Warrior Magazine June 2019

WARRIOR WRAP-UP

Tennis Men’s Tennis Finishes in Top 20 at National Championship What is believed to be the first ECCC tennis team to compete at a national championship, the college’s men’s tennis team returned to Decatur after reaching its goal of a top 20 finish. The then No. 22 ranked East Central Warriors finished in 19th place at the 2019 National Junior College Athletic Associa tion Division I Men’s Tennis Championship held May 13-17 at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz. East Central finished third among the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges teams in the national tournament, including ahead of the Jones College and Itawamba Community College squads that bested the Warriors in the MACJC State/NJCAA Region 23 Tournament in April. Both the ECCC men’s and women’s tennis teams were ranked in the final Oracle/ Intercollegiate Tennis Asso ciation (ITA) NJCAA Top 25 poll of the spring season. The ECCC men were ranked No. 19 in the nation after competing in the NJ CAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship in May, while the ECCC Lady Warriors are ranked No. 24. East Central is one of only two commu nity colleges in Mississippi to have both the men’s and women’s teams ranked in the final Top 25. The War riors were the third highest ranked team from the state, while the Lady Warriors were the fourth highest Men’s/Women’s Tennis Ranked

ranked women’s team in Mississippi. According to head coach Jay Pacelli, it is the first time in recent memory that either program ended the spring season with a Top 25 ranking. Basketball The ECCC men’s basket ball team won its last five games of the regular season Tournament. The Warriors (13-11 overall) lost in the first round 70-53 to East Mississippi, a team it beat twice in the regular season. The Lady Warriors failed to qualify for the MACJC State Basketball Tourna ment after finishing in a four-way tie for second place in the MACJC South Division with a 9-5 record. After the first tie breaker was applied, the Lady War riors were determined to be the No. 5 seed and thus did not qualify for the state tournament. The Lady War riors were 18-5 overall in the regular season. to qualify for the 2019 MACJC State Basketball Both teams qualified for the 2019 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament in Clinton. The Warriors were the No. 8 seed and lost to top seeded Jones College in the first round, while the Lady Warriors were the No. 6 seed and fell to No. 3 seed The ECCC baseball team’s season ended in May in the first round of the NJCAA Region 23 playoffs. The Warriors lost a best two-of three series at No. 6 ranked Pearl River. The Wildcats won the opener 4-3, while Itawamba. Baseball

EAST CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

2019 SOCCER SCHEDULE AUG. 9 SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE DECATUR NOON (W) AUG. 16 MERIDIAN DECATUR 6/8 AUG. 22 GULF COAST PERKINSTON 5/7 AUG. 27 ANDREW COLLEGE CUTHBERT, GA 2/4 AUG. 30 SOUTHWEST SUMMIT 2/4 SEPT. 4 HOLMES DECATUR 2/4 SEPT. 6 ITAWAMBA FULTON 2/4 SEPT. 10 HINDS RAYMOND 5/7 SEPT. 13 NORTHWEST DECATUR 1/3 SEPT. 17 PEARL RIVER POPLARVILLE 5/7 SEPT. 20 LSU-EUNICE (RUSH TOURNAMENT) MERIDIAN 1/3 SEPT. 24 GULF COAST DECATUR 2/4 SEPT. 27 JONES DECATUR 5/7 OCT. 1 ANDREW COLLEGE DECATUR 4:00 (M) OCT. 4 HOLMES RIDGELAND 1/3 OCT. 8 ITAWAMBA DECATUR 1/3 OCT. 11 HINDS DECATUR 5/7 OCT. 13 OXFORD COLLEGE OF EMORY UNIV. DECATUR 2:00 (M) OCT. 15 NORTHWEST SENATOBIA 1/3 OCT. 18 DYERSBURG STATE DECATUR 2:00 (W) DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME 2019 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE AUG. 16 HINDS (SCRIMMAGE) DECATUR 11:00 A.M. AUG. 29 NORTHWEST DECATUR 6:30 P.M. SEPT. 5 ITAWAMBA DECATUR 6:30 P.M. SEPT. 12 @ SOUTHWEST* SUMMIT 7:00 P.M. SEPT. 19 PEARL RIVER* DECATUR 6:30 P.M. SEPT. 26 @ EAST MISSISSIPPI SCOOBA 7:00 P.M. OCT. 3 @ CO-LIN* WESSON 6:30 P.M. OCT. 10 GULF COAST* DECATUR 6:30 P.M. OCT. 17 HINDS* (HOMECOMING) DECATUR 6:30 P.M. OCT. 24 @ J ONES* ELLISVILLE 7:00 P.M. *MACJC SOUTH DIVISION GAME DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME

the Warriors took game two 1-0. Pearl River won the decisive third game 12-4. The Warriors were 23-23 on the season. Softball Top Softball Coaching Staff First year ECCC head softball coach Eric Neel and assistant coach Emily Church were named the NJCAA Division II South Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Associa tion. Neel and Church

led the ECCC Lady Warriors to a 28-14 record, includ ing 21-7 in MACJC league play. East Central compiled a 13-game winning streak in April and finished the regu lar season ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA Division II Top 20. The Lady Warriors, with only one sophomore and 14 freshmen on the roster, fin ished fourth in the 15-team MACJC league and qualified for the 2019 MACJC State Tournament.

ATHLETICS

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