NATCHEZ &045; Scouts in attendance may have dropped their jaws a bit when Douglas Davis rung up 87 on the gun Saturday at the District 6 tryouts for the State Games of Mississippi.

None of theirs dropped, however, as much as Davis’ own.

The tall Adams Christian right-hander had his fastball clocked at 87 mph Saturday in front of scouts to make the District 6 squad for action beginning Saturday at Meridian Community College.

It’s there Davis will perform in front of plenty more scouts &045; he and four others from schools in Natchez.

&uot;I didn’t think I could throw that fast,&uot; said Davis, who performed in front of scouts for the first time ever Saturday. &uot;That’s my highest. My highest was about 86 before then. I was nervous at first, but after I started pitching it was all right.&uot;

Davis will suit up for the District 6 squad &045; the recruiting territory for Copiah-Lincoln Community College &045; along with teammate Glenn Williams and Cathedral standouts Jeremy Davis, Te Riley and Garrett Jones. Davis, Williams and Riley each worked out for scouts Saturday at the tryout at Co-Lin. On hand were Co-Lin head coach Keith Case, Brookhaven head coach Randy Spring, Lawrence County assistant Corey Keyes and Cathedral head coach Craig Beesley.

&uot;Doug was one of the top pitchers there,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;They liked his velocity on his fastball and when he dropped down three-quarters. They liked that, too. He and a kid from Wesson were the only kids who hit 87.&uot;

This summer marks the second straight year Williams made the team after he earned a spot last summer with former teammate Boo Burchfield as the only two from the Miss-Lou. Williams tried out for pitcher and outfielder, and he hit 85 on the gun while running the 60-yard dash under seven seconds.

&uot;There were more people (trying out) than there were last year,&uot; Williams said. &uot;This year there were close to 70, and last year there were about 55. I wanted to go out there and give it my best. There were four of us from last year that made it this year, and there were some guys who made it last year and didn’t make it this year.&uot;

Riley, Jones and Davis caught enough of the coaches’ eyes to make the roster. Riley worked out as a pitcher and hitter, while Jones and Davis worked out in the field and at the plate.

Jones worked out at his customary shortstop position, while Davis did the same in the outfield.

&uot;I was excited that all three of them made it,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Te stood out with his defense and hitting, and Garrett’s speed and range at shortstop were keys for him. For Jeremy, it definitely was his hitting. The coach from Belhaven knew all three of our kids, and he was real impressed with them.&uot;

The five are part of the 18 players to make the squad out of 74 who tried out, Beesley said. All will step on to a grander stage starting Thursday when the double-elimination tournament begins

with scouts from colleges around the state set to be in attendance.

&uot;We have five from Natchez, which was good,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;There were eight people, and every other coach was from Lincoln County or McComb. For five of them to make it out of Natchez is pretty good.&uot;

Williams heads up the list of players since he made it last year and will be one of the top players in the Miss-Lou in the 2004 season.

&uot;They were real impressed with the way he swings the bat and his drive to get out there and play hard,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;He’s always hustling. That’s the thing that stands out most at a camp like that. Everybody kind of knew him.&uot;

Now it’s a matter of unfinished business for Williams, whose squad last year was bounced in two games and headed home. Both losses were by one run, and this time the team may have a better lineup.

&uot;What I like about it is you’re trying to win and not trying to show off your ability,&uot; Williams said. &uot;This isn’t really like that because it’s a tournament. I think we’ll do better this year. Last year we had a lot of pitching but not a lot of hitting. This year we’ve got a lot more balance and people who can hit the baseball.&uot;