The Cotton States Baseball League is coming to Lowndes County.
The CSBL North Division, which is in its second year, will continue its effort to increase its fanbase when it will feature the Tippah County Tribe against the Golden Triangle Jets in a nine-inning game at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at New Hope High School”s Trojan Field.
Plans to hold the game in Columbus were finalized Monday afternoon, according to GameTime Sports owner Brian Hollis, a sponsor of the Jets, and Sam Creekmore, owner of the CSBL.
The CSBL North is a five-team, summer collegiate wood bat league designed to prepare college players with remaining college eligibility for professional baseball.
New Hope High product and current Delta State pitcher Brent Hallmark is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the Tribe. Starkville native and MS Delta CC signee Will Sanders will play for the Jets, who are coached by Gregg Tucker of Baldwyn High School and assisted by Keith Essary, an assistant coach at Alcorn Central High.
The game is one of three the CSBL is playing away from its home site in New Albany in a possible effort to franchise member teams to local communities. The CSBL played last weekend in Fulton and will play another game in Corinth.
Creekmore said he is excited about the prospects of playing in a baseball-rich area like the Golden Triangle.
“I thought we should have had more people (at the game in Fulton), but we did not promote it very much,” said Creekmore, who purchased the primary ownership in the league from Clark Richey last week. “We decided about 10 days prior to Sunday that we would do this. I think the New Hope game is going to be promoted much more. Brian Hollis has been working hard on this for a while, and we”re looking forward to coming to Columbus.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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