Jackson Free Press

While most NCAA Division I softball conference tournaments around the country are getting started this week, Division II and Division III tournaments are already underway or have crowned their champions.

Belhaven University wasn’t able to reach the postseason as the Blazers continued their transition to Division III, but the Millsaps College Majors, who are also in Division III, made it all the way to the Southern Athletic Association title game.

The Majors won their first two SAA Softball Tournament games before falling 2-1 to Berry College. Millsaps then defeated Hendrix College 7-0 in its next game in the tournament and had to wait a week before playing in the conference title game due to rain. Ultimately, the Majors still couldn’t get past Berry and fell 4-2, which will end the season unless they earn an at-large bid to the Division III tournament.

In Division II, Delta State University failed to reach the Gulf South Conference Softball Tournament, but Mississippi College entered as the third seed. The Choctaws charged through the field and reached the title game, crushing the University of Alabama in Huntsville 18-5 to earn the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

This is Mississippi College’s first-ever GSC title in softball and the first GSC title for the college’s athletic program in general since the 1994-1995 men’s basketball team won a championship in the conference.

The Division I schools in our state will try to repeat the performance of Mississippi College when their tournaments start on Wednesday, May 10.

Alcorn State University is the No. 1 seed out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division and will play Southern University, the No. 4 seed out of the West Division at 6 p.m. In the second round, the Braves will face either the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which is the No. 2 seed out of the West, or the No. 3 seed from the East, Alabama A&M University.

In the other half of the SWAC bracket, Mississippi Valley State University is the No. 4 seed from the East and has to face the No. 1 seed from the West, Texas Southern University, at 3 p.m. The Delta Devils will then face either the No. 2 seed in the East, Alabama State University, or Prairie View A&M University, which is the No. 3 seed in the West, in the second round.

The SWAC Softball Tournament is a double-elimination tournament, with the top four teams from the East and West getting into the event. Jackson State University finished fifth in the East Division and will not participate in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the SEC Softball Tournament will be good news and bad news for Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi. The Bulldogs and Rebels clash in the first round at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with the good news being that one of them is guaranteed to reach the second round.

Then comes the …

Shopping in the bargain bin isn’t something some people like to talk about, but most of us love to get a good deal when possible. At this point in the NFL offseason, teams are now looking for bargains on veteran players.

There are still some good players left on the market looking for jobs. Some of these athletes could even help a team such as the New Orleans Saints. They might have to do some magic to work some cap space but could look for a free agent to step in as a pass rusher.

One of the better names on the market is Dwight Freeney, who played for the Atlanta Falcons last season. He only posted three sacks last year but still can create pressure on a quarterback. At age 37, he will likely only sign with a team that he believes is a contender for the Super Bowl.

The Saints could go with 32-year-old veteran Mario Williams, who spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. He only recorded 1.5 sacks then, but if healthy and motivated, he could raise that total.

A couple of other names on the market are Jared Odrick and Devin Taylor. Odrick spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played only six games with one sack. The 29-year-old defensive end might sign cheap on a one-year “prove it” deal. Taylor played with the Detroit Lions last season but recorded just 4.5 sacks in 16 games played.

There are some pass-rushing linebackers still on the market, as well. The Saints are loaded at linebacker right now but need a pass rusher. If any of these players fit the scheme and price, he could be a good fit.

Two names that stand out at linebacker are Elvis Dumervil and Erik Walden. Dumervil has spent his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens, and Walden played for the Lions last season.

Dumervil only played in eight games last season with three sacks. Walden recorded 11 sacks in 16 games but never had more than six sacks before last year. The question is whether last year was a sign of things to come for a few seasons or just a fluke.

Looking at a different position, if the Saints want to add help at wide receiver, there are still a few names out there. Getting most of these players is all about signing at the right price.

Anquan Boldin is about to be 37 years old, but last season, he caught 67 passes for 584 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a proven leader and could help mentor the young receivers in New Orleans.

Injuries robbed former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz of what he might have been otherwise. In a limited role last season, he caught 39 passes for 586 yards and one touchdown. His celebratory salsa dancing would also seem like a …

NFL fans can argue whether or not the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team,” but they can’t argue that the men with stars on their helmets can move merchandise. Two rookies led Dallas to the playoff last season and led the NFL Players Association’s Top 50 players year-end sale list for March 1, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2017.

Rookie Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott landed in the top spot and is the first rookie to finish the year on top of the sales list. Fellow Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott followed him.

After Dallas drafted Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, he landed a starting role Dallas after No. 1 quarterback Tony Romo and No. 2 quarterback Kellen Moore got injured. It was a role Prescott excelled at last season, so much that it pushed Romo into retirement.

Dallas finished with three of the spots in the top five, and wide receiver Dez Bryant came in fourth. The young Cowboys core is poised to take over the league on and off the field if they can repeat or better the feat from 2016.

Ageless tight end Jason Witten of Dallas finished 12th on the list, and Romo finished at No. 15 even though he played just a few snaps in the season finale. Dallas was the only team that had five players land in the top 15 of the list.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady finished in third even though he was suspended for four games at the beginning of last season. The finish was perfect, as he led an epic comeback from 25 points down to win the Super Bowl.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. rounds out the top five. Wall posters of his insane catch against the Cowboys might have led to his lead in the wall-mural sales on Fathead.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is No. 6, Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz came in at No. 7, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers reached No. 8, Brady’s teammate tight end Rob Gronkowski reached No. 9—even with missing the Super Bowl to injury—and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton closed out the top 10.

Quarterbacks landed the most spots on the list with 19 single-callers making it. Wide receivers were second with 17 players, and nine defensive players made the list with three running backs and two tight ends.

Dallas wasn’t the only team to land five players on the list, as the Seahawks pulled off the feat as well. Joining Wilson on the list is cornerback Richard Sherman at No. 24, wide receiver Tyler Lockett at No. 43, safety Kam Chancellor at No. 47 and wide receiver Doug Baldwin at No. 49.

Five teams, the Patriots, Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders, landed three players each on the list. The Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and New York Giants each placed two players on the list. …

The winner of the 143rd Kentucky Derby will need to navigate a full field of 20 this Saturday, May 6. Officially, 22 horses are eligible for the race, with Royal Mo and Master Plan as alternates, but they need two horses to withdraw by early Friday morning to be in the field.

Ben Huffman, Churchill Downs Racing Secretary, and Dan Bork, Churchill Downs Assistant Racing Secretary, pulled the post numbers at the event held at the Churchill Downs. The post-draw and early-line odds for the first leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing this morning, Wednesday, May 3 sets the stage for the one and one-quarter mile race.

Classic Empire drew the No. 14 post, and the horse is the early 4-1 favorite. Only two have won from the No. 14 post, with the last happening in 1961 when Carry Black won.

Good news for Classic Empire is that the betting favorite has won the derby the past four years, which is the longest winning streak for the favorite since the 1970s.

The co-second favorites at 5-1 odds are Always Dreaming, who drew the No. 5 post, and McCraken, who drew the No. 15 post. The last winner from the No. 5 post was California Chrome in 2014, and the last winner from the No. 15 post was Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015.

Irish War Cry will break from the No. 17 post at 6-1 odds. No horse has won the derby from that position. At 6-1, Irish War Cry is the last of the four horses listed with single-digit odds.

No. 7 post Girvin is the first of four horses at 15-1 odds, with Hence next to him in the No. 8 post. Gunnevera out of the No. 10 post and Gormley from the No. 18 post are the other two horses at 15-1 odds.

Six horses are at 20-1 odds, with Lookin At Lee in the No. 1 post. Lookin at Lucky, the sire to Looking At Lee, also drew the No. 1 post in 2010 and was the favorite at 6-1 before the race, but he finished sixth.

Thunder Snow drew the No. 2 post, Irap drew the No. 9 post, J Boys Echo drew the No. 13 post Tapwrit drew the No. 16 post, and Practical Joke round all the horse at 20-1 odds. The rest of the field is full of extremely long shots.

Untrapped in post No. 4, State of Honor in post No. 6, Battle of Midway in post No. 11 and Patch in post No. 20 are at early 30-1 odds. Patch is an interesting horse in this race, as he is missing his left eye.

Fast and Accurate, which Olympic skier Bode Miller partially owns, will break from the No. 3 post. That horse and Sonneteer out of the No. 12 post are listed at 50-1 odds. Sonneteer hasn’t won a race in his career, and if he …