POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Preparations have been underway for over a week now as Pearl River nears opening day of the week-long Region 23 Tournament.

The tournament, which is set to run May 17-21 at Dub Herring Park, will be a first for PRCC under head coach Michael Avalon’s guidance. Although the Wildcats won the 2018 MACJC Championship, the hosting rights went to LSU-Eunice as part of the rotation between the Bengals and Mississippi’s membership.

“It’s a true honor to host the 2021 Region 23 Tournament at ‘The Dub’ on our beautiful campus,” Pearl River Athletics Director Scotty Fletcher said. “Our administration, board of trustees, and Coach Avalon had a vision a few years ago to make our ballpark one of the best in the country to watch a baseball game. I am personally excited for Coach Avalon, his staff, and players for the remarkable year they have had. Winning a state championship and hosting a regional is never an easy task when you play in the toughest league in the country.

“We would also like to congratulate the other five teams on making it to this point and look forward to giving their fans a first-class experience as they visit Wildcat Country.”

THE FIELD
In addition to No. 1 Pearl River (34-7), five other teams have qualified to join the Wildcats at The Dub:

• No. 2 Meridian Eagles (31-11)
• No. 3 LSU-Eunice Bengals (42-5)
• No. 4 East Central Warriors (27-15)
• No. 5 Itawamba Indians (25-13)
• No. 6 Hinds Eagles (24-16)

The Wildcats won hosting rights after claiming the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference regular season title. Eunice gets a bye into the tournament annually. The other four teams had to win their way into the Regional, with Meridian beating Copiah-Lincoln, East Central beating Northwest, Itawamba defeating Gulf Coast and Hinds toppling Jones College.

“We are excited to welcome the Region 23 Tournament to Poplarville. Our players worked hard throughout the season for this opportunity and they are excited to play at home in front of our fans,” Avalon said. “All of the top seeds in the MACCC advanced this past weekend; add LSU-Eunice to the tournament field, and again this will be one of the most competitive regionals in the NJCAA.

“There is no doubt fans will see good players, well-coached teams and enjoy the awesome atmosphere that Dub Herring Park provides.”

TICKET INFORMATION
PRCC is selling day passes for $10. Tickets will be sold on site only. Children 10 and under are free.

AMENITIES
In addition to having a traditional concession stand at The Dub, PRCC has partnered with Colludium Brewing Company based out of Hattiesburg to provide a first-class dining experience for spectators. Colludium has built a special menu for the tournament that includes rosemary’s baby swiss burger, bacon beer cheeseburger, BBQ pork grilled cheese, French dip sandwich, 3 cheese grilled cheese, chili beer cheese dog, turkey & cheddar, loaded nachos, five different loaded fries, cauliflower lettuce wraps, side salad, chili and boiled peanuts.

PRCC has also commissioned commemorative shirts for the tournament that will be sold exclusively at The Dub. Shirts, which feature the logo on the front and participants on the back, are $20.

WEBSITE
In coordination with hosting, Pearl River has launched a tournament website: PRCCAthletics.com/Region23. The site will be the home for up-to-date tournament information, livestream, photos, directions and more.

LIVESTREAM
If you can’t make it to The Dub for the tournament, you’re in luck. Pearl River is livestreaming the entire tournament for free at PRCCAthletics.com/Region23 and PRCCMedia.com/gold.

ABOUT THE DUB
The Dub has undergone a major makeover in recent years with a three-phase construction plan. PRCC originally added a new scoreboard beyond the right field wall prior to the 2018 season.

In the three years since, the Wildcats bulldozed the stands and constructed a press box with two luxury seats, added 400 chairback seats, and three canopies to protect fans from the Mississippi Heat and named the recently upgraded locker room and players lounge the Artigues Family Clubhouse. That space also includes hitting cages.

Adding to the vista in the last 12 months has been the completion of two new dorms beyond the right field wall.