCAA All-Americans, eight regional medalists, and four NJCAA academic All-Americans. Her 1997 team finished as national runners-up.

“I am certainly humbled to have been selected for this honor,” Hart said. “I will always cherish my association with Meridian Community College, both as a student and an employee. I felt blessed as a coach at MCC to have worked with so many fine young men who represented the college well inside and outside the classroom. I hope I was able to have some positive influence in their lives.”

Murray, known as “Flip,” was a standout shooting guard for the Eagles in 1997-99. Murray led the 1999 team to the Region 23 title, averaging 20 points per game. Following his career at MCC, Murray matriculated to Shaw College in North Carolina, where he became the NCAA Division II national Player of the Year, leading Shaw to the Division II Final Four as a senior. His professional career has included stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Currently, he is competing in the NBA playoffs with the Pistons.

Cliff Lee pitched for the Eagles in 1997-98, helping MCC win the Region 23 and sectional titles in 1998 en route to the NJCAA College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. Known for his 90-plus mile per hour fastballs, Lee finished MCC with 283 strikeouts. He graduated from MCC in 1999 with a 3.14 grade point average, and then went on to pitch two years for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Southeastern Conference. After completing his college eligibility, Lee began his professional career in the Montreal Expos organization before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. Going into the current major league season, Lee owned a 49-28 record with 483 big league strike outs to his credit. Lee’s best year to date as a professional came in 2005 when he compiled an 18-5 record, leading all American League lefthanders in won-loss percentage and finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award balloting. He was the first Cleveland Indian to accomplish that feat since the legendary Bob Feller in 1951.

Each of the state’s 15 public community colleges will have up to three honorees inducted into the Hall of Fame, formulating the inaugural class.

Former MCC-er, Pope, homers for M-Braves

Former Meridian Community College baseball player Van Pope homered to back a strong outing by Jo-Jo Reyes as the Mississippi Braves beat Birmingham 2-1 today before an announced 2,715 at Trustmark Park.

The M-Braves (12-5) climbed ahead of the Barons (11-6) into first place in the Southern League's South Division.

For Pope, a former MCC standout, he belted his first HR in the fifth inning.

Reyes (1-0) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball. Joey Devine pitched the ninth for his second save.

The teams play again Monday night at 7:05 at the TeePee.

Solid pitching leads MCC to sweep over Holmes

By Ryan Satcher/special to The Star

Meridian Community College used solid pitching and timely hitting to stay hot with a pair of division wins over Holmes on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles scored four late runs to take a 7-5 win in the opener and used a strong pitching performance from Kedrick Martin to take the second game 6-3.

"He threw pretty well," said Meridian coach Chris Rose of Martin. "He didn't spot his fastball as well as he did against Hinds but he pitched well and Chase Porch came in and looked good. We struck out a lot of hitters today and pitched pretty well."

The Eagles trailed just once the entire afternoon and hit well enough to win each game.

"We got hits when we needed them," said Rose. "I'd like to get some hits when we don't need them, too. We have the postseason coming up and the adrenaline that comes with it. That's when we usually play our best ball. We have to go play well against East Mississippi on Tuesday and we'll go from there."

In the second game on Saturday, Martin went five innings and struck out seven batters while allowing just three hits and two runs.

The Eagles struck for three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take control of the game early.

Josh Demoney walked to open the inning and Matt Holliman followed with a double to give Meridian runners at second and third.

An error allowed Demoney to score to make the scored 1-0.

Toddrick Stevenson followed with an RBI single. A run then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-0.

Holmes limited the damage to just three runs by throwing out Stevenson at the plate when he tried to score from third on a fly ball.

Martin didn't allow a hit until the third inning when Holmes strung together its only three hits off the Meridian starter.

Chris Herron singled and Chance Cooper followed with a single to open the inning.

After a fielder's choice cut down Herron, Holmes pulled off a double steal to move runners to second and third with one out.

Keith Williams brought in the first run for the Bulldogs with a groundout and Joshua Boren followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.

The Eagles added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.

A bunt by Scott Mosley was originally called fair with one out in the inning but the call was overturned to send Mosley back to the plate.

The left-hander was unaffected by the reversal and ripped the very next pitch over the right field wall to give Meridian a 4-2 lead.

The Eagles got a double by Demoney and a pair of walks to load the bases but left them loaded on a fly out to center.

In the fifth inning, Drew Snider had his second single of the game for the Eagles to open the inning and Michael Guerrero followed with a two-run blast to stretch the lead to 6-2.

Holmes took advantage of a Meridian error in the sixth to score a run but Porch didn't allow a hit in his two innings of work to secure the 6-3 victory for the Eagles.

In the opener, Meridian scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a come-from-behind win over the Bulldogs.

The Eagles scored three runs in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead but trailed 4-3 going into the sixth inning.

Demoney had a clutch hit in the sixth as the Eagles scored four runs and held on for the victory.

Meridian will be back in action at home on Tuesday against East Mississippi Community College.

MCC Golfer, Petit, to ink with University of Louisiana Lafayette

Luling, LA native and Meridian Community College standout Dustin Petit, who gave a verbal commitment to University of Louisiana-Lafayette head golf coach Bob Bass last semester, will officially sign with the school on Friday, April 20 at 2:30 pm. Petit is the second MCC golfer this season to commit to a four year university. Justin Eaves signed with Troy University in December. Sixteen former Eagle golfers have now gone on to play colligate golf at the next level since the mid-1990’s.

In high school, Petit helped lead Hahnville (LA) High to the Class 5A state title at Beaver Creek in the spring of 2005 with a 73-73-146 score. But his bigger honors came in his first junior college season at Meridian, where he led his team to the 2006 MACJC state/Region XXIII title and an eight-under par team score.

Petit was the 2006 medalist in Region XXIII and the state tournament (66-69-135) and was named the Mississippi junior college Player of the Year. He followed that by leading Meridian to a third-place finish in the NJCAA national championship and was named to the national All-Tournament team. Last summer Petit made the cut at the prestigious Future Masters in Dothan, Ala. by firing rounds of 72-73.

Under new MCC head golf coach Sean Covich, Petit has continued to flourish, posting four rounds of even-par or better this season. During the 2006-07 season, he carried the teams second lowest tournament scoring average, was named to five All Tournament teams, was medalist-runner up three times, was a member of the MCC Golf All Academic team, and was named First Team All State and All Region. Petit’s MCC team recently captured the school’s third consecutive MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII Championship. Petit was the low MCC golfer at that event shooting 69-76 (145).

MHS Lady Wildcat Standout inks with MCC

04/20/2007

MERIDIAN, Miss. – The Meridian Community College women’s basketball coach Hilary Allen added another member of the 2007 incoming freshman class. Tiara Parker of Meridian High School has signed a national letter-of-intent to play at MCC.

Parker will play in front of the home crowd as she prepped at MHS. The left-handed shooting, 5-6 guard has had a fantastic high school career, having played in three straight State Tournaments in the highest division for Mississippi High School basketball. In 2004-05 Parker led the MHS Lady Wildcats to the MHSAA 5A Championship game in Jackson. Then again in 2005-06 she led MHS to the MHSAA 5A Championship game. In 2006 – 2007, she led MHS to the MHSAA 5A South State championship and back to the State Tournament.

Parker averaged 18.5 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and 4.1 steals per game during her senior year. She led her team to a 25 – 7 record during her senior season. She compiled an 85 – 18 record during the last three years of high school.

Most recently, Parker was named a Mississippi-Alabama Prep All Star and competed in the MS-AL All Star Game. She is also a member of the All South State Team.

Her brother, Tony Parker played basketball for the MCC men’s team.

Coach Allen is extremely pleased to add another Mississippi-Alabama All-Star to the squad. “Tiara has the speed to play in our up-tempo brand of basketball. She is fantastic shooter with a soft touch.”

MCC Golf Wins Third Straight State/Region Championship, Justin Eaves named Player of the Year

WESSON, Miss. – The Meridian Community College golf team continued their record
setting season by capturing the 8th and 9th victories of the 2006-07 season at this years MACJC State & NJCAA Region XXIII golf championships. The two-round event, which crowns both the state and region champion, was completed at the par-72, 6,745-yard Wolf Hollow Golf Course on Tuesday.

MCC shot a two day total of 593 (292-301) to claim the school’s third straight MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII championship. Hinds CC claimed team runner up honors with a two day total of 603 (300-303). First round leader Mississippi Gulf Coast CC finished third with a two day total of 612 (293-319). With the win, MCC will advance to the NJCAA Div. II men’s golf championship on May 22-25 in Scottsboro, AL.

“This has been our goal all season long, I’m just so proud of this team because they have represented MCC with class everywhere that they went.” said MCC head golf coach Sean Covich, who was named the 2007 NJCAA Region XXIII Golf Coach of the Year.

“It was also special to have Coach Lou Hart watching, she has done so much for the program and we wouldn’t be here without the hard work and love that she has put into this program.”

On the final day, MCC was led by sophomore Justin Eaves, who was given the MACJC “Hubert Tucker” Player of the Year award after the round. The Louisville, Miss., native cared a 1-under par 71 in the final round. The 2006 NJCAA All-American has carded a team best 10 rounds of even-par or better this season. After his 146 (75-71) two day total, Eaves was also named to his second career All Region XXIII Team.

Sophomore Dustin Petit, who was the defending 2006 MACJC Player of the Year, fired an opening round of 3-under par 69 to take the first round individual lead. He then cared a 4-over par 76 on day two to finish with a 1-over par two day total of 145. Petit was runner up to medalist Sonny Williams of Hinds who shot a 141 (70-71). With the finish, Petit was named the MACJC Runner-Up medalist, First Team All State and to the All Region XXIII Team.

Freshman Jarrod Lemaster followed up his opening round or 2-under par 70 with a 5 over par 77 claimed a top-five finish in fourth. Lemaster was named Second Team All State and to the All Region XXIII Team.

Bryant Self continued his steady play with a two day total of 156 (78-78), while
freshman Joshua Ivy also shot 156 (79-77).

Considered one of the more successful sophomore classes in MCC golf history, the 2005-2007 players have combined for 15 tournament victories in their time. The sophomore class has also captured two MACJC State & NJCAA Region XXIII championships, had two separate players named MACJC Player of the Year, and all five starters from last seasons NJCAA national championship 3rd place team signed with four-year universities.

“It certainly has been a successful season, I couldn’t have asked more out of these players on or off the golf course,” added Covich.

“I am proud to have them represent MCC at the national championship.”

Petit Leads Eagles To 2nd After Round One Of State/Region

04/16/2007

WESSON, Miss – After opening the 2007 MACJC/Region XXIII golf championships with a round of 292, Meridian Community College’s golf team finds themselves just one shot off the lead heading into the final round of competition at the par-72, 6,745-yard Wolf Hollow Golf Club. Mississippi Gulf Coast has the 18-hole clubhouse lead at 3-over par, 291. MCC is in 2nd with a 4-over par 292, while Hinds is in 3rd with 300.

Sophomore Dustin Petit carded MCC’s low round of the day with an opening-round 3-under par 69. The Luling, La-product is the defending MACJC/Region XXIII medalist.

Freshman Jarrod Lemaster added MCC’s second under par round on the day, firing a 2-under par 70. Sophomore Justin Eaves shot a round of 3-over par 75. Freshmen Bryant Self and Joshua Ivy finished up with 78 and 79 respectively.

“At one point it looked like we were going to post something real low, but on the last few holes of the back nine we seemed to throw away shots which hurt our score,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“But I like where we are- just one shot back, the guys are ready to get after it tomorrow.”

Individually, MCC’s Petit is in first place with a 69, while Hind’s Sonny Williams and MCC’s Lemaster are in a tie for 2nd with a 70.

Final round of the 36-hole event will get underway Tuesday morning at 8:00 am.

MCC Scores
Dustin Petit-69 (-3)
Jarrod Lemaster- 70 (-2)
Justin Eaves- 75 (+3)
Bryant Self -78 (+6)
Joshua Ivy- 79 (+7)

Gordon's home runs lift Lady Eagles over EMCC

By Rocky Higginbotham/sports editor

Courtney Gordon continues to add to her school record for home runs, and the Meridian Community College Lady Eagles continue to impress in MACJC Central Division play.

Gordon smacked three homers in a doubleheader sweep of rival East Mississippi on Friday afternoon, as MCC won 10-5 and 10-2 over the Lady Lions at Tommy McDonald Field at Highland Park.

The wins lifted Meridian to 18-16 overall and 7-2 in division play. The contests were originally slated for today, but moved to Friday in anticipation of severe weather.

In the opener, EMCC was up 5-4 after scoring twice in the top of the sixth inning — but a grand slam by Terra Moore sparked a six-run rally by MCC.

"That inning was a big inning for us," MCC coach Robert Eakins said. "It kind of set the tone for the rest of the afternoon."

Moore finished 2-for-4 while Gordon was 2-for-3 with her 11th and 12th home runs of the season.

De'Miracle Biggs, Whitney Drachenberg and Carsheena Blanks all had two hits for MCC, while Gabrielle Morgan was the winning pitcher. Morgan scattered nine hits in a complete-game effort and walked only one.

Amechia Hickmon was 2-for-4 with a double and Ashley Clark had a pair of doubles for EMCC, while Nicole Lanthier was the losing pitcher.

In the second game, Gordon was 3-for-4 and extended her own school record with her 13th home run of the season to help MCC to an easy win.

Meridian out-hit East Mississippi 16-7 in the nightcap. Moore was 3-for-4 with a double, Biggs was 3-for-5, Jennifer Bristow was 2-for-2 and Blanks also had two hits.

Dee Sowell was the winning pitcher, giving up just the two runs in six innings as MCC won for the eighth time in its last 10 games.

"We played well," Eakins said. "Have to compliment pitchers for a great job today.

"Gabby kept us in the ball game which is all we ask for her to do ... we played a little relaxed before we got our focus."

MCC is at Bevill-Sumiton Tuesday.

EMCC, meanwhile, got a 3-for-3 performance from Kristie Owens in the second game while Hickman was 2-for-3. Jorga Edmonds was the losing pitcher.

The Lady Lions are scheduled to go to Southwest, Tenn. Monday.

MCC Golf set to play at State/Regional Championship

WESSON, Miss. – The Meridian Community College golf team will close out its regular season slate this week by competing in the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII golf championships. The two-round event, which crowns both the state and region champion, will be held at the par-72, 6,745-yard Wolf Hollow Golf Course in Wesson, Miss., on Monday-Tuesday, April 16-17.

MCC will compete this week with the same lineup as the past three tournaments. Leading the charge is sophomore Justin Eaves, who is coming off career best consecutive rounds of 70-70-75-69-72. The Louisville, Miss., native currently leads the MACJC Player of the Year race with a 73 stroke average in eight conference rounds this year. The 2006 NJCAA All-American has carded a team best 9 rounds of even-par or better this season and is heading to Troy University in the fall to play golf.

Sophomore Dustin Petit will also be playing NCAA Div. I golf next season, at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Petit, who is the defending MACJC Player of the Year, is currently second in the points standings behind Eaves with a 74.2 stroke average.

Freshman Bryant Self, who is currently tied for a team high five All Tournament team honors, has cared three rounds of even-par or better in his first season. Rounding out the lineup for MCC will be freshmen Joshua Ivy and Jarrod Lemaster. Both Ivy and Lemaster have claimed overall medalist titles at two events this season.

The MCC golf team set a school record for most wins in a season this year under the direction of rookie head coach Sean Covich. The Eagles notched victory number seven last week at the JCJC Invitational. The Eagles look to add to that total as they defend their back-to-back MACJC/Region XXIII titles.

"This is our final event of the regular season with a chance to go to the national championship," said Covich.

"It’s what you play for all year long. We’ve had a great season thus far, but this one means a lot. Coach Lou Hart had a knack for winning this thing and we hope to carry on that tradition for her."

Last season, the Eagles, led by hall of fame coach Lou Hart, shot a state record 560 (276-284) en route to their fifth NJCAA Region XXIII title in six seasons. Petit was medalist with rounds of 66-69 and was named the 2006 Player of the Year. The Eagles went on the claim third in the 2006 NJCAA national championship.

Winner of this year’s NJCAA Region XXIII Championship will advance to play May 22-25 in the 2007 NJCAA Div II men’s golf championship at Goose Pond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, Ala.

Katy Shoptaugh Joins MCC's Women Tennis Squad

04/13/2007

MERIDIAN , Miss. – Meridian Community College tennis head coach Wanda McPhail has announced the signing of Katy Shoptaugh to the MCC Lady Eagles tennis program.

"We are really excited to have Katy join us this upcoming season," said McPhail. “She comes in with plenty of experience and comes from a great tennis family."

Shoptaugh comes to MCC by way of Baton Rouge, La., set to graduate this May from Redemptorist High School. While a member of the tennis squad in high school, she also ran on the RHS cross country team.

Shoptaugh had an outstanding junior season in high school in which she was named All Metro for the Baton Rouge area in girl’s singles and was named the MVP of her high school tennis team. In 2006 she was Regional Runner-up at the 3-A Regional Tournament in girl’s singles and was a State Quarterfinalist in the 3-A State Tournament in girl’s singles.

In 2005 she was a State Qualifier and was named Most Improved for her cross country team.

Shoptuaugh has attended the LSU Tiger Tennis Camp, Steve Carter Lion Tennis Camp and the YMCA Total Tennis Camps for the past five seasons. She comes from a tradition-rich tennis family. Her uncle was an All American for LSU while currently her cousin is a standout on the tennis team for Centenary College.

She is the daughter of David and Beth Shoptaugh. She plans to pursue a degree in dental hygiene.

MCC Softball Games Rescheduled

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagle softball team had a showdown scheduled with rival-East Mississippi CC for Saturday. That game has now been rescheduled due to predicted heavy rains on Saturday. Both schools have agreed to move the game up one day. The doubleheader will take place Friday, April 13. Game one slated to start at 3:00 pm and game two at 5:00 pm. The games will be played in Meridian at Tommy McDonald Field.

MCC swept EMCC back on March 20 in Scooba. The Lady Eagles won game one 5-4 over homestanding EMCC then rolled to a 14-1 win in the second game.

The Lady Eagles are coming off a victory against Holmes CC on Tuesday, with the win MCC is now 16-16 overall and 5-2 in division play.

MCC Tennis Prepares for State/Regional

Meridian Community College's tennis team is experiencing yet another outstanding season on the courts. Head coach Wanda McPhail will wrap up the regular season with trips to the MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII championships in the next few weeks.

The Lady Eagles tennis squad, four-time defending MACJC/Region XXIII champions, will play their women’s tournament on April 19-21 in Tupelo. Meanwhile, the men’s team will compete in a few more matches before concluding their regular season at the MACJC/Region XXIII men’s tennis championship on April 26-28 in Meridian. The men’s team has won the region three times and the state title two out of the last three years.

MCC Softball Ripps Holmes

By Rocky Higginbotham / sports editor
The Meridian Star

The Lady Eagles ripped Holmes in a central division contest before the second game of their scheduled twinbill on Tuesday was rained out.

MCC and Holmes will play a tripleheader on April 28 at Meridian if the game to be made up matters in the postseason picture.

Tuesday, MCC fell behind 2-1 in the first inning but scored five times each in the second and third frames to take control.

Courtney Gordon was 4 for 4 with her 10th home run of the season- extending her own personal school record for homers in a single season- and she drove in five runs.

Terra Moore was 3 for 3 for Meridian while Whitney Drachenburg was 2 for 3 with a three-run homer and four RBIs. D’miracle Biggs had two hits and four RBIs, Gabrielle Morgan was 2 for 3 with a double and Lindsay Hitt also had two hits.

MCC is now 16-16 overall and 5-2 in division play and will host East Mississippi Saturday afternoon.

MCC Baseball

Meridian Community College's baseball doubleheader with Pearl River on Tuesday is postponed until Thursday. The Eagles will now host the Wildcats in a twinbill Thursday at 4 p.m.

MCC Golf Wins at JCJC, Sets School Record

(HATTIESBURG, Miss)- The Meridian Community College golf team set a new school record with most wins in a season by capturing their seventh tournament victory at the Jones County Invitational in Hattiesburg, MS on Tuesday.

The Eagles battled cold temperatures and heavy rains on their way to shooting a tournament low 300 team score. Hinds claimed second with a 302 and MS Gulf Coast was in third with a 314.

“Obviously I am excited to win tournaments,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich.

“But more importantly, this team has conducted themselves like champions on and off the golf course. Plus they have set a high standard in the classroom. That is what makes me proud.”

Leading the way for MCC was sophomore Justin Eaves. Eaves shot even-par 72 and was named to the All Tournament team. The round was Eaves’ ninth tournament score of even-par or better this season. Eaves currently leads all Mississippi Juco golfers in the Player of the Year standings.

Fellow sophomore Dustin Petit continued his steady play with a 3-over par 75. Petit has now carded 14 rounds at 75 or better this season. Freshman Joshua Ivy shot a 4-over par 76 while freshman Jarrod Lemaster closed out the MCC team scorecard with a 5-over par 77.

Freshman Bryant Self shot 83 while Zach Rushing, competing as an individual, shot 84.

The tournament was held at the 6,862 yard, par 72 Pine Belt National Golf Club.

MCC will be back in action at the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII golf championship on April 16-17 at Wolf Hollow Golf Club. The Eagles will try to claim their third consecutive State/Region title. Winner of the championship will advance to the 2007 NJCAA Div II men’s golf national championship in late May.

Eagle Tennis Dominates ECCC

The MCC tennis Eagles improved to 14-2 with a 9-0 blanking of the ECCC Warriors.

In singles action, Scott McNamara won 6-1, 6-1 over James Harris, while Nicolas Zabrodiec won 6-0, 6-1 over John Harris.

MCC's Mickey Renfroe won 6-0, 6-0 over Wade Brown; Blake Sherman won 6-0, 6-0 over Autstin Scoggin; Joseph Meek won 6-1, 6-3 over Matthew Wilkerson; Scott Truesdale won 6-1, 6-0 over Josh Moore; Justin Newman won 6-0, 6-3 over Noah Cook, and Daniel Russell won 6-2, 6-0 over Joseph Cieglo.

In doubles action, Meridian's McNamara and Refroe were 8-3 winners over Harris and Harris; Zabrodiec and Meek won 8-3 over Brown and Cook; and Truesdale and Sherman won 8-0 over Wilkerson and Cieglo.

The Lady Eagles had no trouble with the Lady Warriors, improving to 14-3 on the spring season.

MCC's top three sinlges players won including Sierra Woolery, Alycia Merie, and Lane Denuex.

Leslie Bunn, Jodi Webb and Molly Moon all won also for MCC.

The Lady Eagles all won their double's matches also.

MCC bats heat up to take second game of twinbill

By Robby Atkinson/special to The Star

The Meridian Community College Eagles had an up and down type of day on Tuesday against Shelton State at Scaggs Field.

The Eagles surrendered seven runs in the final inning of play in game one to take a 12-6 loss and rebounded in game two to explode for nine hits in a 13-1 win to take a doubleheader split with the Buccaneers in local junior college baseball action.

"We made a lot of mistakes in the first game," said MCC head coach Chris Rose. "We made a couple of errors late in the game that cost us, but I was happy to see us bounce back and take game two."

Meridian moved its record to 29-7 overall for the season and will return to action Friday as the Eagles travel to take on Wallace-Hanceville in a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.


MCC 13
Shelton 1

MCC used a pair of home runs and a solid pitching performance from freshman Chase Porch to take the game two win. Porch tossed five innings and collected four strikeouts. Porch allowed only one run and one hit in the victory.

"He (Porch) did an outstanding job of pitching in game two," said Rose. "He got off to a great start and we were able to get some early runs that gave him a ton of confidence."

The Eagles did indeed get some early runs for its young pitcher as Tyler Moore connected on his 11th home run of the season which plated three runs to give Meridian a 3-0 lead after the first inning. The Eagles continued the offensive show as MCC added four more runs in the second inning to take a 7-0 lead over Shelton. Jarrod Parks had an RBI single in the four-run inning for Meridian and Dirk Welch added a double in the second for MCC.

The Eagles added another run in the fourth inning to take an 8-0 lead over the Buccaneers. Drew Snider led the inning off with a triple and later scored on a wild pitch to give Meridian the eight run lead.

Shelton State (26-12) scored its only run of the game thanks to a double by Russ Tibbs. Meridian scored four more times to take the run rule win over Shelton. Parks highlighted the inning with a walk off three run home run to propel the Eagles to the win.


Shelton 12
MCC 6

Shelton State scored seven runs in the seventh inning to take the comeback win in game one over Meridian. The Eagles carried a 6-5 lead into the final inning, but Meridian was plagued by walks and errors that led to the seven run win for Shelton State.

Shelton State opened the game by scoring to quick runs to take a 2-0 lead. Robert Israel connected on a two-run home run to left field to give the Buccaneers the early two-run edge. The Eagles answered with a run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. Michael Guerrero reached base on a double and later scored on a single by

Moore to get the Eagles on the board.

Shelton extended its lead in the third inning with an RBI single by Israel to make the score 3-1. Meridian tied the game in the bottom of the third with a pair runs thanks to great hitting from the top of the Eagle lineup. Matt Holliman drove in the first run on a double and

Guerrero followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.

Shelton State answered with a run in the top of the fourth on an error by the Meridian infield, but the Eagles came right back to take the lead with a pair of runs in the same inning to make the score 5-4.

David Woods and Snider each had an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Meridian the slim one -run lead.

Both teams each scored in the sixth inning to make the score 6-5, but Shelton took advantage of a big seventh inning that led to the six run win. Meridian pitching surrendered seven runs in the final inning on three walks and two costly errors.

MCC Golf Wins at Mallard Pointe

04/03/2007

SARDIS, Miss. – The Meridian Community College golf team tied a school record by winning their sixth tournament of the 2006-07 season with a victory at the Northwest/Itawamba Invitational on Tuesday with a final round score of even-par, 288. The score posted by the squad is a spring-season best. MCC fired a 296 on day one for a 584 two day total and a 19 stroke victory on the 7,001 yard, par 72, Mallard Pointe Golf Course. Host-Northwest Miss. CC claimed second with a score 603 (303-300).

Sophomore Justin Eaves led MCC on the final day with a 3-under par 69. The Troy University signee shot 75 on day one for an even-par two day score of 144. Eaves has now carded eight rounds of even-par or better this season. The 2006 NJCAA All-American finished runner-up medalist and was named to his ninth career All Tournament team.

Freshman Bryant Self also cared his third sub-par round of the season with a 1-under, 71. Self shot 74 on day one and finished with a 145, 1-over par 36-hole total. Self was named to the All Tournament team, his fifth of the season.

Sophomore Dustin Petit posted an even-par 72 to go along with an opening 74 to shot 146. Petit, a future UL-Lafayette golfer, was also named to the All Tournament team, his 13th career ATT honor.

Freshmen Joshua Ivy and Jarrod Lemaster continued their steady play. Ivy closed out the event with a 151 (73-78) while Lemaster shot 152 (76-76). Michael Burton, a freshman, played as an individual for MCC and shot 82-82.

“I couldn’t ask more out of those two sophomores (Dustin & Justin),” said MCC golf coach Sean Covich.

“They really showed a lot of desire and competitiveness out there, and the freshmen have added some consistency and depth to this squad.”

Hinds’ Sonny Williams took home medalist honors, winning with a score of 2-under par142 (69-73).

The Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday, April 10, taking part in the Jones Co. Jr. College Invitational held in Hattiesburg before concluding the regular season with the MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII Championship on April 16-17.

Eagle Golf in 1st after round one at Mallard Pointe

04/02/2007

SARDIS, Miss. – Meridian Community College’s golf team posted a 296 team score on day one of the Northwest MS/Itawamba Invitational at the par 72, 7,004 yard Mallard Pointe Golf Course and is in first place on the clubhouse leader-board heading into Tuesday’s final round.

The Eagles were the lone team out of eight teams to conclude 18 holes at a team score of 300 or better.

Hinds CC holds on to second place with a 306 team score.

MCC freshman Joshua Ivy led the Eagles with a 1-over par, 73.

Sophomore Dustin Petit and freshman Bryant Self turned in rounds of 2-over-par 74 to pace MCC.

Sophomore Justin Eaves shot a 3-over par 75, while freshman Jarrod Lemaster shot a 4-over-par 76. Michael Burton, competing as an individual for the Eagles, shot an 82.

“It was a solid team score on a tough course,” said MCC head coach Sean Covich. “Especially considering that fact that a few of the guys have never seen the course before.”

Hinds’ Sonny Williams leads all competitors with a 3-under par 69 while NE Mississippi’s Chase Williams shot a 1-under-par 71.

The final round will get underway Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. CST.

Pitching leads MCC past Lions

Game 1
MCC 4
EMCC 1

Game 2
MCC 5
EMCC 0

MCC used strong pitching and took advantage of its opportuinities to continue its roll with a pair of baseball wins over East Mississippi at Gerald Poole Field.

Meridian took the opener 4-1 and then completed the sweep with a 5-0 win to improve to 28-6 overall and 8-0 in division play.

Lee Swindle and Kendrick Martin each went complete games and allowed just nine total hits for the day to lead the Eagles.

"They pitched really well," said MCC head coach Chris Rose.

"Both went complete games and they allowed only one run. They went after hitters and pitched aggressively."

MCC ladies win three in CACC tourney

By Rocky Higginbotham/sports editor

The Meridian Community College softball team won three-of-four contests Friday in the Central Alabama Tournament in Alexander City, Ala.

The Lady Eagles, who are now 13-15 on the season, won 11-5 over Gadsden (Ala.) State, 9-1 over Southern Union and 11-0 over Northwest Shoals. Host Central Alabama handed MCC its only loss with a 10-3 setback.

MCC hits the field again today in the CACC tourney, with its first contest at noon.

Meridian 11
Gadsden State 5

The Lady Eagles scored four times in the top of the third inning and never trailed again.

Terra Moore was 3-for-4 with a double and DeMiracle Biggs was 3-for-5 with a double to lead MCC. Gabrielle Morgan, Jennifer Bristow, Brandi Banks and Ebonee Ball all had two hits.

Dee Sowell (3-2) was the winning pitcher, allowing five runs in a complete-game effort.

Meridian 9
Southern Union 1

Morgan scattered five hits and gave up just one run to get the win and improve to 6-5 on the season.

She was also 2-for-2 at the plate, while Ball was 2-for-3 and Moore 2-for-4 for MCC. Courtney Gordon added a double.

MCC scored four times in the second to take control and out-hit Southern Union 9-5.

Meridian 11
NW Shoals 0

Freshman Shanese Hunter tossed a three-hit shutout in five innings of work to help MCC get past Northwest Shoals. Hunter is now 4-7.

Meridian scored twice in the first inning, three times in the second and six times in the third.

Gordon was 3-for-3 with a double while Morgan was 2-for-2 for MCC, which had 11 hits.

Central Alabama 10
Meridian 3

Gordon socked her ninth home run of the season, but it wasn't enough to lift the Lady Eagles past the host team. She finished 2-for-3, while Bristow was 2-for-4.

Sowell (3-3) was the losing pitcher, as she was touched for 13 hits in seven innings. She allowed just one walk.