After winning back-to-back MPSA District 6-1A championships in 1999 and 2000, the Trinity Saints baseball team will not be the team to beat in its new district – MPSA District 5-1A.

The 2000 Saints’ team went 16-9 overall and 6-0 in district play and advanced to the South State semifinals.

This year’s team is off to a slow start – 1-3 overall and opened up district play with a 10-1 loss with the team head coach David King said will probably win the district – Amite School Center.

&uot;The key in our level is deep pitching,&uot; he said. &uot;They (ASC) have four good pitchers. Amite’s just good all around.

&uot;Pine Hills has a Division I prospect in Jonathan Honea. Huntington has a good pitcher in Barrett Kiser,&uot; he said. &uot;Huntington will be well-coached by (Michael) McAnally and (head coach Mitch) Ashmore.&uot;

What concerns King the most about this year’s team are two things: Inexperience defensively and too many automatic outs.

&uot;We’ve got so many new defensive players that it scares me,&uot; he said.

He said this year’s team will have better team speed than last year’s team and that should allow for more stolen bases.

Among the key players returning for the Saints are freshman Walt Ketchings, who was All-Metro as a designated hitter and All-District 6-1A at shortstop as an eighth-grader; senior center fielder Cole Brown, who was also on last year’s All-District team; freshman second baseman Gregory Ketchings; junior pitcher Elliot Meng, who King said will be the team’s ace pitcher; and senior third baseman Wes Middleton.

Another player King said he is hoping for some good playing time from is freshman Ryan Rachal.

&uot;Next week is a big week of practice for us,&uot; King said. &uot;I can promise you one thing. They’ll be ready to play come district time.&uot;

The number one team from District 5-1A automatically goes to the playoffs as well as the winner of the district tournament.

However, if both happen to be the same team, King said, the team that faces the district champion will go to the playoffs.