District Seven baseball team set for State Games

Published 5:00 am Friday, June 9, 2006

WESSON – After hours of throwing, running, and hittingbaseballs, the 2006 District 7 State Games of Mississippi baseballteam was announced. Sixty-three players participated in thesweat-soaked, 4-hour workout but only 18 made the team out ofsouthwest Mississippi’s public and private schools.

“It was a very hard selection,” said District Seven

coach Stephen Cooksey of Brookhaven Academy. “We had the largestturnout in District Seven history. Out of

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63 young men. It was very hard narrowing our list to

18.”

Players from the graduating classes of 2007 and 2008 tried outfor the team. Participants ran 60-yard

shuttles, threw, hit, and caught grounders and popups

as part of the workout on Copiah-Lincoln Community

College’s Sullivan Field. Cooksey and McComb coach

Brian Eby will oversee the District Seven squad.

After a one hour meeting with several district

coaches, the team was announced. The players include PaxtonKing, Josh Coone, and Zach Watson of Brookhaven High. Also, CoreyDickerson and Keith Franklin of Brookhaven Academy, Bubba Boggs ofParklane Academy, Taiwan Easterling of Magee, Joseph Evans andTrent Hartzog of Lawrence County, Daniel Watson and Micah Davis ofWesson; Brian Sanderson, Eric Perry, and Luke Brumfield of AdamsCounty Christian School; Hunter Farror of Columbia Academy, PatrickMcDonough of Natchez Cathedral, Alonzo Harris of McComb, and StevenRidley of Natchez Trinity.

Ridley is an LSU football commitment.

“We feel we have a good group of guys here,” added Cooksey. “I’mexcited about working with McComb coach Brian Eby as well with thisteam.”

District Seven has not made it past the third round

of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament since 2000,when they finished third overall.

The State Baseball Games tournament runs through June 22-25 onthe campus of Meridian Community College. It is under the CollegeWorld Series format.