SENATOBIA - After closing out the season with a sweep of Itawamba and a split at No. 6 East Central, Northwest has punched its ticket to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

As part of the Pearl River bracket, the Rangers (31-18, 14-14 MACCC) finished in a four-way tie for seventh place, falling to the No. 8 seed by virtue of the tiebreaker. Northwest will be matched up against ninth-seed Meridian (27-23, 14-14 MACCC) in the tournament's play-in game, scheduled for Monday, May 5 at P.M. in Poplarville.

Aside from the play-in game, the rest of the tournament is a double elimination format. The winner of the matchup between the Rangers and Eagles will meet top-seeded Pearl River on Tuesday, May 6 at 6 P.M., while the losing team's season will come to an end.

As a team, Northwest is batting .279, led by sophomore Levi Lang and his .343 batting average. The Judsonia, Ark. native ranks in the top five for multiple statistical categories, including hits (48), runs scored (34), doubles (11), home runs (5) and runs batted in (36).

Freshman Mason McMillin has also been hitting well at the plate, leading the team with 50 base hits and eight home runs. Sophomore Walker Maranto is batting .308 and leads the Rangers in doubles (15) and RBIs (37).

Additionally, Northwest has stolen 122 bases on the season, currently the sixth-most in program history. Leading the charge on the base paths is freshman Meyer Maddox, who has recorded 27 stolen bases in 28 attempts.

On the mound, the Rangers' pitching unit concluded the conference slate with a 6.03 team earned run average (ERA). Connor McCaslin and McClain Ray have been two of the strongest pitchers for Northwest as of late, with McCaslin holding a 5-2 record and a team-low 2.94 ERA. The Arlington, Tenn. native has a team-best 54 strikeouts and opposing batters are hitting just .201 against him this season.

As for Ray, the Tupelo native has battled through injuries throughout the previous two seasons, recording a 3.20 ERA and a 4-0 record. Freshman Tyler Sullivan has also battled to a 5-1 mark and 36 strikeouts on the year.

In relief, freshman Brady Stinnett has been solid, earning a team-best four saves. His 47 strikeouts are second-highest on the team, trailing only McCaslin.

Meanwhile, Meridian comes in with a team batting average of .301 and a 5.34 ERA. The Eagles are led by Brennon Wright's .369 batting average, 16 doubles, six triples and 34 RBIs, followed by Harlin Hovater's .353 batting average.

Tyrus Williams leads the team with seven home runs, while sporting a .291 batting average. Hampton Ross is also batting .258 with 12 doubles.

Conner Gehr has been one of Meridian's leaders on the mound, posting a team-low 2.54 ERA and 7-2 record. His 78 strikeouts are also a team-high, along with holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Andrew Prejean has also been a help for the Eagles, finishing the regular season with a 6-2 record and a 5.17 ERA.

All games from the Region 23 Tournament will be carried on prccmedia.com.