Each year, the tournament brings in elite teams from across the Southeast, and this year is no exception.
The eight-team tournament includes a number of players who’ll be playing in college down the road, and if form holds, there could be a future major leaguer or two in the field as well.
“There was one year (2008) where five players who had played in our tournament got drafted in the first round,” LaGrange head coach Todd Herrington said. “That was pretty amazing.”
Perhaps the most highly-touted player in this year’s field is Grayson’s Austin Meadows, a center fielder who will be one of the top players taken in this year’s professional baseball draft.
The 6-foot-3 Meadows, who has signed with Clemson, hit .390 with 19 stolen bases, four home runs and 28 RBIs last season while leading Grayson to the Class AAAAA semifinals.
The Callaway Cavaliers will get a first-hand look at Meadows when they play Grayson at 8 p.m. on Friday.
“The kids are smart. They know who they’re playing,” Callaway coach Dusty Hubbard said. “They know the kid from Grayson is the number one rated high-school prospect in America.”
Another elite player in the tournament field is Cullman pitcher Keegan Thompson.
As a junior, Thompson went 7-2 with a 0.94 earned run average, and he had 119 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings, and he only walked five batters all season.
Combined with what he did at the plate where he hit .297 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs, Thompson was named the Alabama Class AAAAA player of the year following the 2012 season.
Lambert, a school in Forsyth County, is bringing a star player of its own in Brock Maxwell, an outfielder who has signed with powerhouse South Carolina.
Maxwell is coming off a phenomenal junior season where he hit .461 with 22 RBIs and had a .590 on-base percentage.
Crisp County has a number of high-profile players, including senior pitcher Robert Tyler, who was magnificent as a junior.
Tyler, a University of Georgia signee, was 7-0 with a 0.73 ERA and 74 strikeouts, and he also hit .377 and led the team in home runs (three) and RBIs (23).
Russell County, a previous tournament participant, is led by 6-foot-2 senior outfielder Anfernee Grier, who hit .380 and has developed into one of the country’s top high-school prospects.
Grier has signed with Auburn.
The two local teams, LaGrange and Callaway, have some stellar players of their own.
The Grangers have pitcher Drew Moody, who was 6-2 with a 2.25 ERA last season, as well as a host of position players who had strong junior seasons.
Callaway is led by the senior pitching duo of Kane Keith and Nick O’Berry, who helped lead the team to a region title and a quarterfinal appearance last season.
The tournament will be divided into two four-team divisions, and the two division winners will meet in the championship game Saturday night.
Each team will play four total games.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday
At Granger Park
6 p.m. - Russell County vs. LaGrange
Friday
At Granger Park
3 p.m. - Lambert vs. Russell County (Ala.)
5:30 p.m. - Crisp County vs. Lambert
8 p.m. - LaGrange vs. Crisp Couinty
At Callaway
3 p.m. - Eagle’s View (Fla.) vs. Callaway
5:30 p.m. - Grayson vs. Cullman (Ala.)
8 p.m. - Callaway vs. Grayson
At LaGrange College
11 a.m. - Eagle’s View vs. Cullman
Saturday
At Granger Park
10 a.m. - LaGrange vs. Lambert
12:30 p.m. - Crisp County vs. Russell County
5 p.m. - Seventh-place game
7:30 p.m. - Third-place game
At Callaway
10 a.m. - Grayson vs. Eagle’s View
12:30 p.m. - Callaway vs. Cullman
5 p.m. - Fifth-place game
At LaGrange College
7:30 p.m. - Championship game
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