No. 1 seed Pearl River set to take on No. 8 seed Florida State Jacksonville
Dylan Dunaway - PRCC Sports Information Director
ENID, Okla. — The last few days have been successful for the No. 1 Pearl River baseball team. The Wildcats arrived in Enid, Oklahoma Thursday and have been able to put in a few valuable practice days ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup against Florida State College Jacksonville.
"This is our second time to do this now, so I feel like we were a little more prepared as far as travel and what to expect," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We used Wednesday strictly as a travel day. I felt like seven hours on a bus was enough."
On the first day in Enid, the Wildcats were able to practice at a local high school facility.
"Thursday, we made it up here around 2 p.m. and gave the guys a chance to see the ballpark and get a feel for the surroundings," Avalon said. "Then we went over to Chisholm High School and practiced. We needed those reps it had been a couple of days since we had some."
On Friday, the Wildcats were offered an opportunity to practice at David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
"The last time we were here, we weren't able to practice on the field," Avalon said. "I really enjoyed that today and I think our guys were able to get a good feel for it. Days like today will really help us moving forward."
The Wildcats are now preparing for their Sunday game against No. 8 seed FSCJ who defeated No. 9 seed Phoenix College 4-0 Saturday.
"They're going to be a quality team if they made the World Series," Avalon said. "We let our guys watch them play today. It gave them a chance to see the first game at the ballpark and to see who we are playing the next day. We're looking forward to Sunday at 1 p.m."
ABOUT THE FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE JACKSONVILLE
FSCJ qualified for the World Series by winning the Region 8 Tournament.
Sophomore outfielder Barry Eiseman leads the way for the Blue Wave. Through 48 games, he is hitting .410 with 40 RBIs, 29 walks, 19 doubles and three homers. Utility player Evan Wickeri entered the World Series with a .323 batting average, 42 RBIs, 13 doubles, eight homers and two triples.
Left-handed pitcher Daniel Gaviria is the FSCJ ace and threw a complete game shutout against Phoenix College Saturday. Brian Veniard is second on the team in innings pitched with 58 2/3 innings. He holds a 4.30 ERA with 40 strikeouts, 34 walks and 28 earned runs.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
No. 1 seed Pearl River enters the World Series as one of the most well-rounded teams in the country.
The Wildcats are led at the plate by sophomore center fielder Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison). Parker is currently hitting .455 with 80 hits, 66 runs, 56 RBIs, 23 walks, 16 homers, nine doubles and three triples. He has also stolen 15 bases without a caught stealing. Gabe Broadus (Wilmer, Ala.; Faith Academy) is second on the team in average, hitting .386. Broadus has tallied 76 hits, 56 runs, 36 RBIs, 27 walks and a team-high 37 stolen bases. Alex Perry (McComb; North Pike) is currently hitting .366 with 51 RBIs, 32 walks, 21 stolen bases, 15 homers, six doubles and one triple.
On the mound, the Wildcats are led by Turner Swistak (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) and Dakota Lee (Purvis). Swistak has tossed 54 2/3 innings while holding a 3.95 ERA. He has struck out 53 batters against just 10 walks. Lee has thrown 53 innings and has a 4.92 ERA. He has struck out 35 batters and walked 16.
Cole Tolbert (Laurel; West Jones) has been the go-to relief arm for the Wildcats, throwing 36 innings. He has a 2.50 ERA and 45 strikeouts.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $10 per day or $5 per day for students. A tournament pass can be purchased for $50. Children 10 and under will be admitted free of charge.
TUNE IN
All games will be livestreamed at NJCAATV.com for a fee. A day pass is $10 and a tournament pass is $25.
The games will also be broadcasted live on FM 106.9, 1320 AM, and at WRJWRadio.com.
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