meanwhile, out west …
While much of the state’s attention will be focused on Hattiesburg’s Super Regional this weekend, some will be keeping track of the events in Corvallis, Ore., and Palo Alto, Calif. Auburn, coached by Amory’s Butch Thompson, is in the Super Regional hosted by Oregon State. (The winner of that best-of-3 series is paired against the winner of Ole Miss-Southern Miss in the first round of the College World Series.) On the Tigers’ roster is former Germantown High and Pearl River Community College star Bryson Ware, batting .228 in 47 games. Thompson is in his seventh season as coach of the Tigers, the No. 14 national seed. He played at Amory High and Itawamba Community College — he is in the Indians’ Hall of Fame — and served as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 2009-15. In Palo Alto, you’ll find Braden Montgomery, the ex-Madison Central star and 2021 Gatorade player of the year who is one of the key players for Stanford, the No. 2 national seed. The Cardinal is playing host to UConn. Montgomery, the Cardinal right fielder, is hitting .301 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs. The Pac-12 freshman of the year has also pitched in 15 games, posting a 5.79 ERA. The Palo Alto Super Regional is in the same CWS bracket as Hattiesburg and Corvallis.