In a decade-plus of baseball excellence, Porters Chapel Academy has established plenty of traditions. Among them is an annual trip by at least one of its players to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools all-star game.

This year, a third of the starting lineup is going.

Three players — pitcher-infielders Matthew Warren and Montana McDaniel, and catcher Jarad Tompkins — as well as coach Jerry Bourne will represent the school in the Class A all-star game Friday night at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.

It’s the 13th straight season that at least one PCA player has participated in the game, and the sixth year in a row that more than one has gone. During the impressive all-star streak, 28 Eagles have been selected. MAIS rules allow a maximum of three seniors per school to participate.

“It’s always been that way. We’ve always had two or three guys go and do real well,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel’s all-star nod has seemed like a formality for four years. He broke into the lineup as a freshman and was the top starting pitcher on the 2009 Class A championship team.

This season, the Hinds Community College signee capped a successful career by going 5-1 with 69 strikeouts and a 3.74 ERA. He also hit .370 and drove in 27 runs.

Warren’s senior season started off strong, but ended in disappointment. An elbow injury kept him out of the lineup for much of the final month of the season. He returned in a limited role in time for the playoffs and helped the Eagles reach the second round.

Warren, a three-year starter, finished with a .377 average and 29 RBIs. As the team’s No. 2 pitcher behind McDaniel, he went 4-1 with 45 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA in 34 2/3 innings.

“It’s a great honor to be named to the all-star game,” Warren said, adding that having a large PCA contingent joining him should make it even better. “I know there’s a lot of people that want to be on the all-star team, and it’s a big honor to get three. Playing with your old teammates and coach, that’s special.”

While McDaniel and Warren have been staples in PCA’s lineup, Tompkins is a newcomer. He transferred from Florence this year and immediately made an impression by leading PCA with a .453 average and four home runs.

Like his teammates, Tompkins called it a nice way to cap his high school career.

“I’m really excited about it,” Tompkins said. “It’s a real big honor.”