No. 3 Lady Bulldogs celebrate Sophomore Day on Saturday

PERKINSTON – There are a bunch of numbers you can use to tell the story of the Mississippi Gulf Coast softball sophomore class.

There's one number that describes them quickly and completely: 83.

That's the number of wins the Lady Bulldogs have put in the record book these past two seasons.

"That's really special," Gulf Coast coach Kenneth Long said. "That and they've got a state and region title under their belts. That's pretty good."

The group went 46-13 last season, winning the MACJC and Region 23 championships on the way to a ninth-place finish at the NJCAA Tournament. This year, they're 37-3 and ranked third in the country.

Sophomore Day ceremonies will take place before Saturday's doubleheader against East Mississippi, with a first pitch at 1 p.m. at Ross-Smith Field.

Deborah Elmore, Jennifer Walker, Kristen Gardner, Kaitlin Lee, Hannah Melendrez, Reid Cooley, Tabitha Johnson, Alyssa Hardy and Brittany Cooley, will be celebrated for their two years at Perkinston. Demi Blaker will also be honored after one season following her transfer from Mississippi State.

Their achievements are helping elevate the school's standing around the state.

"Even though we've been good down through the years, it's given us more great publicity," Long said. "There's been numerous times when leaving places where parents of the opposing players say, 'I really like the way this team carries itself.' When parents say that and people take notice, I think it's good for our program."

The Lady Bulldogs are 21-3 in the MACJC, one game behind first-place Jones County. They're two games ahead of Copiah-Lincoln, where they will travel Tuesday to close out the regular season.

East Mississippi (17-19) is 12-12 and in seventh in the MACJC. The Lions haven't quite clinched a playoff spot in the eight-team format.

"East Mississippi is one of those teams that's improved a lot," Long said. "Looks like they're in the playoffs, but they're going to come down here and play well.

"We said all along, we don't want to peak. We want to keep moving up."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.