something special

It doesn’t have a nickname, and the winner doesn’t take home a trophy. It’s not a conference game and likely won’t have any bearing on the postseason hopes of either team. But Delta State-William Carey does have a lot going for it. Tonight’s meeting is the third in the series of senior college games at Biloxi’s MGM Park, home of the Double-A Shuckers. (Jackson State beat Southern University in the first on March 1, and Southern Miss lost to South Alabama in the second on March 2. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is also playing its home games at the Biloxi ballpark completed just last summer.) DSU, an NCAA Division II school, and Carey, an NAIA member, have played 116 times before, with the Statesmen leading 73-43. Tonight’s game is a matchup of highly successful and long-tenured coaches, Mike Kinnison at DSU and Bobby Halford at Carey, who have over 1,800 wins between them. And both appear to have good teams again in 2016. The Statesmen are 11-7, sparked to this point by a stable of sluggers. DSU is batting .357 as a team, topped by Will Robertson at .449. Ben Pickard has hit six homers, Colton Welch and Trent Giambroni five each. Outside of Tre Hobbs, who is 5-0, the pitching has been inconsistent (4.60 staff ERA), though Dalton Moats did get Gulf South Conference pitcher of the week honors after tossing a shutout last weekend. Carey is 15-5 with nine straight wins. Leading the Crusaders’ attack are Southern States Athletic Conference hitter of the week Tyler Odom (.439, two homers, 21 RBIs, 15 runs) and Tyler James (.414, 18 runs, 16 steals). WCU pitchers have compiled a 2.62 ERA. Bottom line on this game: Whenever DSU and Carey meet, it’s a matchup of the only two four-year schools in the state that have won baseball national titles.