2 South Mississippi prep baseball stars are invited to play with the nation’s best

Two of the best high school baseball players in South Mississippi earned an honor that place them among the nation’s best.

George County senior pitcher/catcher Logan Tanner and Pearl River Central senior catcher Hayden Dunhurst were both named to the East Squad for the Perfect Game All-American Classic, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Aug. 12 at the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park in San Diego.

The game will be televised by MLB Network.

Dunhurst and Tanner were joined on the East roster by two other Magnolia State standouts — outfielder Jerrion Ealy of Jackson Prep and Olive Branch right-handed pitcher Kendall Williams.

The rosters for the teams were unveiled on Wednesday, but Dunhurst received his invite a couple of weeks ago while he was playing baseball in Atlanta.

“It was really a huge blessing, a huge honor,” the Ole Miss commit said. “It’s always been a goal. I want to be the best, I can play with the best and I belong with the best. It proves that hard work pays off for you.”

The sharp fielding catcher hit .348 with six homers and 30 RBIs during his junior season.

Tanner has mostly developed a reputation on the high school level as a dominant pitcher, but he was selected for the All-American Classic as a catcher. He is rated as the No. 1 catcher nationally by Perfect Game and the No. 38 player overall.

Nationally, Dunhurst is rated as the No. 3 catcher by Perfect Game.

Tanner, a Mississippi State commit, has a fastball that can hit 95 miles per hour. He was 8-2 with a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances this season. At the plate, he hit .341 with a homer and 20 RBIs.

Pro scouts will have a close eye on Dunhurst and Tanner as they work their way through their senior campaigns.

George County coach Brandon Davis believes that Tanner has a shot to play either pitcher or catcher on the next level.

“He receives and throws really well behind the plate,” Davis said in May. “It depends on which pro organization drafts him and what they want to do with him. With (former George County star) Walker Robbins, they had to decide whether he’d hit or pitch. Some organizations wanted him to pitch, but the Cardinals decided to let him hit.

“With Logan, I feel like he has to show improvement as a hitter. The defense is there and he has velocity on his throws, but he’s going to have to hit well. He’s developed as a hitter. If he continues to stay on that same pace, they’re going to have to make a decision on whether to put him on the mound or at catcher.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 3:17 PM.