ELLISVILLE, Miss. — Jones College won the NJCAA Region 23 Baseball Championship after a 5-0 postseason run, its first since 2016, at Community Bank Park. The Bobcats defeated five ranked teams, including No. 1 Pearl River twice on its home field, and topped No. 16 Northwest 2-0 in the Ellisville Super Regional.
The victory gives Jones a spot in the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma, from May 23-30. The Bobcats last played in Enid in 2016, when they won their first national title. Their previous appearance in 2011 resulted in a runner-up finish, according to team records.
Jones (40-16) took an early lead against Northwest, scoring twice in the first inning. Sanders Ainsworth doubled, Dylan Champagne walked, and Talan Theriot hit a two-run single to left field. The Bobcats added two more runs in the second, extending their lead to 4-0. Theriot homered in the third, making it 5-1, and the Bobcats continued to push ahead.
Jones created further separation in the fifth inning with a three-run double from Warren Hutchinson, scoring three runs and increasing the lead to 8-2. Northwest rallied in the bottom of the inning, with a two-run homer from John Whit Snopek, but Jones responded immediately. Champagne singled, Ainsworth was hit by a pitch, and Gage Reeves doubled, driving in two runs to make it 10-4.
Northwest scored twice in the sixth, but reliever Hodges shut down the rally. Hodges entered in the seventh and finished strong, allowing just one hit and striking out five over 2.2 innings to improve to 10-1 this season. The Bobcats’ pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts in the victory.
Offensively, Talan Theriot led with two hits, a homer, and three RBIs. Reeves went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Hutchinson drove in three runs. Ainsworth and Champagne each had two hits. Northwest was led by Hallas Lawson, who had two hits, and South McCoy and Snopek, who homered for the Rangers.
With the win, Jones advances to the national tournament after dominating in the postseason. Matchups and brackets will be announced on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.
