NTCC to host, compete in Region XIV Baseball Tourney

Northeast Texas Community College will host the NJCAA Region XIV Baseball Tournament May 12-16 at Eagle Field. The top eight teams from Region XIV will compete for the chance to play in the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction Colorado later this summer.

The NTCC Eagles enter the tournament as the top seed in the Eastern Zone of the region with a 26-10 record. The Navarro College Bulldogs earned the second spot in the zone with a 24-12 record. The Texarkana Bulldogs (22-13) and the Paris Junior College Dragons (19-15) finish out the bracket for the Eastern Zone.

The San Jacinto College Gators (22-12) †earned the top spot in the Southern Zone. They will be joined by the Blinn College Buccaneers (21-13), the Alvin Community College Dolphins (20-15) and the Galveston College Whitecaps (19-16).

"We compete in a very tough region. Fans should be prepared to see some exciting ball games during this tournament," Josh Stewart, NTCC Head Baseball Coach and Athletic Director, said.

NTCC will face Galveston at 8 p.m. on opening day. Other Saturday match-ups are Alvin versus Navarro at 10 a.m., Blinn versus Texarkana at 1 p.m. and †San Jacinto versus Paris at 5 p.m.

"Our guys have fought hard all season to earn the top seed. We have the talent and skill to match any of these teams. We just have to stay mentally focused and avoid making errors. You can't afford to make mistakes at this level," Stewart said.

This is the inaugural coaching season for the Eagles staff. Both Stewart and assistant coach Shane Wedd came to NTCC in 2011. Stewart previously coached at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. The last time NTCC competed in the tournament was in 2010.

Tournament passes are $20 per person and session passes (two games) are $8. Full concessions will be available.

"The regional tournament will bring hundreds of people to our area for several days. We hope the community will come out and support our Eagles and welcome these visitors to our area," Stewart said.

Fans who can't make it to the games can follow the tournament action live at ntcceagles.com/tourney. Updated brackets, game stories and action photos will also be posted daily.