BASEBALL DIRTY DOZEN: JC, USJ remain top two teams in rankings

This past week was loaded with local teams playing tough competition from outside the West Tennessee area.

Teams like Jackson Christian, Riverside and Scotts Hill played against high-level teams from Middle Tennessee in the Middle Tennessee/West Tennessee Challenge.

University School of Jackson played in the USA Classic at USA Stadium.

South Gibson, Trenton Peabody and Milan participated in the Easter Slam tournament hosted by Dyersburg.

Playing quality teams from outside the area makes ranking teams in the Dirty Dozen tougher, but here are the new rankings:

1Jackson Christian (15-A) (22-5) – The Eagles performed well in the Middle Tennessee/West Tennessee Challenge with wins over Murfreesboro Central (a top four team in Class AA last year), MTCS and Summertown. They also swept Middleton in district play. Last week: No. 2.

2USJ (D2-A) (14-6) – Extra-inning games have gotten the Bruins this week, as they lost twice to St. George’s. USJ finished in third place in the USA Classic, going 3-1, with the loss coming against Arlington. Wins were against Christian Brothers, Normal West (Ill.) and Cape Central (Mo.). Last week: No. 1.

3South Gibson (13-AA) (13-4-1) – The Hornets played in the Easter Slam over the weekend and came away with a 2-1-1 record against some quality teams. After a rainout Monday, South Gibson improved to 5-0 in District 13-AA with a win over Dyersburg. Last week: No. 3.

4Scotts Hill (15-A) (14-4) – The Lions came away from the Middle Tennessee/West Tennessee Challenge with a 3-1 record with wins over MTCS, Cascade and Summertown and a loss to Murfreesboro Central. Scotts Hill also swept Madison to go 6-0 in district play. Last week: No. 4.

5Chester County (14-AA (10-3) – The Eagles had a light week with one game. Chester County did win that game 5-3 over South Side to improve to 4-0 in District 14-AA play. Last week: No. 5.

6Trenton Peabody (14-A) (12-3) – The Golden Tide went 3-0 in Easter Slam competition with wins over Camden, Mayfield (Ky.) and Park Hill (Mo.), and with no district games on Monday and Tuesday, they remained undefeated in District 14-A play. Last week: No. 7.

7Milan (13-AA) (14-8) – The Bulldogs played the toughest schedule of any local team in the Easter Slam, and they went 2-3 in the process, but Milan got back to winning on Tuesday with a District 13-AA win over Westview. Last week: No. 6.

8Crockett County (13-AA) (13-3) – The Cavaliers also had a light week with one game canceled because of weather. Crockett County did improve to 4-2 in District 13-AA play with a doubleheader sweep of Obion County on Tuesday. Last week: No. 8.

9Haywood (15-AA) (13-6) – The Tomcats went 2-1 this past week. Haywood split two games against Covington in District 15-AA action for a 5-1 district record, and the Tomcats beat Madison. Last week: No. 10.

10McKenzie (13-A) (11-4-1) – The Rebels picked up three wins in the past week. McKenzie beat Waverly before sweeping Gleason in District 13-A action. The Rebels are now 8-0 in district play. Last week: No. 11.

11Riverside (15-A) (10-6) – The Panthers split their four games in the Middle Tennessee/West Tennessee Challenge with wins over Summertown and MTCS and losses to Murfreesboro Central and Cascade. Last week: No. 9.

12South Side (14-AA) (10-9) – The Hawks went 3-2 this past week with four of the games coming in the Aarron Schuh Classic in Ripley. South Side picked up wins over Ripley, Huntingdon and Millington with the losses coming against Briarcrest and Chester County. Last week: Not ranked.

Dropped out: Camden (9-8)

Teams eligible for the Dirty Dozen rankings are those who represent schools from The Jackson Sun’s 13-county circulation area: Madison, Gibson, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, Haywood, Crockett, Weakley, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, McNairy and Hardin.

Michael Odom, 425-9754