ADAM DAIGLE

This column isn’t meant to take a shot at the productive seasons so far by Mississippi State, LSU, Southern Miss or anyone else whose postseason aspirations go beyond making it to the conference tournament.

This is to shed light one of the more under-publicized turnarounds in the state right now. Just off US 82 outside of Itta Bena, Mississippi Valley State is in the midst of a storybook season that may end up in the finals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament against Southern.

But that’s looking ahead. Right now the Delta Devils are in good shape for getting in after taking all four from Alcorn this weekend.

&uot;We’ve got four more games against Alabama State,&uot; Valley head coach Doug Shanks said Saturday. &uot;If we lose them all, we may still be in the playoffs. I don’t think we’ll lose them all.&uot;

Shanks, in his third year, has continued to move the program along with little steps. The next step was setting a school record in wins &045; which they did Sunday with win No. 20 &045; after setting a school record for most SWAC wins in a season.

Which, of course, doesn’t say much for the Valley program. But consider where the Delta Devils were in their last two seasons &045;&160;10-14 in the SWAC and 10-41 overall in 2002 (that’s 0-27 in non-conference) and 10-16 and 12-36 in 2001 (2-20 non-conference).

&uot;It’s been three years of hard work,&uot; said Shanks, who came out of retirement following 30 years of coaching Legion ball to Itta Bena. &uot;The first year we got there we had to play with what was there, which wasn’t very much. I brought in my first class last year, and we played a heck of a schedule. Our record didn’t reflect the progress, but you could see it coming.&uot;

Scheduling, too, has helped. The Delta Devils had one of the top 20 toughest schedules in the nation last year, and this year’s slate isn’t easier.

Valley lost to Southern Miss, 11-0, in the inaugural Adjutant General’s Cup in Jackson and will play at Mississippi State Tuesday.

&uot;I thought we were going to be pretty good last year, but it didn’t turn out,&uot; said Valley junior Tee Thomas, a Starkville native. &uot;We’ve got players who understand how to win and work hard every day in practice. We’ve played tough competition earlier in the year, and we made mistakes. Now we’re getting to the point when a team makes mistakes against us we’re making them pay.&uot;

The players Shanks has brought in has made the biggest difference. He landed several junior college transfers and other transfers to build the most competitive team possible.

In the world of SWAC baseball, that can make a world of a difference.

&uot;A lot of people don’t realize when you look at a Valley team you have to understand this &045;&160;Valley has mature ball players,&uot; Alcorn head coach Willie &uot;Rat&uot; McGowan said.&160;&uot;He’s got a something that a lot of teams don’t have in our conference. He’s got good arms over there.&uot;

But with the transfers brings transient talent, and that’s what the Delta Devils will hope to avoid. But they’ll worry about that later.

They’re just taking it one game at a time.

&uot;I can’t remember when Valley beat Alcorn,&uot; McGowan said. &uot;He (Shanks) went in there, got those junior college ball players, had the connections with others schools and put a team together. He’s done a fantastic job up there.&uot;

Adam Daigle

is sports editor for The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 445-3632 or by e-mail at

adam.daigle@natchezdemocrat.com