NATCHEZ &045; Winning a district title sure is worthy of a party, but now the MHSAA may be endorsing one.

New playoff rules this season allow four teams from each division to host a double-elimination four-team playoff tournament to open the postseason instead of just two getting invites. And with the Cathedral Green Wave sitting in the driver’s seat, head coach Craig Beesley sure would like to have something like that at Chester Willis Field.

But first things first.

The Green Wave will host Enterprise at 7 p.m. today in a Division 7-1A contest as baseball resumes in the Miss-Lou.

&uot;We’re one game up on St. Al and two games up on West Lincoln,&uot; said Beesley, whose team enters today’s contest at 12-2, 5-0. &uot;We’re in good shape for making the playoffs, but we’d like to win district. We haven’t won it in five years. (The system) is something new. Hopefully we’ll be there and be the one hosting it.

&uot;We’re in good shape right now. We’re in the driver’s seat, I guess you can say.&uot;

It would be something neat for the Green Wave, whose head coach likened it to an NCAA regional format with the four-team field. It still is early with five games remaining in the division, but the team has been hitting the ball well.

Finally.

Take for instance that 11-0 win over St. Al two weeks ago at Vicksburg. Looking back, it may have been a catalyst to get the bats going well &045; the Green Wave demolished Pelahatchie in a doubleheader Friday that went a combined five innings with scores of 25-4 and 24-1.

The Green Wave scored 22 runs in the second inning of Game 1 and finished the day with 36 hits.

&uot;The St. Al game we played up there was when we really started swinging the bats well,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;They’re a pretty good team. They’re not as strong as they have been in the past, but they’re still a good team. That was kind of our breakout game. Our defense has been there, and our pitching has been there all year. Our defense has been consistent &045; they’re making the routine plays, and that’s all I ask of them. But the hitting is coming around.&uot;

That biggest constant so far has been the pitching, and the team has a 2.30 ERA to back up that statement. The Green Wave have a healthy Corey Walker now after he struggled with a sore arm earlier, but Beesley noted ace left-hander Te Riley reported a sore arm during an abbreviated practice on Monday.

Barring more pain in that arm, Riley will start today against Enterprise with Walker likely getting the nod Friday against West Lincoln.

&uot;Corey is looking good,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Garrett (Jones) is still throwing well, Jeremy (Davis) can give us an inning or two when we need him. Te said his elbow was hurting him a little bit at practice, we’re hoping it’s just a little soreness. If he’s feeling all right, he’ll go.

&uot;If not, we might have to throw Jeremy and Garrett and come back on Friday with Corey. &uot;

Copiah at Adams Christian

Now things really should get interesting in that tough District 2-AAA. For one, this week is the Jackson Prep-Central Private series that everybody will be keeping tabs on.

But sitting four at 4-5 in district is Adams Christian, a team that’s a solid fourth right now since Parklane is 1-8 going into its series against Lamar. But like AC, Parklane started out facing the tougher teams in district.

What goes around comes around, and it ought to be interesting. Prep is 6-0, Hillcrest 6-3 and Central Private 7-2.

&uot;It’s hard to say,&uot; Adams head coach Gill Morris said. &uot;We need to win six games the next two weeks against Copiah and Lamar. On paper we’re fourth in the district, but Prep, Lamar and Copiah have not played each other. We certainly don’t have the district record we’d like, but at one time we’ve beaten all of the teams before us &045; we just haven’t played Prep yet. Our season is still in front of us.&uot;

So there’s still plenty cause for optimism for the Rebels, particularly since they face the two lower teams in the district in the next two weeks in Copiah and Lamar before finishing up against Prep the week of April 13.

The Rebels host Copiah for a single game at 6:30 p.m. today and travel to Gallman for a doubleheader Friday.

&uot;We need to go out, play hard and try to win all three of them,&uot; Morris said. &uot;Copiah is not going to come in here and lay down. I know Prep swept them, but I think they won two of three from Lamar. We just need to take care of business and make sure we’re mentally there every game. We have a tendency to be see-saw.&uot;

The biggest thing about these next two weeks is to avoid that pitfall of losing a game. It’s one that sticks out awfully well in Morris’ memory &045; a loss to struggling Lamar in Meridian last year that really came back to haunt his team’s playoff chances.

WCCA at Amite School Center

WOODVILLE &045; As far off as it might have seemed after last year’s season of struggles, the Rams are in the thick of things in District 7-A.

And today’s game can really be a catapult to get there. They’re sitting second at 4-1 in district behind 5-0 Amite with just two weeks remaining before the district tournament.

The regular season champ hosts the tournament, and the Rams sure would like to have it in Woodville.

&uot;All I know is we play for seeding in the district tournament, and we’re in the tournament with a 4-1 record,&uot; WCCA head coach Ray Olive said. &uot;But we want to be No. 1 going into it. That’s what we’re playing for right now. That was our goal this year &045; to host the district tournament.&uot;

The Rams have been steady through district save that one loss &045; a 9-6 decision to those same Rebels in Woodville. The Rams had a 6-3 heading into the sixth before the bottom fell out in the form of five errors in that one inning alone.

Brad Pritchard will go today for the Rams.