On the mound, at shortstop or at bat, Loyd Star’s Jody Brittmade a big impact for the Hornets. The right-handed senior sparkledin all aspects of the game, directing the Hornets to the Class 2ASouth State semifinals.

For his accomplishments, Britt has been selected Mr. Baseballand Most Valuable Player on The DAILY LEADER’s 2003 All-LincolnCounty Baseball Team.

Other special awards go to Brookhaven second baseman, JustinSykes, the Offensive Player of the Year; and Loyd Star pitcherJared Britt, Defensive Player of the Year.

Also on the pitching staff are Scotty Smith and Josh Townsend ofBrookhaven. The catchers are Matthew Delaughter of Loyd Star, AdamOgden of Brookhaven and Boo Burchfield of Brookhaven Academy.

Infielders are Brooks Hall and Sykes of Brookhaven and JodyBritt and David Cuevas of Loyd Star. Outfielders are Blake Wall ofLoyd Star, Ryan Nix of Brookhaven Academy and Corey Smith ofBrookhaven.

Jeremy Branning of West Lincoln is the designated hitter andReggie Smith of Brookhaven and Justin Kyzar of Enterprise are theutility players.

Jody Britt, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound. right-handed senior, isrecognized for his all-around athletic ability. He played football,basketball, golf and baseball at Loyd Star. He has signed abaseball scholarship with Copiah-Lincoln Community College,following the footsteps of his older brothers, Kevin and Jeff.

On the diamond, Britt batted .481 and hit 11 home runs, tyinghim with several Magnolia State players for the highest total. WhenBritt wasn’t on the mound, he played shortstop. As a pitcher, heposted a 6-3 record.

Asked about his batting skills, Britt said, “I worked a lot onpicking up what (pitchers) were throwing.” His brother, Kevin, ishead baseball coach at Petal.

Britt said he was disappointed to see the Hornets end theirseason in the South State semifinals, losing to Seminary. “We had areal good team and could have done better.”

Britt wears jersey No. 11, in memory of his oldest brother,Jeff, who was killed in an automobile accident 14 years ago.

Loyd Star head coach Sidney Wheatley said Britt was a key to theHornets’ outstanding campaign. He made a strong comeback from ACLsurgery last spring.

“Jody was healthy and that gave us a lift,” said Wheatley. “Hereally carried us in some early division games.”

Jared Britt, (6-1, 180), a junior southpaw, wears jersey No. 30,in honor of father, Bruce, a former standout at Loyd Star. Thisseason Britt posted a 7-3 record as the Hornets won the Division6-2A championship.

“My curve ball was my best pitch,” said Britt. “I improved mypitching and batting from last year.”

At the plate, Britt batted .490 and hit 6 homers. He playedcenter field when he wasn’t pitching.

“Jared is a fighter, a real bulldog on the mound for us,” saidWheatley. “He had a great year at the plate, too. He matured andgrew up so much since his sophomore year.”

Justin Sykes (5-10, 175) made a remarkable comeback from armsurgery to lead the Brookhaven Panthers in batting. He posted a.439 average as Brookhaven captured the Division 6-4Achampionship.

Early in his junior season, Sykes broke a bone in his upperright arm while pitching in a game, April 11, 2002. A tumor wasdiscovered on the bone and some questions were raised about himever playing baseball again.

“A lot of people said they never expected me to play again,”said Sykes. “But I love baseball.”

Sykes diligently went through a rehabilitation program and madesteady progress strengthening his arm. He plans to play baseball atCo-Lin next season.

“Last November the doctor released me and said I could startthrowing,” said Sykes. He is a member of the National HonorSociety.

Brookhaven head coach Randy Spring said he was impressed bySykes’ dedication. “Justin worked very hard to regain strength inhis arm. The fact that he was able to play this year carried a lotof weight with the success of our team.

“He’s a line drive, kind of gap hitter. He has shown some powerand has good speed.”

Sykes stole 17 bases and scored 46 runs, both team bests. Hecollected 9 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs, plus 30 RBI.

Branning, the dream team’s designated hitter, posted a .508batting average for Coach Andrew Redd’s Bears. He hit 3 homers andhad 19 RBI.

Reggie Smith of Brookhaven is one of the team’s utility playes.The versatile senior pitcher/infielder posted a 4-4 record on themound. At the plate, he batted .421, collecting 11 doubles, 5triples, 2 homers and 28 RBI. He had a .705 sluggingpercentage.

Justin Kyar led the Yellow Jackets with a .349 batting average.He played shortstop, catcher and outfield.

Scotty Smith, a junior right-hander for the Panthers, registereda 1.85 ERA while posting a 5-3 record plus 2 saves.

HONORABLE MENTION WITH DISTINCTION

Bogue Chitto: Caleb McCaffery, Luke Moak, ChrisBrown.

Brookhaven: Grant McDonnieal, Darius Perkins,Josh Anderson.

Brookhaven Academy: Layne Moreton, JonathanStrong, Ben Sandifer.

Enterprise: Scott Sasser, Darren Brady, DavidRussell.

Loyd Star: Cody Cunningham, Justin Whatley,Patrick Holcomb, Lee Newell.

West Lincoln: Dan Lofton, Landon Case, CaseyBritt, Phil Jarancik.