Natchez Confederate 9-10 All-Star head coach William Barnes knew the hardest thing about hosting the State Tournament was going to be keeping the players loose and ready.

So far, Barnes has covered his bases quite well, having had practice almost every day and five practice games against various teams from Louisiana.

&uot;We’re doing just fine,&uot;&160;Barnes said of his team. &uot;We won two of three games against a team from New Orleans this past weekend, and I&160;think we’re looking really good right now, to tell the truth.&uot;

Opening ceremonies for the Dixie Youth state tournament are at 5:30 p.m. at Carroll-Jones Field in Duncan Park.

Barnes admitted it was tough the first couple of weeks his team had off, but lately he has been able to find more and more teams to play against.

&uot;It has been tough, but we’re making it,&uot;&160;Barnes said.

&uot;We’re just trying to keep everything fun as much as we can, because 9- and 10-year-olds can get bored rather quick, so we’re doing a lot of things other than just the regular hit some, field some routine, because it keeps the competitiveness in them up.&uot;

Barnes said the most important thing in preparing for hosting a state tournament is keeping your pitchers ready.

&uot;The biggest thing is keeping your pitchers sharp,&uot; he said.

&uot;Pretty much anybody can stand on a mound and throw to a mitt, but if that’s all they do prior to a tournament game, then they won’t be ready for the tournament game.&uot;

Barnes said one of the good things about being able to host the State Tournament is giving injured players time to heal.

&uot;We had some injuries to some of our key players coming out of the regular season, and now since those players didn’t have to play much for a while, they’ve had time to rest their injuries, and that’s a big plus,&uot; he said.

Barnes said he has about six players he feels comfortable with on the mound.

&uot;Pitching is key in a state tournament, especially throwing strikes,&uot; Barnes said.

Barnes said he thinks not enough emphasis is placed on the defense in the outfield.

&uot;We’ve got some real good gloves in the outfield, and they don’t realize it, but the outfield positions are just about the most important in a state tournament,&uot; he said.

Opening ceremonies are set for Friday at 5:30 p.m. on the Carroll-Jones Field at Duncan Park.

Natchez will play Hattiesburg on Saturday at 8 p.m. on Ballew-Bowlin Field.