PERKINSTON - With Northwest finishing as the 10th place team in the MACCC standings, the Rangers will have to play their way in to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.

Northwest (26-18, 13-15 MACCC) will make a return trip to Mississippi Gulf Coast on May 1, for a single seven-inning contest at 3 P.M. The winning team will advance into one bracket of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament at Jones College this weekend, while the losing team will see its season draw to a close.

It's all part of the newly reformatted NJCAA Region 23 Tournament format, which consists of two play-in games to decide the final team to make it into an eight-team tournament field. The other play-in game will pit Itawamba against Northeast, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the Wesson bracket with Copiah-Lincoln, LSU-Eunice and Hinds.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Northwest-MGCCC matchup will advance to the Ellisville bracket with host Jones College, Pearl River and East Central. The winning team out of both brackets will meet on May 11 in a one-game region championship showdown.

Northwest and MGCCC met less than two weeks ago in Perkinston, with the Lady Bulldogs taking the opener in a run-rule shutout. However, the Rangers rallied to take an 8-7 victory in Game 2, leaving with a split.

Despite going 0-2 on Sophomore Day, Northwest ended the regular season on a high note, going toe-to-toe with fourth-ranked Pearl River last Saturday. The Rangers battled through a 6-4 loss in Game 1, before defeating the Lady Wildcats in the finale, 6-5.

Northwest enters the postseason batting .308 as a team. The Rangers are led by a .371 batting average from sophomore Kaylee Owens at the plate, who also leads the team in triples (6), home runs (8) and runs batted in (33). The Fulton native also became the program's new career-record holder in triples last week, surpassing the previous record of six shared by MyCala Helms (2020-21) and Saige Koczka (2020-22).

Ellie Fryar, Kara Johnson and Abby Rogers are also batting over .300 at the end of the regular season, with Fryar leading the team in doubles (13). Johnson and Fryar also lead the team in stolen bases, with both players credited with over 20 each.

In the circle, the Rangers have been guided by the duo of Morgen Brewton and Neely Cooper. Brewton, a freshman from Mobile, Ala., has 14 wins on the season with 107 strikeouts, 10 complete games and a 2.47 ERA. Cooper also has 10 victories on the season, coupled with 97 strikeouts, six complete games, two shutouts and a 2.96 ERA. 

As for Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Lady Bulldogs enter the postseason with a 33-21 overall record and a 15-12 mark in the MACCC. Mississippi Gulf Coast has been a difficult team to beat on its home turf, sporting a 20-7 record at Ross-Smith Field. Additionally, MGCCC is hitting .322 as a team, led by the core of Natalie Shaw, Jorja Roberson, Jett Harrell and Aleah Beaugez.

Shaw leads the Lady Bulldogs with a .396 batting average, complete with 14 doubles and 28 RBIs. Roberson leads the team in both doubles (17) and home runs (11), coupled with a .389 batting average and 47 RBIs. Harrell also has 47 runs batted in with 14 doubles, seven home runs and a .367 batting average, along with a team-high 30 stolen bases.

Lastly, Beaugez has 14 doubles, two doubles, three home runs, 32 RBIs and a .338 batting average. Overall, five members of the Lady Bulldogs' everyday starting lineup is hitting .300 or higher.

In the circle, Harrell and Olivia Falcon have carried MGCCC through the season, with both pitchers sporting nearly identical records and strikeouts. Falcon has compiled a 12-8 record with 62 strikeouts and a 2.88 ERA, while Harrell has totaled a 12-6 record with 60 strikeouts and a 3.71 earned run average. Both pitchers have also thrown 12 complete games apiece.

Tickets for Wednesday's battle at Mississippi Gulf Coast can be purchased at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.