cream rises

Jones County Junior College, which wobbled a bit to begin its campaign, is off to a 4-0 start in division play in the MACJC. The defending state and Region 23 champion Bobcats (16-8) swept Pearl River on Tuesday and hold a one-game lead on Southwest in the South Division. The Bears have a losing overall mark but are 3-1 in the division heading into a key series with Hinds on Saturday. The Eagles, ranked No. 4 in the most recent NJCAA Division II poll, are 18-5 overall but just 3-3 in the division, having been swept by East Central on Tuesday. In the North Division, Itawamba and Northeast are tied at 5-1. ICC (18-4) won a pair of one-run games against Northwest on Tuesday, while Northeast, which has a losing record, swept Holmes as freshman Kyle Robbins got a win and a save.
P.S. We are two weeks out from opening day at Trustmark Park. The Mississippi Braves play Mobile on April 5 to launch their eighth season in Pearl. Rosters aren’t settled yet but still expect to see top 10 prospects Andrelton Simmons (if he doesn’t make the Atlanta roster), Christian Bethancourt and Zeke Spruill on this year’s club, along with Cory Harrilchak, Joe Terdoslavich, Todd Cunningham and possibly 2011 top pick Sean Gilmartin. It could be a very good team.