NATCHEZ — The T.M. Jennings Falcons team only lost one game during the league’s regular season.

So when a number of their players also made the 11- and 12-year-old All-Star team, the winning attitude carried over.

The 11s and 12s, along with the T.M. Jennings 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars, depart this morning at 10 a.m. to their district tournaments in Hattiesburg. Deselle Davis, who coached the Falcons and now coaches the 11s and 12s, said the fact that many of his players were already used to winning has been very helpful to him.

“They understand what it takes to win,” Davis said. “The team I had (with the Falcons) hated to lose, and with those kinds of players, it makes it easier to coach.

“There were three or four games that we were down by six runs in, and we still came back and won. The kids get all the credit for that — it’s them, not me.”

Davis said both T.M. Jennings teams were actually scheduled to play in the district tournament last Friday, but the tournament got delayed a week due to a scheduling conflict in Hattiesburg.

“That gave us an extra week to practice, so it worked to our advantage,” Davis said. “The kids have been practicing hard and staying focused. We’ve also implemented different things in All-Stars that we don’t do in the regular season.”

Davis said the new things they’ve implemented mainly involve teaching his players more advanced defensive strategies.

“There’s better competition (in postseason play), so you have to do more,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with the strategies for our catcher, first baseman and third baseman.”

Thomas Dunbar, who coaches the 9s and 10s, said his team has done well up to this point, although it’s about to get a lot tougher.

“Some games we won by forfeit, but I don’t like that,” Dunbar said. “I’d rather they all be here so they can all play as one.”

Dunbar said it’s great that two teams will get to represent Natchez, but the players will need to be prepared for a lot tougher competition than what they’ve faced so far.

“At the end of the season, it gets a little rough,” Dunbar said. “I’ve tried to get some of them to really concentrate when they play the game.

“They’re going to have to be ready to play and put in a lot of effort. You can’t play around when you’re on the field; you have to pay attention.”

But the most important thing to Dunbar is the fact that the players are having fun, he said.

“I really enjoy it for the kids,” Dunbar said. “When I say they play their heart out, they play their heart out. Both teams have potential, and you can’t take any credit away from them.”