A former Kosciusko Whippet will be honored at the 50th anniversary of Mississippi’s first high school baseball all star game.
Gerry Taylor will be in attendance Tuesday, May 27 at the 2025 Crossroads Diamond Club All Star Baseball Games at William Carey University in Hattiesburg.
Taylor played in the first high school all star baseball game in 1975, his senior year, for the north team.
This week, there will be three separate games due to the state’s many classifications, but that wasn’t the case back in 1975.
“Back then, there was only 3 or 4 classes, so we all played in one game against each other,” said Taylor.
Taylor played in the all-star game the year after the Kosciusko Whippets won the 1974 Single A State Championship over Poplarville. According to Taylor, there were a number of all stars and potential all-stars on that team.
“Bernie [Steen] or Randy [Holloway] would have probably played in the [all star] game the year before, but there wasn’t a game yet. The next year, Larry Harmon and Danny Howell played in the game.”
And Kosciusko continues to produce all-star baseball players 50 years after that first game, as 2025 KHS grad Bennie Powell Jr. will play in the 4A/5A All-Star game Wednesday, May 28 for the North Team.
KO Boy made the cut! Congrats @Bpowelljr
Proud of you! https://t.co/Esvm84TQms— Kosciusko Baseball (@BaseballKosy) April 16, 2025
2025 Crossroads Diamond Club All Star Baseball Games Schedule:
