Former KHS players take Navarro to the top

STILL RACKING UP WINS FOR THE BULLDOGS - Former Kilgore High School standouts (from left) Jess Todd, Pat McCrory and Josh Majors are still Bulldogs - the three play for Navarro College in Corsicana - and are still winning. The Navarro Bulldogs, the East Zone champions, are hoping to win next weekend's Region XIV Conference tournament in Mount Pleasant and earn a trip to the NJCAA World Series in Colorado. Todd and McCrory are among the conference leaders in pitching and batting, and Majors is returning from a wrist injury. Two former Kilgore High School players have helped guide Navarro College in Corsicana to the East Zone baseball title of the Region XIV Conference, and a third former Bulldog hopes to help his new Bulldogs to even more success this year.

Three former KHS players - Jess Todd, Pat McCrory and Josh Majors - are helping Navarro (also the Bulldogs) continue its strong baseball program.

Next up for the NC Bulldogs (22-6) is the regional tournament at Mount Pleasant at Northeast Texas Community College next week - May 13-15.

Navarro is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will face the No. 4 seed, either Laredo or Delgado, who had to face off in a play-in game to get into the tournament.

Todd, who graduated KHS in 2004 after he, McCrory and Majors helped the Bulldogs to their best season in 30 years, has had plenty of success in the junior college ranks, as well. The righthanded pitcher is 9-2 this season and led all hurlers in the Region XIV Conference with a 1.48 earned run average (ERA). He has 73 strikeouts.

Majors has been injured - he wore a cast on his wrist for much of this season - but hopes to be back to help Navarro finish the season. He also graduated with Todd in 2004, a part of Kilgore's best finish since the early 1970s, and after helping the Bulldogs win a share of the district championship. Since 2004, Kilgore has won three straight district titles, the last two outright.

McCrory, who was able to come home to Kilgore earlier this week for the Fort Worth CatsShreveport Sports exhibition game held at Driller Park, has been red-hot - he's practically hitting .500 (.492), and has 61 RBI and eight home runs. McCrory was sporting a strawberry-like scratch on his chin from an injury in practice.

McCrory graduated from KHS last season.

File photos by Kathy Bowden The Bulldogs are also aided by Chris Davis, a former Longview High School standout, who has 16 homers this year and a .402 average.

Navarro is coached by Skip Johnson.

The rest of the schedule for the tournament (games on May 13)

 Paris Junior College vs. Blinn, 10 a.m.

 Texarkana College vs. San Jacinto College, 1 p.m.

 Panola Junior College vs. Alvin Community College, 5 p.m.

 Navarro vs. the Laredo-Delgado winner, 8 p.m.

The rest of the tournament, obviously, will be set after the first day.

The winner of that regional tournament will go on to the NJCAA World Series in Colorado.

Keep up with Navarro and the three former KHS Bulldogs here in the Kilgore News Herald sports section.