By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

A state championship is on the minds of prep baseball and softball players and coaches at the start of every season.

Getting to Trustmark Park in Pearl is the ultimate goal for every prep baseball player on every team in the state of Mississippi when the season tips off. And playing well in region action and earning a top four seed is the first step.

Getting to Hattiesburg at The University of Southern Mississippi is the ultimate goal for every prep softball player on every team in the state of Mississippi when the season tips off. And playing well in region action and earning a top four seed is the first step.

Each week until the overall state tournament starts in mid-May, SouthMiss6 Sports will be the place to be to keep up with the most complete and comprehensive info about all things prep baseball and prep softball featuring stories and photos in the “Southern Six” counties of the state of Mississippi.

Each week we will take a look at at least five players and five games to keep an eye on as well as release our weekly “Super 7 in the Southern 6” polls.

Around the Diamond in the “Southern 6”

This week’s “Around the Diamond in the Southern 6” players list is comprised of some of the area standouts in prep baseball and prep softball that helped their respective squads earn bids in the South State semifinals last week:

1. Cortez King, Resurrection — After the Eagles fell in game one to Noxapater Saturday, game two was all Eagles. More specifically, game two was too much Cortez King. King, just an eighth grader, smacked a pair of home runs for RCS and collected a game-high three hits and a game-high four RBIs in an 11-0 win. King smacked a two-run homer in the fourth frame and added another two-run round-tripper in the sixth stanza to end the game prematurely. Then, on Tuesday night, King came in to pitch the final two innings and earn the win in an 8-6 road win to wrap up the series.
2. Anthony Tanner, East Central — Tanner’s two-run double put the Hornets up quickly 2-0 Monday against North Pike and then he scored on a passed ball and it was 3-0 early He went on and had two doubles and drove in a game-high three runs to pace the Hornets offensively as ECHS clipped the Jaguars 6-2 in the rubber match of that series and move on to the second round of the Class 5A South State playoffs for the fifth straight season. He also finished up the final three innings on the mound to earn a save.
3. Martin Shaw, Vancleave — With the Bulldogs down 7-2 Monday in game three against Brookhaven and seemingly on the verge of the season ending, Shaw smacked a two-run home run and then added an RBI-single in the sixth stanza made it 9-8 and four batters and two outs later he scored on a passed ball to knot the situation up at 9-9. Two innings later, Shaw singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and scored the walk-off, game-winning run on Dane McElroy’s RBI-sacrifice fly to help guide the Bulldogs into the Class 5A South State semifinals this week.
4. Cannon Hensarling, Ocean Springs— Hensaring, the Nicholls State signee, went the distance to pick up the pitching win in the rubber match against visiting Northwest Rankin Monday night as he struck out six and walked three while allowing eight hits. The Greyhounds rallied for two runs late in the game to break a 4-4 tie and take the lead, and the Cougars scratched across a run in the top of the seventh before Hensarling ended the game with a strike out to seal the win.
5. Teagan DeWitt, Hancock (Softball) — DeWitt, the senior standout who guided the Lady Hawks to the Class. 6A state finals last season, got her team off to a quick start in the state playoffs this season with a comfortable 12-0 and 16-1 sweep of Terry last week. In game one, DeWitt hit a two-run inside the park and drove in three runs total and in the nightcap she added three doubles and two RBis. She also picked up the complete game pitching win in the opener with a four inning no-hitter striking out seven.

This Week’s Games (Baseball):

1. West Jones at George County — Friday in the Class 6A South State semifinals game one for both teams.
2. Hattiesburg at Pearl River Central — Friday in the Class 6A South State semifinals game one for both teams.
3. Brandon at Ocean Springs — Friday Friday in the Class 7A South State semifinals game one for both teams.
4. Vancleave at South Jones — Saturday in the Class 5A South State semifinals game two for both teams.
5. Florence at East Central — Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A South State semifinals game two for both teams.

South Miss 6 Sports Super 7 Polls

Super 7 in the Southern 6 Prep baseball and softball Polls!!!!

(April 30th edition)

(Our weekly polls are the ONLY ones in the state of Mississippi that’s voted solely on by a panel of head baseball and softball coaches)

Baseball:

1. Vancleave 25-6
2. Ocean Springs 24-6-1
3. George County 20-9
4. Pearl River Central 17-11
5. East Central 18-13
6. St. Stanislaus 20-11
7. Resurrection 16-11

Softball:

1. George County 26-2
2. East Central 24-5
3. Hancock 20-4
4. Harrison Central 14-15
5. PRC 12-6-1
6. Pass Christian 19-7
7. Poplarville 14-9-1