Area prep baseball players head to MHSAA, MPSA All-Star game
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
June 12, 2002
Four area athletes, Quitman's Matthew Creighton, Newton County's Robby Carey, Heidelberg Academy's Heath Ainsworth, and Central Academy's Von Gomel, have been selected to play in Saturday's MHSAA-MPSA All-Star Baseball Games at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.
Both Creighton, a Meridian Community College signee, and Carey, an East Central Community College signee, were chosen after playing in the Crossroads Diamond Club's All-Star Games last Saturday. Creighton will play in the large school contest at noon, while Carey will play in the small school game at 3 p.m. Both games will be seven innings and will conclude in time for the Jackson Senators to play Rio Grande Valley at 7 p.m.
This is the first time for the state's two governing high school bodies to meet in an all-star game. It may be the last as well as the two will not meet in regular season games next year.
The following players were picked to the MPSA teams. However, some have indicated they will be playing in an American Legion tournament in Birmingham, Ala., this weekend instead.
Selected to the MPSA A-AA team are Ainsworth, Gomel, Tony Evans of Humphreys Academy, Matt Meeks, Justin Ledbetter, and David Cureington of Benton Academy; Wyn Diggs of Central Holmes, Matt Manning of DeSoto School, Brian Holland and Tyson Wood of Deer Creek, Adam Walker of Magnolia Heights, Jase Conway of University Christian School, Stewart Gordon of Amite School, Adam Thames of Tallulah (La.) Academy, and T.J. Smith of Porter's Chapel.
Picked to the MPSA AAA-AAAA team are Joby Garner of Starkville Academy, Derick Weeks of Indianola Academy, Brandon McGarity and David Nanney of Oak Hill, Mark Vance of Greenville Christian, Stephen Head and Jarett England of Hillcrest Christian, Dooley Simmons and Kyle Ginn of Parklane, Joseph McCaskill and Michael Wakefield of Jackson Academy, Micah Schilling and Cade Dubois of Silliman (La.) Institute, and Bill Burtner and Matt Carter of Central Private.
Players chosen to the MHSAA 4A-5A team are Creighton, MCC signee Sam Self, Stephen Gostkowski, and Rob Blackledge of Madison Central; J.J. Brown of Vicksburg, John Morgan Mims and Brian Pettway of Warren Central, Jake Parker of Brandon, University of West Alabama signee Jacob Whisenhunt of East Central, Marc Maddox and Drew Robinson of Oak Grove, ECCC signee Michael Dunn of Pascagoula, MCC signee Van Pope of Terry, ECCC signee Jacob Davis of Biloxi, and Matt Riser of Picayune.
Selected to the MHSAA 1A-2A-3A team are Carey, Michael Gibson and ECCC signee Jim Talley of Mooreville, Bryan Williamson of Itawamba AHS, Travion Barney of West Lowndes, Jason Giachelli of Riverside, Scott Norwood of Eupora, Drew Nanney of New Albany, Broderick Rogers of Ripley, Michael Cooper of Ackerman, Russell Bourland of Caledonia, Anthony McLin of McLaurin, Blake Warnock and MCC signee Aaron George of St. Aloysius, and Thomas Royals of Lumberton.