Starkville hosts Grand Slam 12U event

There won’t be much need for a road map or directions for member of the Starkville 12-year-old All-stars today when competition begins for the 2019 Grand Slam World Series of Baseball 12U-AS Tournament.

That’s because the event for their particular age group will be staged at the Starkville Sportsplex beginning this afternoon.

“It’s only about 5 or 10 minutes from the houses,” Starkville head coach Allan Smith said. “After we play, we can get back to our own beds pretty quick so it’s really nice.”

After sweeping through the Dizzy Dean South State Tournament unbeaten in Columbus for a championship, Starkville lost at the state tournament in Grenada.

Smith is happy to have another chance to get back on the field this weekend.

“We have taken the rest of the week off to reset,” Smith said after playing in Grenada on Tuesday. “We have one more opportunity to win a championship this summer and I look for them to come out, compete and play well.”

The action at the Sportsplex will get started toady at 5:30 p.m. when Smith’s Starkville team faces the Winona Allstars at 5:30 p.m. At the same time, Eupora plays Louisville.

At 7:20 p.m., Mathiston takes on Winona and Starkville plays Louisville to wrap up the first day.

Pool play continues with the final two games on Saturday when the Corinth Diamond Dogs face Mathiston at 11 a.m. Corinth then turns around to play Eupora at 12:50 p.m.

Once pool play has ended, the teams will be seeded and placed in a double-elimination bracket to complete the tournament Saturday and Sunday.

The championship game will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sunday with a second game following if necessary.

Smith knows the Grand Slam event will present another nice challenge for his team.

“We’ll have to play really well to win it,” Smith said.