NATCHEZ — Local prep baseball teams will once again get a chance to play some exhibition games as Adams County Christian School hosts its summer baseball tournament Friday and Saturday.

Fresh off the heels of last week’s Cathedral High School tournament, ACCS will play host to Cathedral, Franklin County High School and Centreville Academy. ACCS head baseball coach Hunter McKeivier said he decided to bring the summer tournament back after a couple years of absence. And bringing local teams into the fold was important in starting the tournament back up, he said.

“Two years ago, we traveled to a lot of different schools, and it became costly,” McKeivier said. “Last year, we played in the Vidalia league, and I encourage (my players) to do that, but this allows them to play double and get extra games in.”

The idea was to attract teams within a 45-minute radius so none of the schools had to spend too much on travel, McKeivier said.

“Centreville and Franklin County are close and I know Natchez High played last weekend (in Cathedral’s tournament),” he said. “It makes it easier for us to schedule games. If something happens, you can make a change without someone having to travel too far.”

Getting to play exhibition games after the regular season has ended is a great way to prepare for next season, especially since it gives coaches an idea of who might play a big part on next year’s team, McKeivier said.

“It allows us to evaluate new kids or younger kids who are maturing that could help us down the road,” McKeivier said.

And though every coach wants to win, McKeivier said the final score wouldn’t be the main measuring stick of his team’s future potential.

“We’re not so much focused on the score as we are evaluating the talent we have, who can play where, who can give us innings, what we need to work on and things like that,” McKeivier said.

After this weekend’s tournament, ACCS will travel to Franklin County’s tournament next weekend, giving McKeivier’s squad a total of nine games.

“It’s not a lot, but it’s enough,” McKeivier said. “After that, we’ll focus on the weight room and changing over to different sports.”

The tournament will feature an hour-and-45-minute time limit for each game. Cathedral and Centreville will square off at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by Centreville vs. ACCS at 6 p.m. and ACCS vs. Franklin County at 8 p.m. On Saturday, Franklin County and Cathedral will play at 10 a.m., Centreville and Franklin County will square off at noon and Cathedral and ACCS will cap things off at 2 p.m.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to help pay for officiating.