Former baseball stars shine in NCAA tourney

The Madison County area has been a hotbed for baseball talent and that was reflected over the weekend in the region round of the NCAA tournament. 15 players that attended Madison County area high schools were on rosters for teams that played in the regional round.

Ole Miss led the way with five players on their roster from Madison County area high schools. Mason Nichols and Riley Maddox from Jackson Prep, J.P. Robertson from Germantown, Conner Chisolm from Madison Central, and Brayden Jones from MRA were all featured on the roster for the Rebels. 

Maddox and Nichols were key on the mound for Ole Miss this season just as they were at Jackson Prep, with Maddox being the number two starter for the Rebels and Nichols also featuring in the starting pitching rotation. Jones was also a key reliever for the Rebels, before suffering a season-ending injury in April.

Maddox finished the season with a 5.56 ERA and 69 strikeouts, while Nichols compiled a 5.40 ERA with 56 strikeouts on the year.

Mississippi State had the second-most players from Madison County on its roster, with three former Madison Central stars and a former MRA standout. Gatlin Sanders, Ross Highfill, and Hunter Hines from Madison Central were key players this season for the Bulldogs, while Bryce Chance from MRA also proved to be an important contributor. 

Sanders hit for a .317 average with 23 RBIs, Highfill hit for a .218 average with 20 RBIs and three home runs, Hines hit for a .280 average with 52 RBIs and 16 home runs, and Chance hit for a .332 average with 45 RBIs and three home runs. 

The only other school with multiple players from Madison County on its roster was Alabama, which featured Bryce Fowler from Germantown and Beau Bryans from Madison Central.

Fowler was a staple in the lineup for the Crimson Tide, hitting for a .267 average with 43 RBIs and seven home runs. Bryans featured on the mound of the bullpen for Alabama this season.

Conner Ware from Germantown played at LSU this season, primarily coming out of the bullpen for the Tigers. He compiled a 5.48 ERA with 23 strikeouts on the year.

Two former St. Joseph stars were on NCAA tournament rosters, with Christopher Watson making it with Bethune-Cookman, and Cooper Chaplain playing with Little Rock.

Chaplain started for the Trojans, hitting for a .311 average with 38 RBIs and seven home runs. Chaplain also had a two-hit game against LSU in the Baton Rouge regional. 

Jake Cook from Madison Central was a star this season for Southern Miss, leading the Golden Eagles to a top-16 national seed and regional host. Cook hit for a .350 average with 32 RBIs and three home runs.