juco jottings
East Mississippi Community College finally stubbed its toe, and we now have a tie at the top of the MACJC standings as the 28-game schedule hits the halfway point for many of the 15 schools. The Lions moved to 11-0 in league play with a 9-7 win over visiting Meridian on Tuesday but fell short in Game 2 of the doubleheader, losing 8-7. Hinds (24-1 overall, 11-1 MACJC) caught EMCC by taking a pair from Pearl River in Poplarville. The Eagles’ Chase Lunceford had a three-homer game in the opener. Looking ahead, Hinds and EMCC will tangle on April 11 in Scooba. … In the new NJCAA Division II rankings out today, Hinds remains No. 1, while EMCC is up to No. 14. Also ranked are Jones County JC at No. 10 and Meridian at 19th. … East Central and Northwest are 10-4 in the league, Meridian is 9-5 and Jones is 8-6. (The North and South divisions have been abandoned.) … EMCC’s win over Meridian was fueled by four home runs, two by Taylor Stafford. The Eagles got a homer and four RBIs from Dustin Smith in their win. … Players of the week in the league were named on Tuesday: MCC’s Goose Yates (9-for-18, six runs, five RBIs) and Itawamba’s Nick Burns (two wins, including a one-hitter against Meridian). … Northwest’s Dalton Dulin, a reverse transfer from Ole Miss, leads the nation in stolen bases with 31. He is batting .354. Clay Casey, former DeSoto Central star who previously signed with Ole Miss, is batting .346 with five homers and 16 RBIs for the Rangers.