a numbers game

0 — Road games Belhaven (7-4) has played this season. The Blazers open Southern States Athletic Conference play at Faulkner (Ala.) University this weekend. 1 — Season openers lost by Ole Miss in the last 31 years. The Rebels open in Oxford against TCU on Friday. 2 — Golden Spikes Award watch list members (Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe) who play for Mississippi State, which begins its season of big dreams on Friday in Starkville against Portland. 3 — Wins, in three games all-time, by Delta State against Nova Southeastern, another nationally ranked NCAA Division II school that comes to Cleveland for a big series this weekend. The two last met in last year’s regionals. 5 — Mississippi-connected junior college players in Perfect Game’s preseason list of the top 50 prospects: East Central Community College shortstop Tim Anderson, Meridian CC outfielder Johnny Youngblood, MCC lefty Zach Irwin, Pascagoula’s Colin Bray (an outfielder for Faulkner State CC in Alabama) and Northwest Rankin High alum Daniel Sweet (an outfielder at Polk State in Florida). 9 — Streak of NCAA Tournament invites for Southern Miss that was broken in 2012. The Golden Eagles, with almost everybody back from a 32-win team, open on Friday in Hattiesburg against Missouri. 16 — Pitchers used, eight by each club, in Wednesday’s Maloney Trophy Series opener between Belhaven and Millsaps. The Blazers won 9-6. .219 — Team batting average for William Carey, off to a 3-5 start.