PEARL — In the 14-season history of a 6A classification in the Mississippi High School Activities Association, no team from the “Southern Six” was ever able to win a state baseball championship in the largest classification in the state.
The Gulfport Admirals were one of only a handful of squads to make it to the state title round, as the Admirals did so for the second time in six seasons this year before falling to Lewisburg in two games in the state title tilt last week.
Veteran head coach Jamie McMahon’s squad was trying to capture just the second state baseball championship in school history, with the only one to date coming 38 years ago in 1985. The MHSASA is expanding to seven classifications beginning later this year in August. The last time a baseball squad in the “Southern Six” captured a state championship in the largest classification in the state of Mississippi came in 2008 when the Ocean Springs Greyhounds accomplished the feat.
Despite Gulfport coming up short in winning a gold glove, the Admirals and two other “Southern Six” squads were represented appropriately on the Class 6A First Team All-State squad, and yet another Gulfport player was named Second Team.
Gulfport’s Ethan Surowiec, Ethan Garner and Jacob Palazzo all earned First Team honors as did Eli Page and Colby Wilson of D’Iberville and Biloxi’s Logan Fontenelle. Gulfport’s Josh Lee was named to the Second Team.
Here are the 2023 Mississippi High School Baseball Coaches Class 6A All-State Teams. These all-state teams are voted on by coaches around the state who are members of the Mississippi Association of Coaches.
CLASS 6A
Coach of the Year: Rusty Cagle, Lewisburg
Player of the Year: Campbell Smithwick, C, Sr., Oxford
First Team
Talon Haley, P, So., Lewisburg
Eli Page, P, Sr., D’Iberville
Dawson Muenzenmay, P, Sr., Northwest Rankin
Braden Smith, INF, Sr., Brandon
Ethan Surowiec, INF, Jr., Gulfport
Colton Coates, INF, Sr., DeSoto Central
Chase Russell, INF, Jr., Madison Central
Ethan Garner, OF, Jr., Gulfport
Jay McQueen, OF, So., Brandon
Jacob Palazzo, OF, Sr., Gulfport
Colby Wilson, C, Sr., D’Iberville
Logan Fontenelle, UTL, Jr., Biloxi
J.P. Robertson, UTL, Sr., Germantown
Cole Manuel, UTL, Sr., Clinton
Second Team
Cayden Baker, P, Jr., Lewisburg
Walker Hooks, P, Jr., Brandon
Johnathan Rogers, P, Sr., Tupelo
Keegan Giger, INF, Sr., Petal
Gage Haley, INF, Sr., Lewisburg
Reid Kent, INF, Jr., Oxford
Jackson Hood, INF, Jr., Germantown
Tucker Jones, OF, Sr., Northwest Rankin
Bo Bland, OF, Sr., Clinton
Blake Channell, OF, Sr., Warren Central
Lake Reed, C, Sr., Tupelo
Eli Waters, UTL, Sr., Petal
Josh Lee, UTL, Sr., Gulfport
Ethan Pulliam, UTL, Sr., Starkville
