Additional Links - Northeast Softball 2020 Schedule
BOONEVILLE, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College softball program will receive the honor of playing the first-ever games at the brand new "Field of Dreams" complex.
The Tigers welcome Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College on Saturday, February 8 to begin a 2020 schedule that features 11 dates at the multi-million dollar facility.
"There's a lot of newness and excitement around opening this stadium," said Northeast head coach Jody Long. "To be honest with you, it's going to be a great feeling. But it'll definitely be emotional."
Northeast actually begins the campaign with nine consecutive contests in the City of Hospitality. A majority of those are part of the annual TigerFest Tournament, which is expanding to now feature five total fields of action.
The TigerFest is widely considered one of the top tournaments in the country. Two-year colleges from six states will invade Booneville City Park and the Northeast Softball Complex from February 14-15.
The Tigers will face two new opponents this year, including Southern Arkansas University Tech in the TigerFest Tournament and San Jacinto (Texas) College at the Rush Invitational.
Northeast also battles Southeastern Illinois College and Marion Military (Ala.) College at the Rush Invitational, which is hosted by Meridian Community College on Friday, February 21.
The Rush Invitational actually begins a lengthy stretch of away games for the Tigers. Northeast plays 17 out of its next 21 contests on the road following its season opening homestand.
The Tigers only have two home doubleheaders during the entire month of March, which are back-to-back Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) matchups with Hinds Community College and Meridian on the 6th and 18th, respectively.
Other keynote dates on the calendar include Monday, April 6 when Northeast visits defending conference champion Itawamba Community College and Wednesday, April 22 as the Tigers entertain Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Northeast wraps up the regular season with two straight twinbills on the Booneville campus versus Holmes Community College on Tuesday, April 28 and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Friday, May 1.
"I think our young bunch is going to be challenged early on," Long said. "The big thing is hopefully with having some home games early we'll be able to get them in and get prepped for conference play."
The eight best finishers in the league standings will come together at a singular location for the double elimination MACJC Tournament, which is scheduled for May 6-8.
The top three teams from the conference playoffs plus Louisiana State University at Eunice then meet in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament the following week. The winner and runner-up advance to the national tournament in Clinton.
The Tigers were ranked as highly as No. 5 by the NJCAA during a sensational 2019 campaign in which they broke the program record for most regular season wins and reached the semifinals of the MACJC Tournament.