Tomorrow is potentially the last day of the high school baseball State Championships at Trustmark Park.
Buses have been on deck all week as teams from Ethel, Oxford, Tupelo Christian, Hattiesburg, Madison Central – you get the picture, from all over the State – have been battling each other for the ultimate prize of the baseball year – the chance to be king of the mound!
Teams, their families, friends and neighbors have been spied at The Connection doing non-baseball stuff (no photos please!). They’ve been seen shopping…at the Outlets of Mississippi, before and after the games. Some have carried the victory of the win right into this 325,000 square foot Outlet Center (the largest outlet center in the state of Mississippi), visiting stores like Forever 21, Sports Nation, Nike and Under Armour as they regale everyone and anyone they meet that their team WON!
Others have wandered, listlessly, into the Food Court where they are found at tables eating lunches and snacks from Pita Pit, Sbarro, China Wok or Outback BBQ in the agony of defeat. But they are soon cheered on to by the custodial staff, led by LaMark, to go out there and shop and get their “mojo” back! So they wander into O! How Cute, or Journeys, or the new francesca’s to drown their sorrows in retail therapy.
Others have been spotted in Bass Pro Shops (ok, mainly men) exuding these emotional highs and lows in the fishing rod, gun rack, boat display, and hunting gear aisles. Many have been seen, at the bar, in Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl & Grill elated by the victory, high fiving each other, or drowning their sorrows from the loss, poor things. Uncle Buck’s has great sandwiches, salads and fish specials, too, so we are sure everyone leaves happy, even if their team lost :(. Just stay away from the fish tank, no jumping in please!
The Alumni House Sports Grill in the Holiday Inn has reported that many fans have come into their establishment to watch the players on TV and enjoy their favorite libation. TV stations that carry the games are –
Biloxi/Gulfport — WLOX-Bounce 13.3
Greenwood — Delta Fox 10
Hattiesburg — WDAM-Bounce
Jackson — WLOO D2
Memphis — Comcast 30
Meridian — WMDN-Bounce 24
Tupelo — WCBI – My MS – Channel 4.2
As of this writing, the series looks like this:
Baseball titles up for grabs at Trustmark Park
PEARL — The MHSAA State Baseball Championships presented by Farm Bureau and Mississippi Sports Medicine continue at Trustmark Park on Friday with one Class A Game in the best-of-three championship series.
(Schedule subject to change)
Friday, May 19
4:00 PM — Class 3A (Game 2) — St. Andrew’s vs. Kossuth; Kossuth leads series 1-0
Saturday, May 20
10:00 AM — Class 2A (Game 2) — Loyd Star vs. East Union; East Union leads series 1-0
1:00 PM — Class 4A (Game 2) — Newton County vs. Houston; Houston leads series 1-0
4:00 PM — Class 1A (Game 3) — Ethel vs. Tupelo Christian; series tied 1-1
7:00 PM — TBA, if necessary
Tickets are $11 and good for all games that particular day. Come out and root for your team!