SPORTS

DIRTY DOZEN: A new team is No. 1

Brandon Shields
bjshields@jacksonsun.com

This week’s Dirty Dozen rankings in local baseball were hard to determine.

The top-ranked teams from last week all had losses that seem puzzling on the surface.

That’s why there’s a new No. 1 team. University School of Jackson lost a game at the end of a long tournament 18-1. Peabody lost as well, but its 2-1 loss at Union City was to a good team in an important district game.

Some of the lower-ranked teams had really good weeks.

Crockett County and McKenzie both went undefeated and jumped in the rankings appropriately.

A couple of teams seemed to have fallen off drastically offensively and fell out of the rankings because of it.

McNairy Central and Haywood had losing records for the week and fell out of the ranking.

Adamsville and Scotts Hill had high-quality weeks and won their way back into the rankings because of it.

1Peabody (19-3) (14-A): The Golden Tide lost their perfect record in district play, but they’ve still won 19 of their last 20 games. Results: Beat West Carroll and Greenfield; lost to Union City. Last week: 2.

2USJ (23-4) (Division II-A West): The Bruins could easily be ranked No. 1 again this week, but it’s hard to rank a team No. 1 who lost a game by 17 runs. Results: Beat St. George’s, Bartlett, McCracken Co. (Ky.) and Fayette Aca. Twice; lost to Lafayette (Ky.). Last week: 1.

3McKenzie (15-4-1) (15-A): The Rebels have a deep pitching rotation not many Class A teams get to enjoy. Results: Beat Clarksburg and Dresden twice. Last week: 6.

4Milan (19-6-1) (13-AA): The Bulldogs slipped up some in district play and dropped a spot because of it. Results: Beat Westview, Henry Co. and Obion Co; lost to Westview, Jackson Christian and Obion Co. Last week: 3.

5Crockett (16-6) (13-AA): Offensive slumps seem to be a thing of the past for the Cavaliers. Results: Beat Obion Co., Union City, Halls and South Gibson twice. Last week: 8.

6Jackson Christian (17-8) (15-A): The Eagles are no longer unbeaten in district play, but they have clinched the No. 1 spot in the tournament. Results: Beat Milan and South Side; lost to Scotts Hill and Arlington. Last week: 4.

7Lexington (13-9-1) (14-AA): The wins were over a team the Tigers should beat, and the losses were to good teams who compete for championships. Results: Beat Fayette-Ware twice; lost to Murfreesboro Central and Arlington. Last week: 5.

8Chester Co. (13-8) (14-AA): The Eagles might’ve gotten a couple more wins in the Independent Appeal tournament had they not had to pull out because of prom Saturday night. Beat Bolivar three times; lost to Hardin Co. and Adamsville. Last week: 10.

9TCA (15-10) (15-A): The Lions went .500 against quality local competition. Results: Beat Haywood, Hardin Co. and Riverside; lost to McNairy, Scotts Hill and Riverside. Last week: 12.

10Dresden (15-9) (13-A): The Lions took a big hit in the district standings by being swept. Results: Beat Bradford and Obion Co.; lost to Lake Co. and McKenzie twice. Last week: 7.

11Adamsville (16-9) (15-A): The Cardinals appear to have bounced back from their slump they were in this time last week. Results: Beat McNairy, Chester Co., Hardin Co. and Middleton twice; lost to Riverside. Last week: Not ranked.

12Scotts Hill (15-12) (15-A): The Lions had a great week playing in the Independent Appeal Tournament in Selmer. Results: Beat Jackson Christian, Haywood, TCA, McNairy and Madison twice; lost to Hardin Co. Last week: Not ranked.

Fell out of rankings: McNairy Central (13-12) and Haywood (14-12).

Teams eligible for the Dirty Dozen ranks are those representing teams from schools in the Sun’s 13-county circulation area. Those counties are Madison, Gibson, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, Haywood, Crockett, Weakley, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, McNairy and Hardin.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751