By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

A state championship is on the minds of prep baseball and softball players and coaches this week in the “Southern Six” as all seven classifications will be involved in their respective region races.

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.

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.

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 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 and championship round:

1. Anthony Tanner, East Central — With the season on the line for the Hornets trailing Florence 2-1 on the road Wednesday in game three of the Class 5A South State semifinals, Tanner led off the top of the sixth stanza with a single and Grant Vick followed with a walk. Matthew Combs then offered up a sacrifice bunt that the Eagles mis-played into a two-run error as both Tanner and Vick crossed the plate in the process and suddenly ECHS was up 3-2 with a lead it would never relinquish. Meanwhile, on the mound. Tanner took over for starter Christian McFaul to open the sixth and allowed just one walk in the sixth and one in the seventh to record a save and extend the season for the Hornets.
2. Canyon Reeves, George County — Defending Class 6A state champion George County has faced an elimination game five times in the past year in the state playoffs and survived each time. And Rebel standout pitcher Canyon Reeves has had a hand in almost every decision. On Monday night, the Rebels repeated that success in their first do-or-die test this year as George County bombed upstart West Jones 11-1 in just five frames. Reeves, perhaps the top closer in South Mississippi, was handed the ball for just the second starting assignment of his career. All he did, after giving up a lone unearned run in the top of the first, was settle in and shutdown West Jones the rest of the way and wind up with a worksheet of five singles allowed, eight strike outs and no walks to earn the win. He also hit a two-run home run.
3. Hunter Harper, Vancleave — In a classic duel between two of the top starting pitchers in South Mississippi, Vancleave senior southpaw standout Harper shined. Harper hurled a complete game one-hit shutout Friday night as his Bulldogs nipped visiting South Jones 1-0 in game one of the Class 5A South State semifinal round match-up. Harper’s outstanding performance included seven strikeouts and three walks. He allowed only a single to the third Braves batter of the game, and he set down the side in order three times. Harper out-dueled Southern Miss signee Dylan Causey of the Braves, who was almost as masterful tossing a complete game two-hitter and striking out nine while walking four.
4. Abbie Huff, East Central (Softball) — The Lady Hornets opened the Class 5A South State championship series Thursday with a 10-0 win over longtime arch-rival Vancleave and Huff wielded the big stick at the plate for the Lady Hornets as she collected game-high totals in hits with three doubles and RBIs with four. She also had a key hit in the game-ending six run rally in the bottom of the fifth, registering a two-run double.
5. Blakely Slay, George County (Softball) —  George County nipped Hancock 3-2 Thursday night in game one of the Class 6A South state championship series. Slay, the standout infielder for the Lady Rebels, sliced a two-run double to center that put the Lady Rebels on the board and knotted the affair up at 2-2 in the decisive three run bottom of the sixth. She led GCHS offensively with two hits and those two RBIs, and also scored the game-winning run.

This Week’s Games (Baseball/Softball):

1. PRC at George County (Baseball) — Saturday at 7 in the Class 6A South State championship game one for both teams.
2. Hancock vs. George County (Softball) — Saturday at 1 at Perk in the Class 6A South State championship series game two.
3. East Central vs. Vancleave (Softball) —  Saturday at 3 at Perk in the Class 5A South State championship series game two.
4. South Panola at Neshoba Central (Softball) — Friday or Saturday in game three of the Class 6A North State championship series.
5. Lafayette at New Hope (Softball) — Friday in game two of the Class 5A North State championship series for both teams. New Hope leads 1-0.

South Miss 6 Sports Super 7 Polls

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

(May 8th 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. George County 22-10
2. East Central 20-14
3. Pearl River Central 19-11
4. Vancleave 26-8
5. Ocean Springs 24-8-1
6. St. Stanislaus 21-13
7. Resurrection 17-13

Softball:

1. George County 29-2
2. East Central 27-6
3. Hancock 22-4
4. Harrison Central 14-17
5. Vancleave 15-19
6. Pass Christian 19-9
7. Poplarville 14-11-1