College baseball coaches and Major League Baseball scouts areconverging on Meridian Community College this week. The State Gamesof Mississippi will showcase its high school baseball tournamentThursday through Sunday on the Meridian CC diamond.

The local angle, featuring players from District Seven orsouthwest Mississippi, adds extra interest to the fray. DistrictSeven has been a bronze medalist the last three years and the nextstep is silver.

For sure, it won’t be easy. Powerhouse teams from District Six(Jackson), District Five (Hattiesburg) and District Eight (GulfCoast) are the prohibitive favorites. Rising juniors and seniorsrepresent each district.

George Lott III of North Pike and his younger brother, DustinLott of Brookhaven, are directing the District Seven squad.

Lawrence County ace Scott Votaw will throw Game 1 for DistrictSeven at 4 p.m. today. District Two, out of northwest Mississippi,will provide the competition. It mainly consists of players fromNorth and South Panola, Oxford, Olive Branch, Senatobia, WaterValley, Myrtle, and Lafayette County,

“We have a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things,”said Dustin Lott. “The (district) coaches did a good job selectingthe best players.”

It’s unusual to have two brothers coaching the same team but itshould be an advantage, according to Dustin. “It will be funcoaching with my brother.” George Lott III is 42 and Dustin is 12years younger.

The 20 District Seven players reported for duty Wednesday. Therewas only one no-show and he had a good excuse.

Ryan Ellis, a first baseman from Columbia, was invited to theUSA baseball team tryouts in North Carolina.

Looking at the District Seven roster, Travis Keene of Loyd Starand Forest Dungan of Columbia will be the catchers.

Second basemen are Tyler B. Case of Loyd Star, and Aaron Ellzeyof Columbia.

Infielders/pitchers are: Korey Allen of Loyd Star, JakeBrumfield of ACCS, Matt Smith of Wesson, Scott Votaw of LawrenceCounty, Gabe Wilson of Brookhaven.

Outfielders: Revis Butler of North Pike, Marquis Hayes of LoydStar, Ken Hodges of North Pike, Bubba Keene of Brookhaven Academy,Dylan Lea of Lawrence County and Scottie Peavey of Brookhaven.

Pure pitchers: Nathan Taylor of Parklane, a southpaw, will throwGame Two Friday. Courtney Forbes, a right-hander from Columbia, andKody Anderson, a right-hander from West Marion, are the other purepitchers

Also on the mound if needed: Allen, Case, Brumfield, Peavey,Smith.

If you want to make the Meridian scene, the DistrictSeven/District Two loser plays at 1 p.m. Friday. Make sure to takeyour umbrella, sunglasses, sunscreen and lots of water. Admissionis $5 per day.

A District Seven victory would send the local stars against thewinner of the District Six (Jackson area) District Three(Clarksdale/Indianola) winner tomorrow night at 7.

A lot of the Mississippi districts are blessed with large highschools and strong baseball programs. In District Seven, there areslim pickings when you consider the shortage of large high schools.Natchez, an also-ran in baseball, is the only Class 6A school.

There are just two 5A schools, Brookhaven and McComb, withrespectable baseball programs. However, a lot of good players comeout of District Seven but not as many as other, largerdistricts.

For sure, Copiah-Lincoln Community College has been on the shortend of the stick when it comes to signing this area’s best baseballplayers. Catcher Hunter Renfroe of Copiah Academy has signed withMeridian Community College, citing the preponderance of future MLBsignees. In 2009, Brookhaven Academy catcher Kolby Byrd opted for ascholarship with Mississippi State University and wasredshirted.

In 2008, Corey Dickerson of Brookhaven Academy signed withMeridian. Dickerson signed with the Colorado Rockies two weeksago.

Also in 2008, BHS southpaw pitcher Paxton King signed withSouthern Miss. He redshirted in 2009 but saw ample duty as a reliefpitcher in 2010.

Obviously, pitching is the key to a college team’s success.State, Ole Miss and Southern were short-handed this season and itwas obvious in the NCAA Regionals. Co-Lin was short-handed orweak-armed on the mound, too.

Most teams have several strong hitters but pitching makes thedifference at crunch time. Good pitchers are coveted like gold.

The DAILY LEADER’s football questionnaires are in the mail andcoaches are encouraged to check their mailboxes. Wesson’s TommyClopton was the first coach to respond, faxing his information tous the same day he received it.

The information will be compiled and used in the DL’s annualGridiron Preview. Publication date is Aug. 20.

Write to sports editor Tom Goetz, c/o The DAILY LEADER, P.O. BOX551, Brookhaven, MS 39602 or e-mail sports@dailyleader.com