The Batesville Hitmen 8U coach pitch All-Star baseball team finished in fourth place at the North State Dizzy Dean Baseball tournament held over the weekend at J.P. Hudson Park.

The Hitman dropped the first game of the four-day tournament Thursday to eventual champion Greenwood before reeling off four consecutive wins over Hernando (10-2), Horn Lake (14-4), Delta Sports-Greenville (15-5), and Ripley (10-8) before falling to Cleveland 10-2 Sunday in the quarter finals.

All-Star teams from all over North Mississippi were in Batesville from Thursday through Sunday for the tournament. Dizzy Dean baseball is a private organization that has franchises in many southeastern states.

It is one of the oldest recreational leagues in the United States and Batesville has long been affiliated with the organization, named for Arkansas native and St. Louis Cardinal star pitcher Dizzy Dean. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953, and died in Stone County, MS, in 1974.

Batesville Dizzy Dean league director Dave Aven also serves as the state director for Dizzy Dean Softball.

Other towns and cities sending teams to the Batesville tournament were Southaven, Grenada, Clarksdale, Water Valley, and Greenwood.

In the weekend’s tournament, Batesville received outstanding defensive play from  shortstop Cason Lyle and third baseman Rowland Hartley. Lyle secured the win over Ripley with a game-ending unassisted double play.

The Batesville 8U softball and 10U baseball teams will take part in the Dizzy Dean World Series beginning next week in Southaven at Snowden Grove Park.

Photo: The 8U Batesville Hitmen include (front, from left) Brady Pitcock, Drayden Hall, Cason Lyle, Jacob McBride, Will Cannon, Braylen Hall, (middle) Jaxon Gammel, Luke Pope, Parker Ales, Hunter Caruthers, Rowland Hartley, (back) and coaches Nathan Hartley, Michael Gammel, Dusty Dettor, Benjamin Pitcock and Bo-Jack Jackson. (Malcolm Moorhead)