For the last two years, Mississippi’s college baseball fans have been treated to some of the best teams in the country.

First, Mississippi State made it to the championship series at the College World Series in 2013. Then, last year, it was Ole Miss’ turn to go to Omaha.

Both were memorable experiences — not to mention godsends for the state’s sports writers who might otherwise have had to cover marbles tournaments to fill a newspaper during one of the slowest sports months of the year.

It’s looking like the good times are over, though. Both State and Ole Miss are doing all they can to stay above .500 this season. Southern Miss has a better record, but it seems the only way it’ll get into the College World Series is by buying a ticket.

So, if you can’t go to Omaha, why not Enid?

Enid. Oklahoma.

Sure, it doesn’t have the same ring to it or mystique that Omaha does, but there are a lot of reasons to think about a trip there in the last week of May for the National Junior College Athletics Association Division II World Series.

While the state’s major programs are struggling, the best junior college team in the country plays 30 minutes up the road from Vicksburg and is tearing through everything in its path.

Hinds Community College has held the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA’s Division II poll for more than a month. A doubleheader sweep by Southwest Mississippi last week doubled Hinds’ loss total in a single afternoon.

Yes, Hinds is 33-4 heading into the final week of the regular season. It was the national runner-up in 2014 and has serious designs on getting back to the NJCAA World Series this year.

There’s a dozen players on the roster who have already signed with four-year schools, and the number is expected to grow. Coach Sam Temple likes to point out that another, Luke Reynolds, would have been in that number but enrolled early at Mississippi State after signing last summer.

Besides rooting for a really good team, however, there are plenty of reasons for Warren County sports fans to jump on the Hinds bandwagon.

Five players — catchers Hunter Austin, Jonah Masterson and Joshua Sterling, pitcher Carlisle Koestler and outfielder Hunter Bell — came from Warren County high schools. Austin and Bell have been key contributors this season.

The coach is also a Vicksburg native. Temple played high school ball at Porters Chapel, coached Warren Central to its only state championship in 2001, and is a proud representative of his hometown.

Beyond those ties, Hinds is essentially Vicksburg’s hometown college. Countless students over the years have gone to school and played sports there. It’s a huge asset to the community, and getting a moment in the national spotlight benefits everyone.

Hinds has two more doubleheaders, Saturday on the road at Mississippi Delta and Monday at home against Meridian Community College, before finally heading off to the state tournament and beyond.

The doubleheader with Meridian is scheduled for 3 and 5:30 p.m. Head over to Raymond and support the Eagles if you can and jump on the bandwagon. Maybe it’ll roll all the way on to Oklahoma.

•

Ernest Bowker is a sports writer. He can be reached at 601-619-7120, or by email at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com