NATCHEZ — Sam Mosby playfully tackled a friend along the first baseline Tuesday night at Chester Willis Field.

With Trinity Episcopal’s home contest against Amite School Center in the books, kids from the stands raced to the field to imitate the varsity stars that had just departed the diamond before them.

Mosby, however, didn’t have to come down from the bleachers.

Instead, the seventh grader had just wrapped up another varsity contest from his shortstop post and leadoff position.

Mosby has served as the Saints shortstop for the entire season, where he’s recorded a number of nifty plays with the glove, including spearing a lunging catch, which resulted in a double play on March 16 against University Academy of Central Louisiana.

“Not only is he good, he’s not a quitter,” Trinity coach Elliot Meng said. “He’s going to give it his all every time, and that’s what we want.”

Meng said he can trust Mosby to man perhaps the most important position on the field because of a single factor — his baseball smarts.

“He’s got a great baseball I.Q.,” Meng said. “He knows the game well, and he’s aggressive on the bases and at the plate. He can pitch, and he can play pretty much anywhere we want to put him.”

While Mosby’s bat has not quite caught up with the rest of his game, Meng said the potential is there for a future star.

“As long as he keeps working hard and keeps playing the game like he loves to do, he can be something great,” Meng said. “He’s got the talent and the potential for sure, it’s just comes down to the hard work that he puts into it.”

Mosby said he can vividly recall his fist thought when he crossed the white lines to play in his first varsity game Feb. 26.

“I remember telling myself, ‘Don’t get killed,’” he said. “It can be a little nerve-racking at times, but it’s a good experience.”

With no seniors on the Trinity roster, Mosby often finds himself seeking advice from another seventh grader, Hollis Leeds, who typically serves as Trinity’s starting first baseman.

“He’s real smart when it comes to baseball,” Mosby said. “He’s a good friend. He notices what I’m doing when I’m batting, and he tells me to keep my hands up instead of bringing them down.”

Leeds and Mosby are just two of a slew of handful of young talents on the Saints roster, and Mosby said the youthful has had its growing pains this year, but was quick to note it will all pay off in the end.

“This is a good experience for us,” Mosby said. “By the time I’m in high school … half of our team is seventh and eight graders, and we’ll be amazing. We’re going to have a lot of experience and be deep in pitching, and we’re going to be hit the ball, because we’re already seeing fast pitching.”