AREA PLAYERS SELECTED FOR PREP ALL-STAR SERIES

Just when it appeared the high school baseball season was over, one final game remains this weekend for a few area athletes.

The 11th Annual Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series will be held at the University of Missouri's Simmons Field in Columbia starting Saturday. Class 1A and 3A all-star games will be played on the opening day with the 2A and 4A contests played Sunday afternoon. All four games are scheduled to last nine innings.

Area players will be represented in three of the four classifications, with the 3A game having no players from the immediate area.

Three players were selected from Cape Central's 20-7 district runner-up team to play in the 4A game starting Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Craig Ringwald, the Tigers' 6-foot-7 left-hander, will be the only one to make the trip. Teammates Ross Bennett and Tatum Kitchen were also selected to the team, but will be unable to participate.

Other area players joining Ringwald on the 4A East squad will be Jackson's Justin Gladish and Brent Self from Sikeston.

In the 2A game, starting Sunday at noon, Kelly and Scott City will provide one representative each on the East team. Kelly leadoff batter John Livingston and Scott City shortstop Tim Lowery will be the only players from the immediate area on the team.

The East squad will be coached by Cape Girardeau-native Chris Stanfield, now the coach at Hayti.

Two players from Advance will play in the 1A game Saturday at noon. Tyler Hitt and Alan Stevens will represent the Hornets, who were district runners-up to Oran with a 17-5 record.

Oran, which took second in the state, has no players on the 1A East team.

Selections for the all-star teams were made by a volunteer committee of MHSBCA coaches after players were nominated by their high school coaches.