Having played baseball together since the fourth grade, Lane Hynum and Will Pierce will separate for their final game together.

The St. Aloysius graduates will play — on opposite teams — in the MAIS Class AAA baseball All-Star Game Friday at 12:30 p.m. at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.

Hynum will play for the Red team and Pierce for the Blue under the MAIS’ new all-star format. After an initial pool of 30 all-stars was selected, Adams County Christian School coach Matthew Freeman and Simpson Academy’s Adam Evans each “drafted” 15 players for their respective teams, with Evans taking Hynum and Freeman taking Pierce.

“It’ll definitely be different. It’ll be weird playing against one of my former teammates,” Hynum said.

Pierce is primarily a center fielder, but has pitched some. If he winds up on the mound, Hynum said it would feel weird having to hit against his best friend. Pierce would more than likely use his pitching expertise and knowledge of Hynum’s weak spots at the plate.

“We definitely know each other better than a pitcher that you’ve never faced before. You know what he has, where he can locate and what pitches he can throw off the strike and things like that,” Hynum said.

If Pierce were to make his way to second base as Hynum plays shortstop, Pierce said he would engage in friendly trash talk to pass time.

Friday will be an opportunity for Pierce and Hynum to gauge their talent level against 28 other top athletes. It’s also their last opportunity to represent their alma mater with pride.

Pierce will continue his baseball career at Hinds Community College, while Hynum is unsure of which uniform he’ll don as a college freshman.

“It’s a good source of exposure. Coach (Sid) Naron said there should be some college scouts out there tomorrow,” Pierce said. “It’s going to be a lot of good talent there. It’s fun to play with guys that are the same talent range as you are. It’s a real test to see how talented you actually are.”

Hynum echoed Pierce’s sentiments on playing with other talented players.

“In the season, you definitely play with guys that are good but there’s a wide variety of guys,” he said. “When you get to the game, like (Pierce) said, you really find out how good you are because everyone’s good. If you stand out then that means you’re really good.”

Playing in Friday’s game ends a season in which both players have already showed plenty of talent.

Hynum, a four-year starter, had a .439 batting average, eight doubles, five triples, 17 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

“Personally it was probably my best all-around year. Definitely had more extra base hits, the doubles and triples,” Hynum said. “I had twice as many stolen bases as I’ve had in previous years. I think I might have had five strikeouts, which is the least I’ve had since the seventh grade.”

Pierce finished his St. Aloysius career batting .402, with four home runs, eight doubles and four triples. He added 24 RBIs and 14 stolen bases to his stat line. Pierce was a five-year starter. After battling various injuries throughout his high school career, he made it through an entire season without missing a game for the first time since he was in eighth grade.

“I definitely hit more home runs than I did in the last few years, more triples and a few more doubles,” Pierce said. “I’ve been healthier this year than I have in the last three or four years.”

MAIS Baseball All-Star Games

Friday, at Smith-Wills Stadium, Jackson

10 a.m. – Class AAAA

12:30 p.m. – Class AAA

3 p.m. – Class A/AA