TIGERS HEADED SOUTH FOR TOURNAMENT

Off to a hot start, the Cape Central baseball team will head south today for the 16-team Chamber Invitational Baseball Tournament in South Haven, Miss.

The Tigers will bring a four-game win streak and 5-1 overall mark into their opening contest against Hernando (Miss.) at 4 p.m. Later tonight at 7, the Tigers face New Hope, Miss.

"We've gotten off to a decent start and we want to carry it over and continue to play well," said Central coach Steve Williams. "We're looking to get better."

The Tigers are guaranteed four games in the tourney, with two more pool games scheduled Friday. Central plays Collierville (Tenn.) at 10 a.m., and South Panola (Miss.) at 1 p.m. Winners of the four different pools advance to Saturday' semifinals, with the championship game slated for 7 p.m.

Last year after only one game, the Tigers went to Millington (Tenn.) for a national tournament similar to the Chamber tourney. The Tigers went 2-2 in that tournament.

"We'd like to finish a little higher and we feel like we can do that," said Williams. "Hopefully our kids will be ready to go."

The Tigers' solid start has been an encouraging sign which Williams hopes will benefit them in Mississippi.

"Last year we only had one game under our belt and now we have six," said Williams. "We feel a little more ready to compete against those southern teams who have played probably 15 to 20 games already."

The Tigers appear to be the northernmost school in the tournament. Squads from Murray (Ky.) and West Memphis (Ark.) will also be competing along with Tennessee and Mississppi schools.

"It's going to be some good baseball," Williams said. "It's good to compete in tournaments like this because you see teams you've never seen before and a lot of quality players."