Three players to represent 2A in all-star game
Published 7:02 pm Thursday, June 1, 2017
Loyd Star seniors Parker Flowers and Konner Allen will be making one last trip to Trustmark Park Saturday afternoon.
The two Hornets players will be joining West Lincoln senior Seth Bivens on the 1A/2A South team in the 2017 D.M. Howie MS High School All-Star Baseball game at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
Flowers, Allen and Bivens are the only three players representing Lincoln County in the 1A/2A game Saturday afternoon. Wesson senior Jeremy Smith will be representing the Cobras in the 3A/4A All Star game Saturday afternoon as well.
For the two Loyd Star seniors, they’ll be making their first trip back to Trustmark Park since winning the 2A state championship back in May. It’s a moment the two seniors will relish as they put on their Loyd Star uniforms for the last time.
“I am proud of Parker and Konner. They have worked hard to have the honor of playing with some of the best athletes in the state,” Loyd Star head coach Jared Britt said. “I am glad they have the opportunity to showcase their talents with the other all stars.”
Allen has been a four-year starter for Britt at Loyd Star and the head coach noticed the growth Allen had from his freshman year to now as a graduate. The Hornet third baseman finished the season with a .330 batting average, 37 RBIs and three home runs.
Flowers has been the heart and soul of the Loyd Star program for a long time. The thought of him putting on the Hornets jersey for one last time is a surreal thought for Britt and the Hornet community. In his final season, Flowers batted .306, 36 RBIs and eight home runs. As the second starter in the pitching rotation, he owned a 9-1 record with a 2.90 ERA, including the title-clinching win over East Union.
“To have the opportunity to play together one last time in an all-star game is a memory they’ll always have,” Britt said. “I’m excited to watch them this weekend represent not only Loyd Star, but also the city of Brookhaven.”
As one of the four seniors on the West Lincoln baseball team, Bivens did everything he could on the mound and at the plate to make the Bears a contender.
Bivens mashed at the plate with a .463 batting average and a team-high 35 RBIs and four home runs on the season. On the mound, he owned a 5-3 overall record and a team best 1.84 ERA as the second starter in the rotation.
Head coach David Gilbert said Bivens was one of the best and most passionate players that he’s coached since arriving at West Lincoln in 2014. His passion and heart also led him into trouble some times.
“Seth loves the game and has a big heart, and that kind of got him into trouble some times,” Gilbert said. “He practices well and he played really well for us in his senior year. He also took some of the hurt on his shoulders when we didn’t play well.”
For the West Lincoln baseball program, Bivens making it to the All-Star game at Trustmark marks one of the few times a player from the school has reached this point. In a milestone moment, Gilbert wants his senior to make the most of the moment and represent the school with the same passion that got him to this point.
“To do it for our program and for Seth to be there means a lot for West Lincoln,” Gilbert said. “From a kid that has all the ability in the world, he answered a lot of doubts his senior year and really made West Lincoln proud.”