Eagles head to District

If anyone has an advantage heading into this weekend’s NJCAA South Central District Baseball Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., it would appear to be Metropolitan Community College’s Maple Woods team — which will get to play on its home field.

After all, trying to judge the trio of teams by their won-loss records won’t get you anywhere.

“Their records are almost identical to ours and they’ve both played very good competition throughout the year,” Meridian Community College coach Chris Rose said of Maple Woods and Seminole (Okla.) State — the two teams his Eagles face in the two-day tourney which will decide who goes to the Juco World Series.

Maple Woods, the Region 16 champ, comes in with a 38-17 overall record — just one game better than both Meridian and Region 2 champ Seminole, who are each 37-17.

The Eagles will face a schedule in the three-team, double-elimination tournament in Kansas City similar to the one they went through when they won the Region 23 championship in New Orleans a week ago.

“It’s the exact same tournament format we were in during the regionals ... and we’re seeded in the same part of the bracket, so we play the first and third games on the first day.”

MCC, which left shortly after midnight this morning, will practice from 3-5 p.m. today in Kansas City.

Friday, the Eagles will take the field at 10 a.m. against the host Monarchs. Seminole faces Maple Woods at 1 p.m., and Meridian goes up against Seminole at 4 p.m.

The tournament wraps up Saturday, with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Division 1 Junior College World Series May 23-30 in Grand Junction, Colo.