Sixteen of our region’s senior baseball players were highlighted in Tuesday’s George C. Spence Memorial East West All-Star Baseball Game.

With the end of the high school baseball season coming this past weekend in Montgomery, seniors from throughout West Alabama set their sights on a new season of baseball that kicked off Tuesday at Demopolis High School, as they participated in the annual East West All-Star Baseball Game.

For many seniors, the George C. Spence Memorial East West All-Star game is an opportunity to show their talents on a statewide stage, but for others, it’s their last game at the high school level. For only four of this year’s 20 seniors will move on to the regional Play-offs in Clanton this weekend.

This year’s West All-Star team consisted of nine seniors from Demopolis High, Greene County High, Selma High and Sweet Water High Schools, while the East All-Star team consisted of 11 seniors from Bibb County High, Greensboro High and Livingston High Schools.

Demopolis High School, the 4A state runner-up to 4A State Champion Hokes Bluff, has three seniors competing in this year’s game with seniors Blake Butler, Jonathan Sommers and Michael Lee.

Butler, the 5’9″ second baseman finished the 2004 baseball season hitting .272 with 11 RBIs. Sommers, a 6’0″ left fielder finished the 2004 hitting .247 with one home run, 20 RBIs and five stolen bases. Lee, though he only had nine at bats this season due to a broken leg he sustained during the 2003 football season, ended the 2004 baseball season hitting .333 with 3RBIs.

Greensboro High School, the 4A Area 8 runner-up to the 4A state runner-up Demopolis High Tigers, has six seniors in this year’s All-Star game with Antonio Williams, William Grice, Bobby Hooks, Chris Carter, Harold Tubbs and Matt Busbee.

Sweet Water High School, who advanced as far as the second round of the AHSAA playoffs this season, had two seniors this year in 6’1″ pitcher Travis Gaines and first baseman Matt Tucker.

Other seniors competing this year include Jonathan Nixons, Rodugus Johnson and Akeem Edmonds from Greene County High School along with Willie Ivory Jr. and Dexter Lewis of Livingston High School.

Though Tuesday’s game ended in a 1-0 rainout, the AHSAA did make it’s four selections for this weekends regional playoff in Sweet Water’s Travis Gaines, Bibb County’s Marc Stephens and pitcher Chris Murphy, along with Demopolis’ Jonathan Sommers.