SOFTBALL DIRTY DOZEN: Lexington wins Hardin Co. Tournament for 6-0 week

The time is now for teams to make sure they are ready to play in the postseason. A majority of the tournaments will have started before the next Dirty Dozen is released.

Some teams like USJ have games to get in over the next three days to finish out the district/region standings. The Lady Bruins have six games to play by Wednesday night.

Other teams like Dresden know what is on the line this week. The Lady Lions are in a tie for the top spot in District 13-A, but a win over Clarksburg this week will give the Lady Lions the No. 1 seed.

There are still other teams like Lexington, who know that the No. 1 seed is theirs and now is the time to perfect fundamentals for a deep postseason run.

Here is the new Softball Dirty Dozen:

1Lexington (14-AA) (31-5) – The Lady Tigers won the Hardin County Tournament over the weekend with wins over Adamsville, Scotts Hill, McNairy Central and Chester County. Lexington also had district wins over Chester County and South Side on the week. Last week No. 1.

2USJ (D2-A) (21-4) – The Lady Bruins swept the defending Division II-A state champion Tipton-Rosemark. USJ though had four games canceled over the latter part of the week. The Lady Bruins have three doubleheaders on the road over the next three days. Last week: No. 4.

3Camden (11-AA) (18-7) – The Lady Lions had a 4-1 week with wins over Stewart County, Creek Wood, Huntingdon and Hickman County. The loss through came in District 11-AA play against Waverly. Last week: No. 2.

4South Gibson (13-AA) (12-8) – The Lady Hornets played three District 13-AA games and went 2-1. South Gibson evened the season series against Dyersburg, the defending Class AA state champion, and beat Obion County. A loss to rival Milan though happened in the middle. Last week: No. 5.

5Adamsville (15-A) (16-9-1) – The Lady Cardinals picked up two District 15-A wins to start the week to get within one win of secure the No. 1 seed in District 15-A. Adamsville finished the week going 1-2 in the Hardin County Tournament. Last week: No. 3.

6Huntingdon (13-A) (21-8-1) – The Fillies picked up two District 13-A wins against Dresden and Clarksburg to sit in a tie atop the district standings with Dresden. Huntingdon closed out the week though with a loss to Camden. Last week: No. 9.

7Chester County (14-AA) (14-8) – The Eaglettes went 3-4 on the week with a runner-up finish in the Hardin County Tournament. Chester County went 2-3 in the tournament and split two District 14-AA games. Last week: No. 6.

8Gibson County (14-A) (14-6-1) – The Lady Pioneers were a perfect 3-0 on the week with three strong wins. Gibson County beat Halls (4-3) and Greenfield (10-0) in District 14-A action and went out and beat District 13-AAA's Dyer County. Last week: No. 11.

9Dresden (13-A) (17-9-1) – The Lady Lions will be the No. 1 seed in the District 13-A tournament with a win over Clarksburg this week. Dresden went 2-1 in district play this past week with wins over Gleason and McKenzie and loss to Huntingdon. Last week: No. 7.

10Milan (13-AA) (16-14-1) – The Lady Bulldogs had a strong week, going 4-1. The lone loss came against the top team in District 13-AA Dyersburg, but wins over South Gibson, Crockett County and Bruceton (twice) has Milan peaking at the right time. Last week: Not ranked.

11Scotts Hill (15-A) (18-13) – The Lady Lions have a two-game lead for second place in the District 15-A standings – and are two games behind district leader Adamsville. Scotts Hill picked up district wins over Jackson Christian (twice) and Riverside, but took a loss against Madison. Last week: No. 12.

12Riverside (15-A) (17-11) – The Lady Panthers fell to 5-5 in District 15-A play with losses to Adamsville and Scotts Hill, but they did go 2-1 outside of district play. Riverside has two district games remaining – Scotts Hill and TCA. Last week: No. 8.

Dropped out: Crockett County (14-12)

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