Satchel Paige, Roger Clemens and Don Sutton have played in National Baseball Congress tournaments. So have Joe Carter, Ozzie Smith and Mark Grace. Cathedral High grad Richard Edgin is about to do the same.

Edgin will join other players on the Mississippi Stars team in Wichita, Kan., for the 67th NBC World Series, which will be played over the next week and a half.

The Mississippi Stars are a collection of All-Stars from the five teams that make up the Cotton States League.

The league, formed in 2000, is a wooden bat league for college and high school players with teams based in Brookhaven, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Clinton and Rankin.

Edgin was a pitcher for the Brookhaven team. He said he decided to play in the league on a whim.

&uot;I just went up there to play and see what happened,&uot; Edgin said. &uot;I ended up doing really good.&uot;

Edgin, a 20-year-old, went 2-6. &uot;I didn’t give up but two to three earned runs per game,&uot; said Edgin. &uot;I had a good season, but errors killed us.&uot;

Edgin said his squad &uot;lost about eight games by one run,&uot; giving the team a record of 11-15.

This year was Edgin’s first in the Cotton States League. And it may have helped Edgin pick up a college scholarship.

After graduating from Cathedral, Edgin played ball at Southern Mississippi. He later transferred to William Carey before deciding to go to Copiah-Lincoln in Natchez.

He should finish up junior college requirements this fall. Edgin said he’s being recruited by some Division I schools.

The Cotton States League wasn’t as difficult for pitchers as it was for hitters, Edgin said.

&uot;It’s hard to hit ball,&uot; he said. &uot;You throw inside with woods and outs with aluminum. It’s easier to throw to wooden bats.&uot;

The Mississippi Stars first game is tonight at 8:30 p.m. versus the Austin (Texas) Gold Sox.