Hunter Franklin and Christian “Bubba” Keene have played a lot of baseball at Brookhaven Academy. The talented duo is preparing for another high school contest Friday: the MAIS Class AA-AAA All-Star Baseball Game at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.

     Action begins at 2 p.m. with the Class A All-Star Game. Keene and Franklin play for the South AA-AAA Dream Team at 5 p.m.

     Keene, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander, is confident the South can beat the North tomorrow. “We have a lot of talent on the South. There’s Hunter DeVall from Centreville and Jake Brumfield from ACCS.”

     Other South players from this area are Cliff Hurst of 2-time AA state champion Centreville, Michael Bagley of Copiah Academy and Shane McKinley and Zach Smith of McComb Parklane.

     While Keene sparkled at the plate and on the mound, Franklin was a solid fixture at first base. Both players have signed baseball scholarships with Copiah-Lincoln Community College. They also played in last December’s All-Star Football Game.

     Franklin (5-9, 195) batted .318 this season. He had 21 RBIs and 15 doubles.

      “Hunter is a natural leader,” said Edwards. “Football, baseball, any sport he would step to the front. He would lead by example and lead vocally,too.”

     Edwards coached the Cougars to the District 4-AA championship. They advanced to the Class AA South State championship series and lost 1-0 to Centreville in Game 3.

     “Hunter was our cleanup hitter all year long,” said Edwards. “He drove in runs for us. He’s a line drive hitter who likes the six-hole and the left-center gap. He’s fast enough to get two bases out of it.”

     Franklin said he plans to pursue a career in accounting. He enjoys watching the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals on the Major League level. His favorite player is Josh Hamilton.

     Asked about Edwards, Franklin said, “He’s like a second dad to us.”

     When asked about Keene’s baseball skills, Franklin said, “Bubba is spontaneous; he’s unpredictable. We’ve been like brothers.’

     Reflecting on their early years, Franklin said, “We were on the same buddy ball team that went to South State.”

     Keene has spent much of his senior year traveling to Major League tryout camps on weekends. Edwards said Keene also has invitations to camps with Toronto, Seattle and Atlanta before next month’s MLB Draft.

     Keene batted .374 as a senior. He hit 6 homers, 8 doubles and 2 triples, collecting 23 RBIs.

     On the mound, Keene fashioned a 4-0 record with a 2.21 ERA. He had 41 strikeouts in 34 innings.

     Opposing pitchers dreaded facing Keene and he received several intentional walks.  He was walked 24 times.

     “When you are pitched around, you become very impatient,” explained Edwards. “Pitchers who got behind Bubba in the count would intentionally walk him.”

     Keene’s bat speed has impressed professional scouts. Edwards said, “Bubba’s overall athleticism and his hands are so strong and so fast. A lot of times when you take batting practice, the ball makes a different sound off his bat.”

     Edwards grinned, “You hope the screen is going to hold up when you’re pitching batting practice.”

     Keene also signed a football scholarship with Co-Lin and possesses the skills to become a college-level wide receiver. His immediate future hinges on how high he goes in the draft. He has considered a career in industrial maintenance.

     Questioned about his favorite MLB team, Keene said, “I like the Marlins.” His favorite player is Ken Griffey.

      Asked to describe Franklin’s baseball skills, Keene answered, “Hunter is a good player and he’s determined. We like to cut up together.”

     Keene said Edwards was instrumental in his academic progress. “Coach got on to me pretty good and got me through the year.”

     Next year should be interesting for Keene and Franklin.