Baseball comes naturally to 9-year-old Crews Marchbanks, but then again so do a lot of things.

Marchbanks was selected to compete in the USSSA All American Games as a member of the Southeast region. His team will participate in a 9-and-under double elimination tournament starting Aug. 6 in Orlando, Fla. against several other elite teams from around the country.

“I’m still very surprised,” Marchbanks said.

The Cathedral School student earned his spot on the 14-member roster after participating in a baseball showcase on May 31 in Jonesboro, Ark. The showcase featured an evaluation of position players, in which Marchbanks entered as a pitcher and infielder. He was also assessed on his hitting.

After competing in over 50 games this summer with his travel ball team, the Natchez Naturals, Marchbanks’ father, Ryan, offered to take him and a few other teammates to the showcase as a repayment for their dedication to the sport.

“We wanted to reward them,” he said. “We told them if they made MVP at a tournament (during the regular season) they could go. We also play in a pretty isolated area geographically, so we wanted to know if he was on par with other kids his age. They were all above average for the tryout and were super happy.”

After Crews was examined for his talents at the showcase, Ryan said he was unsure of the chances his son and his fellow Naturals had of being chosen.

The news came from a family friend a few weeks after returning from Arkansas.

“It was a joke among the parents about one of them getting picked,” he said. “It was all in good fun, but we were driving home from the (9-and-under) World Series and got a call.”

At the time, Crews had been asleep in the back seat of the car.

“My mom started screaming, and I said ‘What happened?,’” Crews said. “She said, ‘You made the team!’ I was just quiet for a minute because I was shocked.”

Although Ryan said the choice was a big honor for his son, he said Crews still has a while to decide whether he wants to pursue baseball as a career.

“I started doing the math and there was at least 500 kids (who went to a showcase),” he said. “We have always supported him but we never knew he was that good. We don’t push him though. It’s 100 percent his decision.”

Crews said while he does enjoy baseball, when he gets a little older he has his mind set on being an archaeologist. He also said he enjoys cooking, art and spending time outdoors.

“It’s whatever comes my way,” he said.