An emphasis on playing more in-season tournaments has paid off for the Vicksburg Baseball Association. VBA teams had an outstanding showing in last weekend’s USSSA State Tournaments in age groups from 6-year-olds all the way to the 14s.

&#8220We basically told our league coaches to get your team together and then go out and play some ball,” said VBA president and Mississippi Mudcats coach Marshall Upton. &#8220We had eight teams from our Industrial League, which is our competitive league, and eight out of our Civic League play tournaments this spring. What it did was give more kids an opportunity to play some ball.

&#8220All of the teams that went to USSSA state tournaments had over 25 games under their belt and they used those games to get ready for the postseason,” Upton said.

It paid off for four VBA teams who took home state titles. The group includes the Vicksburg Gators, an 11-year-olds’ all-star team; the Vicksburg Venom, a 9-year-olds’ all-star team; along with teams from the 6-and-7-year-olds’ divisions.

Upton’s Mississippi Mudcats have played the most of any team and were runners-up in the USSSA 12-year-olds’ state tourney. The Mudcats have played 54 games this year, compiling a 45-9 record. They were 13-1 in the Industrial League, have won three invitational tournaments, and placed second in their last two events.

&#8220I’m still a little down at what happened to us in the state title game. We won our first four games pretty handily and then North Jackson beat us in the finals and it was with our ace on the mound,” Upton said. &#8220Still, collectively, this has been the best year in the history of the VBA because we’ve had a team place in every age division.”

Next up for the Mudcats is the Cal Ripken state tournament in Helena, which is just north of Pascagoula, next week.

&#8220The Cal Ripken is the big tournament for us. If we can advance out of the state at Helena we can go to the Southwest Regional in Gulfport. The winner of the regional then goes to the Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md., and it’s televised by Fox Sports South. That would thrill me to death,” Upton said.

The Vicksburg Gators won the USSSA 11’s title by beating the Clinton 95/96 Arrows 14-4 in the championship game Sunday in Madison. Team members include: Jarrod Avery, Trey Prentiss, John Austin Jones, Michael Ware, Brandon Beck, Justin McDaniel, Hunter Bell, Alex Thomas, Matthew Foley, Josh Sterling, C.J. Ross and Michael Rohrer. The team is coached by Benji Thomas, Matt Rohrer and Bart Bell.

The Vicksburg Venom won the 9-year-olds’ state title in Louisville.

&#8220We went 5-0 and outscored our opponents 64-12,” said Venom coach Bryan Register.

The Venom opened with a 12-4 win over the Madison Mad Dogs behind winning pitcher Liam Hopson. They then ripped Harrison-Hancock, Louisville 20-1, Harrison-Hancock again, 10-0, and then beat Louisville in the final behind pitcher Brooks Boolos’ complete-game, seven-strikeout performance.

Another notable pitching performance for the Venom was turned in by left-hander Tyler Smith, who struck out five in a shutout of Harrison-Hancock.

Boolos keyed the team’s offense with two hits in the final and three hits in the earlier win over Louisville. John Austin Burrus had an inside-the-park home run against Harrison-Hancock, while Dale Griffith had a three-run double against Louisville.

The Vicksburg Red Sox finished second in the USSSA 10-year-olds state tournament at Louisville. The Red Sox (31-13), coached by Bo Magoun, will be the host team for the Ripken state tournament next week at Halls Ferry Park.

The Vicksburg Xplosion placed second in the USSSA state tournament at Clinton. They were beaten 15-6 by East Mississippi out of Meridian in the finals. They are currently in division play this week, hoping to earn a berth in the Ripken state tournament which begins July 6 at North Jackson off Lakeland Drive.