Some of the best high school baseball in the state is played right here in the Southern Six and the hotbed is nestled in Pearl River County.
Picayune and Pearl River Central lead their regions in Class 6A while Poplarville has already clinched a playoff berth in Class 4A.
The Maroon Tide (13-5 overall, 7-0 in 4-6A) are unbeaten in region play heading into their showdown Friday with George County in Lucedale.
Picayune rallied to beat the Rebels 6-5 Tuesday at Kent Kirkland Field to take a two-game lead in the region over George County. The teams will play their series finale Saturday in Picayune at 1 p.m.
“They battled and we just had to settle in,” said Maroon Tide coach Evan Nichelson of his team coming back from a 4-0 deficit to get the win Tuesday.
Nichelson said the three high school programs in the county are strong and very competitive.
He said it begins at an early age and carries on the winning tradition each school has created.
“I really think it is the traditions in the programs,” said Nichelson. “A lot of dads in the community have played baseball on the high school and/or college level. They pour into the kids at a young age.”
Up the road, Pearl River Central is 20-2 overall and also unbeaten in its region. The Blue Devils are 7-0 in Region 3-6A after their 2-1 win Tuesday over West Jones in Carriere to extend their lead to two games over the Mustangs.
The Blue Devils will travel to Soso on Friday to face the Mustangs in Game 2 of their series before returning home Saturday in a game that will likely decide who claims the region title.
The Blue Devils won a state championship in 2017.
Bob Dunhurst played at Pearl River Central and helped as a coach for about a decade, and his son, Hayden, played for the Blue Devils before winning a College World Series title in 2022 as a catcher with Ole Miss.
Dunhurst said travel ball programs, good coaching, and great competition have been critical to the development of top high school programs in Pearl River County and surrounding areas.
His son is a minor-league player in the Kansas City Royals organization.
“Hayden played travel ball with and against a lot of guys he’s now playing against in pro ball,” said Dunhurst. “You have travel ball teams in the county who play eight months out of the year and those kids end up at all three high schools. That makes a big difference.”
He said kids playing at an early age against good competition and with great coaching can make a big difference in a player getting a college scholarship or playing professionally.
“The great thing about baseball is you don’t have to have great athletic ability,” said Dunhurst. “You work hard and hone your craft. The ball doesn’t care if you’re an incredible athlete when you hit it, throw it, or catch it.”
Nichelson said that youth travel ball teams are difference makers and a feeder for the high school programs because they all play together.
“Teams are created with groups of kids that play together from a young age,” said Nicholsen. “So, you may have a team of 7-year-olds that play together, and seven of them are headed to Picayune and seven are from PRC.”
Meanwhile, in Poplarville, the Hornets are also having a torrid season as they clinched the top seed in 8-4A with a 6-1 region mark after an 8-7 win Tuesday over Greene County. The teams return to action Friday in Leakesville before closing out their series Saturday in Poplarville.
The Hornets (12-9 overall) are assured of home-field advantage in a first-round Class 4A playoff series later this month.
