Three of the four baseball teams, including Chipola last season, have captured junior-college national championships. The fourth, St. Petersburg Junior College, was national runner-up in 2004.

And, if that's not enough, as many as 12 players from the teams could be selected in the top five rounds of major-league baseball's amateur draft in June.

"It's by far the best collection of junior-college talent that we've seen," said Chipola coach Jeff Johnson, whose team played in the Coyote Baseball Slugout in Las Vegas last weekend. "We are extremely excited about this tournament, and it's going to be a great test for us."

The three-day tourney starts Friday and features two or three games each day.

The tourney also features Chipola's alumni game on Saturday. Former players scheduled to attend include current major-leaguers Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adam Loewen of Baltimore and Jose Bautista of Pittsburgh; and minor-leaguers Alan Horne (New York Yankees, Marianna native), Cole Armstrong (White Sox) and Barret Browning (Angels), who also pitched at Florida State.

Martin, an all-star selection and Gold Glove winner last season, is excited to return to Chipola.

"I grew up at Chipola more than any other time in my life," Martin said. "The hard work at Chipola has translated into my pro career."

The Indians won the program's first-ever national baseball championship with a 7-3 victory over New Mexico JC in the NJCAA National Championship Game in Grand Junction, Colo., last year.

Winning pitcher Ryan Chaffee, who tossed a complete game and was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the tournament, headlines Chipola's staff this season.