SENATOBIA - After holding steady in the No. 9 slot for the past three weeks, Northwest has finally jumped up a spot to eighth in the latest NJCAA Division II Softball Rankings, released Monday afternoon.

Northwest (27-5, 8-4 MACCC) is coming off a 4-0 week which featured sweeps against Holmes and Hinds. The Rangers have also matched last season's win total and are currently 6-4 against nationally-ranked teams this season.

Fellow MACCC foes Jones College and Copiah-Lincoln held steady at the third and fourth spots, respectively. Northeast moved up two spots from No. 12 to No. 10, while Pearl River inched up a slot to No. 14 overall. Itawamba rounds out MACCC representation at No. 25, while NJCAA Region 23 nemesis LSU-Eunice checks in at No. 13 this week.

St. Johns River State (Fla.) and Murray State (Okla.) remain in the top two slots, followed by Phoenix College to round out the top five.

With both Northwest and Northeast moving up in the rankings, Tuesday's battle between the two teams will mark yet another NJCAA Top 10 battle for the Rangers, the third one of the season. The Lady Tigers (31-3, 12-2 MACCC) are currently riding a four-game win streak that includes sweeps against Itawamba and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Coverage of Tuesday's doubleheader can be seen live on Ranger TV.