Matt Davis named 1st team All-State in baseball; Seth George, Tyler Pritchard named to 2nd team

The Crossroads Diamond Club now does the All-State teams and has released their 2008 All-State teams and I’m pleased to announced Tish County has three All-State players on their team, all juniors.

The Diamond Club — which also oversees the all-star baseball games each June — now compiles these teams, which are chosen by a committee of high school coaches representing each classification and district (similar to the MAC All-State football teams selected each December). The baseball all-state teams were picked May 16 — the second day of the MHSAA state championship series at Trustmark Park.

Class 4A

Co-Players of the Year: Phillip Byrd, East Central and Stanton Price, Vicksburg

Co-Coaches of the Year: Jamie Creel, Vicksburg and Gary Long, East Central

First Team
P — T.J. House, Picayune
P — Matt Davis, Tishomingo County
P — Donnie Tabb, Neshoba Central
INF — Daniel Tunnell, New Albany
INF — Bowen Woodson, Vicksburg
INF — BoBo Morgan, Forrest AHS
INF — Matt Shaw, Oxford
OF — James Abraham, St. Stanislaus
OF — Caleb Dickerson, East Central
OF — Curt Presley, Oxford
C — Heath Conner, Lafayette County
UTL — Hunter Mize, Lafayette County
UTL — Tyler Aldridge, Caledonia
UTL — Paxton King, Brookhaven
Second Team
P — Ashley Graeter, Poplarville
P — Brandon Luna, New Albany
P — Charlie Sullivan, Oxford
INF — Bud Britt, Brookhaven
INF — Zach Chavers, Ponotoc
INF — Tyler Pritchard, Tishomingo County
INF — Jeremy Hill, Long Beach
OF — Bradley Jacobs, Long Beach
OF — Trey Prentiss, Vicksburg
OF — Seth George, Tishomingo County
C — David Williams, Hernando
UTL — Jake Miller, D’Iberville
UTL — Blake Hynum, Vicksburg
UTL — Boomer Scarbrough, St. Stanislaus

Tyler Pritchard and Jonathan Whirley invited to Tupelo Football Combine

Tyler Pritchard and Jonathan Whirley will participate in the Tupelo Football Combine at Tupelo High School at 9am on May 31st.  Here’s the article explaining the combine.

 

 

Tupelo, Miss. – Officials announced today that the inaugural Steve Robertson Southeast Select Combine will be held in Tupelo, Mississippi May 31, 2008 at Tupelo High School.

The Combine will host 150 top high school football athletes who are currently in their junior year of school advancing into their 2008-2009 senior year. The roster, made up of athletes from not only Mississippi but surrounding states as well, is built on personal observation, film review and contact with local high school coaches.

“Tupelo is an attractive location for us because of the abundance of talent in northeast Mississippi,” said Steve Robertson, combine organizer. “Throw in the fact that many of the prospects in the area have a tough time traveling to an event in Atlanta, New Orleans or other locations, and it was a natural fit. While we were considering multiple locations, partnerships and enthusiasm of local supporters were ultimately the deciding factor.”

Robertson hopes to make this combine an annual event with one in Tupelo and another in south Mississippi in 2009.

“Every year, I help put these events on, but sometimes there are gaps in the coverage, and kids get missed. I am doing what I can to fill in those gaps to give some of the top players in the state of Mississippi a chance to prove themselves worthy of college recruiters’ attention.”

Tupelo High School Football Coach Eric Collins added, “Having the combine in Tupelo is great for North Mississippi as it allows our students experience and a phenomenal opportunity without having to travel six to eight hours. This will open the doors for many of our students across the state to help secure scholarships and gain avenues for exposure that may otherwise not be achieved.”

The Combine will begin with registration at 9 a.m., measurements at 10 a.m. and will be followed with testing and drills such as the vertical jump test, 40-yard dash and three-cone drill. Athletes will be given instructions and advice from trainers based on their positions.

“Tupelo is proud to host the Combine, which will offer our athletes national exposure as they are listed on scout.com,” said Neal McCoy, director of sports development for the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This will also be an exciting time for football enthusiasts as the day’s events are open free to the public. We look forward to the continued partnership with combine organizers and hope to grow the event each year.”

2008 Tishomingo County Braves Baseball finishes season as North Half Runnerup; falls to Vicksburg

The Tishomingo County Braves playoff run ended on Saturday with a 7-4 loss to the mighty bats of Vicksburg.  TC brought a 4-2 lead into the fifth, but the Vicksburg bats turned it up and produced 4 runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take the lead and the series against the Braves.  The Braves have accomplished a lot this season, and have shown progress throughout.  This season has been a good one to watch and enjoy and I wish the seniors good luck in the future.  The Braves finished the season at 28-8 and tied the school record for the furthest ever result in the playoffs in baseball.  With losing no in-field starters for next season, next year should be another great year for the Braves Baseball Program.  Good job on a great season Braves!

Tishomingo County forces deciding game

Source: Vicksburg Post

http://www.vicksburgpost.com/articles/2008/05/10/sports/sports01.txt

State championship berth on the line today at 2 in final game of North State series

IUKA - Quality defense paid off for Tishomingo County and saved the Braves’ season for another day.

Tishomingo turned two key double plays and went on to post a 4-1 win over the Vicksburg Gators in Game 2 of the Class 4A North State championship series on Friday at Brewer Field.

The six-hour bus ride to the far reaches of Northeast Mississippi seemed to sap the Gators (27- of their speed. They will have to come back today at 2 in Game 3 in a bid to reach the State 4A Championship series next week in Pearl.

“We were a tad bit slow with both the infielders and outfielders. We didn’t get to a couple of balls we should have,” VHS coach Jamie Creel said. “But we have no excuses. They (Tishomingo) had a long ride back last night.”

Gator starting pitcher Brian Fitzgerald had a rough first inning, but then settled down and finished with four scoreless innings to keep the Gators in it to the end. The problem was, the Braves’ defense and pitcher Brett Morgan never allowed a rally.

“The two double plays took us out of something that could’ve been big innings for us,” Creel said. “We get a leadoff hit and then an error, but they just did a great job of making the outs. They deserved to win the game.”

The Braves touched Fitzgerald for three runs in the first inning off a leadoff triple from Tyler Pritchard followed by an error, a double by Jon Whirley and three straight walks, the last, a bases-loaded pass to Matt Davis, made it 3-0.

Vicksburg got its only run off Morgan in the second inning. Bowen Woodson reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and then scored on a hit by Fitzgerald to make it 3-1.

Tishomingo (28-7) got the run back when George tripled to the right-center gap and then came home when the outfield throw sailed into the Braves’ dugout.

Vicksburg’s best chance to draw even came in the fifth. It started after the only error made by Pritchard, the Braves’ speedy shortstop. He doubled-clutched a grounder by Ryan Ferrington to put the leadoff man on. Andrew Brown followed with his second hit of the game.

That brought up Delmon Robinson. On the first pitch, Ferrington broke for third, but TC catcher Blake Long was able to snag the high 1-0 pitch and nab Ferrington at third for the first out.

It was a key mistake, because Robinson then hit a grounder that Morgan misplayed, going to third to get Brown instead of taking the easy out at first. That left runners on the corners for Stanton Price.

Price, however, went with the first pitch from Morgan and hit a weak grounder to first. Pritchard was able to get the throw from Whirley at first and then go back to him to double-up Price and keep Brown from scoring.

Morgan gave up a leadoff single in the seventh to Blake Hynum, but he retired the next three to end the game.

“Brett Morgan was a man on a mission,” TC coach Jerry Long said. “He did an excellent job against a very good hitting ball team.”

“I just relied on my defense and threw strikes. I just wanted them to hit it and let my defense make plays,” Morgan said.

VHS had six hits, but all were singles. Brown’s two hits led the Gators.

Fitzgerald dropped to 5-3 with the loss. He allowed five hits and struck out six.

Brave Bash; TC wins 4-1 in Game Two vs. Vicksburg

 

Under pressure of winning game two, Coach Long relied on a senior to get the job done.  Brett Morgan pitched a complete game and gave up only one run.  Fitzgerald for Vicksburg gave up 4 runs in 7 innings. 

Tishomingo County will now play Vicksburg for Game Three with the winner advancing to the State Championship Series.  The game will be Saturday and will start at 6 pm.  This will be the last home game for the Braves this season.  If you can, please come out and support the Braves in this critical game.

Probable Starters for Saturday

Stanton Price (10-1, 1.04 ERA)

Derek Wright (8-0, 3.30 ERA in playoffs, 2-0 in Game 3’s)

Tishomingo County vs. Vicksburg Game Two

After a game one defeat, Tishomingo County is now at a point where they’ve never been.  They now have to win two games in a row to advance to the 4A state championship series.  Vicksburg is led by senior Stanton Price, who’s batting .588 for the season.  He also pitched a complete game for Vicksburg against TC in game one, only giving up two runs.  Game Two will be Friday at 6pm and hopefully there will be a huge crowd in favor for TC considering this is the first time TC has been in the North Half Championship since their first season of existence, 1992. 

Game Two: Starters: TBD

Top Hitters for Tishomingo County

Lee Griffin, junior

Seth George, junior

Jon Whirley, junior

Vicksburg Top Hitters

Stanton Price BA .588

Blake Hynum  BA .494

Ryan Ferrington BA .459

 

Tishomingo County must win Friday to force a game 3 which will be at 2 pm at Tishomingo County if needed. 

Vicksburg 8 - Tishomingo Co. 2 Final Game One

TC will have to battle back and win two elimination games to advance to the state championship.  The good news, both (Game Three if needed) will be at Tish County. 

TC 1 - Vicksburg 0 bottom 2nd

If you live close to Iuka, you can tune into 91.9 and listen to the game. 

 

Tishomingo County will face Vicksburg at Warren Central field on Thursday

I won’t be able to have score updates, but I will give you a heads up that TC will be playing at Warren Central.  I believe Vicksburg’s field flooded and is damaged.  Anyways, here’s an article from the Vicksburg Post about the upcoming series. 

Source: Vicksburg Post

http://www.vicksburgpost.com/articles/2008/05/07/sports/sports01.txt

Vicksburg High outfielder Trey Prentiss has given the Gators a spark hitting in the No. 3 hole. He and the Gators are scheduled to play Tishomingo County on Thursday at 6 at Warren Central. (Joshua Corban * The Vicksburg Post)

Prentiss comes through in the clutch

By Jeff Byrd

[05/07/08]

Speedy VHS outfielder has become one of team’s most feared players

Thinking about pitching around Stanton Price? Trey Prentiss is quickly showing that may not be a good move.

New Albany tried it twice in their Class 4A third-round series with the Vicksburg Gators when it handed the hot-hitting Price an intentional walk to load the bases. Prentiss responded big, in both situations.

In Game 1 at Warren Central’s Viking Field, he laced a single, scoring two runs to highlight a six-run, second inning. Vicksburg went on to post an 11-1 romp in a game called after five innings.

The next day, at New Albany, Price was intentionally walked again. He had hit a towering solo home run in the inning before, so it appeared the move would be a good one, at least this time.

Prentiss foiled those plans again. The junior left fielder smashed a ball down the right field line, scoring two runs as the Gators, again broke it open with a six-run inning. They went on to close out the series in two games with the 14-5 win.

“Stanton tells me, when they walk him to get me, I need to make them pay. I was glad to pick Stanton up,” Prentiss said.

Prentiss was on fire in the New Albany series, going 3-for-3 in Game 1 with two RBIs, then had three more hits in Game 2. He also had a key, two-run home run in Game 3 at Oxford to help the Gators wrap up that second round series.

“He had an 0-2 breaking ball and he went down and lifted it over dead center, no contest,” VHS coach Jamie Creel said of the Oxford home run that gave the Gators a 5-2 lead. They went on win, 7-4.

“He’s always had talent. He started last year. But this year, he’s had so many big hits for us. He’s been a big reason for our success,” Creel said.

And that success has been unprecedented for Vicksburg High baseball. For the past two years, the Gators were a solid Class 5A playoff team, making the quarterfinals in 2006 and then taking top-ranked Tupelo to three games in the first round last year.

Gators open series against TishomingoA pair of North State newcomers will meet starting Thursday to decide who goes to the state championship series.Vicksburg High (26-7) will play Tishomingo County (27-6) at Warren Central’s Viking Field starting at 6 p.m. in a best-of-three series. Game two is scheduled for Friday at Tishomingo, located in the Northeast Mississippi town of Iuka.Tishomingo defeated Lafayette County 6-3 on Tuesday night in the third game of their series. Sophomore pitcher Derek Wright allowed three runs in five innings Tuesday to improve to 8-0. Matt Davis (7-0) is scheduled to start Thursday’s game on the mound against Vicksburg lefty Stanton Price (9-1).

In 4A, they’ve become state title contenders, thanks to a lineup that is balanced with speed, ability to go to all fields, and power.

Prentiss has five home runs, which ranks fourth on the team, behind Price (8), Blake Hynum (7) and Bowen Woodson (6). Against New Albany, all of his hits went for singles, but all were on the button, hard-hit balls.

It’s something his cousin, Roosevelt Brown, a former Major League player for five years with the Chicago Cubs, has been preaching to him about.

“Trey doesn’t know yet how good he can be,” Brown said recently, while scouting out talent.

“He says that I still have a long way to go,” Prentiss said with a grin. “I’ve gone to him a little for advice, when I need him.

“Most of the things he wants me to do better, I’ll have to wait and work on during this summer. The big thing is he wants me to get started earlier with my hands,” Prentiss said.

For the season, Prentiss is hitting .337 with 35 RBIs. He’s come on so well this season, his baseball future may be brighter than the one with his other sport — football.

“I love both and I hope I can do both,” said Prentiss, who was an All-County defensive back for the Gators football team.

Prentiss said the success in the playoffs has helped sharpen his baseball outlook.

“With playoff time, it’s time to get serious. I’m just trying to do my part in helping the team win. It’s been pretty exciting. We’ve shown we’ve come to play baseball. We’ got on a long winning steak, saw it get cut, and then we came back again.”

A hot swinging offense has been the key. Since a Game 2 loss to Neshoba Central in the first round, the Gators have not scored fewer than seven runs in their last six games.

“We’re going good when we can get a lot of hits and that means we’re scoring a lot of runs,” Prentiss said.

 

Wright start, Great Finish for Braves

Source: Daily Journal

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=272987&pub=1&div=Sports

5/7/2008 6:52:05 AM Daily Journal

BY JAY TIDWELL
Special to the Journal

IUKA - Tishomingo County coach Jerry Long had a hunch that his Braves’ playoff series against Lafayette County would come down to pitching.

He was Wright.

Starter Derek Wright pitched five strong innings for the Braves, and Tyler Pritchard finished with two more in relief, and Tishomingo County clinched a berth in the 4A North baseball finals with a 6-3 win against the Commodores Tuesday night in Iuka.

“We needed our pitching to start us off strong,” said Long, whose team rallied to win Game 1 (5-4) and lost Game 2 (6-3). “The last two games, we fell behind 4-0, and against a good team like Lafayette County, it’s hard to come back.”

“Tonight, Derek Wright held them in check, and we got the lead and hit the ball.”

After Lafayette County tied it at 1-1 in the second inning, Tishomingo County (27-6) pulled ahead 5-1 in the third. A two-out triple by Seth George scored Pritchard from first, and Lee Griffin followed with a double to right center that scored George. Jon Whirley added another run on an error - one of four in the game by Lafayette County - to finish the scoring, and the Commodores (22-9) were unable to make up the deficit.

“I just trusted myself, every inning, every pitch, every out,” said Wright, a right-handed sophomore who improved to 8-0 with the Game 3 win. “Lafayette can hit the ball with two strikes, and they did it tonight, but we shut them down.”

The Commodores indeed hit the ball, but frequently right into a defender’s hands. And Tishomingo County committed no fielding errors in the contest.

“I didn’t think we did a good job getting our hands on top of the ball (hitting),” said first-year Lafayette County coach Greg Lewis, whose squad flied out 10 times and was held to only one hit for extra bases - an RBI double by Montez Phillips in the third. “I was afraid it was going to happen. If we had hit a little bit more of it, a couple of them fly out of here.”

Pritchard relieved Wright with one out in the sixth, and the tying run at the plate, and proceeded to strike out Luke McCullough and Eric Cobb to end the threat.

“Derek threw his heart out and I wanted to come in and help him out,” Pritchard said.

In the seventh, Denzel Goolsby singled then stole second, and Heath Conner, who hit 3-for-3, drew a bases on balls with one out. But Pritchard fanned the next two batters to wrap up the series.

“Friday afternoon, I said, I got a gut feeling that it’s going to come down to you coming in, probably in the third game,’” Long had told Pritchard.

“It turned out like my gut said it would.”