The Baseball High School All Stars tournament is just one of multiple State Games of Mississippi baseball events, but with many college scouts and coaches watching, it is the most important one for many prospects around the state

Clarkdale (Eli Swearingen, Luke Williams), Southeast Lauderdale (Jacob Hostetler), Northeast Lauderdale (Nick McCoy), Lamar School (Wes Pritchard) and West Lauderdale (Jacob Wooten) were all represented as part of the District 5 team.

District 5 finished 2-1, defeating District 3 (3-1) and District 7 (10-2) after falling to eventual repeat champion District 8 (14-3) in game one.

“I think we played very well,” Northeast Lauderdale and District 5 coach Brock McKnight said. “We swung it very well yesterday and today. Played really good defense. We’ve got some kids that all deserve a look, and that’s what the State Games is all about.”

McKnight chose to coach the District 5 team because he wanted to help the athletes get seen by college scouts and coaches. He referred to the All Star games as the best recruiting event in the state, estimating that there were somewhere around 50 to 60 college scouts in attendance.

“The baseball in our area is top-notch,” McKnight said. “We’ve got some top-notch programs from Lauderdale Country to Newton County to Wayne County to Jones County. You’ve got some top-notch (coaches) that produce top-notch talent every year. You’ve got some great kids here.

Hostetler, who saw time at third base in District 5’s matchup against District 7 on Thursday, said he tried out so that he could show what he could do. He said Davin Lowery of Wayne Academy stood out to him among the District 5 players for his pitching and hitting in critical situations.

Wooten played shortstop against District 7. He said he just came out to have fun and play against some of the top players in the state, and he was impressed by Newton County pitcher Dalton Graham’s pitching this week.

Williams served as a relief pitcher in the District 7 game, and he said the Newton County pitching trio of Ethan Burton, Cooper Lewis and Graham put on some of the team’s best performances.

“It was all-around a fun deal,” Williams said. “I feel like it really helps out kids our age, and it’s fun to play in.”

McKnight was able to see his own Northeast Lauderdale catcher, McCoy, play against great players from around the state, and he thought he performed extremely well.

“You’re not going to find a harder worker, a kid that catches his tail off and plays his tail off,” McKnight said. “He’s definitely going to play at the next level. It’s going to be fun to watch.”