2005

ECCC rolls into tourney By Marty Stamper staf. write DECATUR- Before the 2005 fast-pitch softball season began, East Central Community College head coach Scott Hill said tht.• strengths of this' year's team would be its depth, its versatility, and the fact that nearly all of the playt•rs came from championship hi.l{h school teams. The Ladv Warriors have backed up H-ill's ass<•ssment as they finished :~1-3 ,in the regular season and ride a 24-garne win– ning streak heading into the MACJC State/Region XXIII Soft– ball Tournament "'hich begins Friday at ECCC. Tickets are $5 per day. The Lady Warriors cruised through thl' MACJC Central Divi– sion with a perfect 16-0 mark. llill generally plays at least 15 of his 17 players in each double– header. · ''That's been one of our strongest as~wts," Hill said. "We do have a lot of different folks that contribute. It's provided a whole lot of fun. We'w got players that are n•ally pushing each other and have had a lot of fun doing so. It's been nice to see diffen·nt people stt.•p up at diff<•rent times.~ Those who don't Sl'<' action in the first ganw cheer on their teammates and knov. thev'd better produee in the second game. First-game starte rs do the sanw in the st•cond ganws. "That's de finiteh motivation when you see somebody playing the same position as you and doing a good job," Hill :;aid. "It's been nice to just stick them out there and each of them contribute in their own way." ECCC's first-round opponent will be Copiah-Lincoln Comm J– nitr College at~ p.m. Friday. That

PHOTO BY PAULA MERRITT / THE MERIDIAN STAR

SCOOP East Central Community College's Kristin Chaney scoops up a high-bouncing ground ball in a game earlier this season. The Lady Warriors, who won the MACJC Central Division regular-season title, will host the MACJC State/Region XXIII Softball Tournament on Friday-Sunday.

winner will take on Northeast ~Iississippi Community College at 7 p.m. Friday. Also in the tour– nament are Meridian Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, and Missis– sippi Gulf Coast Community Col– lege. ECCC and Co-Lin split a dou– bleheader at Wesson on Feb. 25 with the Lady Warriors winning 7-0 in the first game and Co-Lin taking a 4-0 victory in the second game. "That'..; one of the two times

that we were shut out," Hill said. "We can't take anything away from Co-Lin. It's going to be a dogfight for us to win that ball– game. We've got to unders tand that. ..Co-Lin is going to be a real good test right off the bat. They've got a good group of hit– ters. They're going to hit the ball and they've shown that.

--------- 'We.,.ve hit the ball good all year :RAT ------ See ECCC MERIDIAN STAR .J<:.}/ __,_____ CLARION-LEDGER-------- Page C5 ) --------

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