Some of the best high school baseball talent and teams will be on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the next 10 days competing in the ninth annual Battle at the Beach tournament.
The tourney will be played at several venues in the Southern Six with teams from a half dozen states competing.
Shuckers Ballpark in Biloxi will be one of the venues that will host 10 games.
“We are happy to announce that we have teamed up with the Shuckers for another year of the Battle At the Beach tournament,” said Biloxi High School athletic director Eddie Lofton, who was the mastermind of the tournament when he became Biloxi’s baseball coach nearly a decade ago. “We have grown from 32 teams in Year One to eight years later, we are staying steady with 65-68 teams each year.”
Lofton said the opportunity for high school teams to play in the stadium of the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate is a real thrill for the players, coaches and fans.
“It is such a great venue for local teams and visiting teams to be able to play at,” said Lofton. “I truly believe that the relationship we have developed has been a big factor in the success of this tournament.”
The tournament got underway Thursday with three games at Biloxi High School. D’Iberville, Gautier, Gulfport, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Pass Christian, St. Martin and Vancleave will also be venues for the tournament.
At Shuckers Ballpark, a doubleheader will be played Friday with Pass Christian taking on Wayne Academy at 5 p.m., followed by rivals Biloxi and D’Iberville facing off at 7:30 p.m. with the Tomahawk Cup on the line.
On Saturday, Pascagoula will take on Houston (Texas) Christian at 6:30 p.m. on the Shuckers diamond.
Four games over two days will be played at Shuckers Ballpark on Thursday and Friday of next week with a pair of doubleheaders at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day.
Northwest Rankin will face Sumrall at 5 p.m. Thursday, followed by West Harrison and Germantown at 7 p.m. On Friday, Gulfport will take on Warren Central at 5 p.m. and Picayune will meet Fort Worth (Texas) Southwest Christian in the nightcap at 7:30.
All seating at Shuckers Ballpark is general admission with gates opening an hour before the first pitch. Tickets are $10 each and available through Ticketmaster.
