The quest for a state championship continues among Natchez all-star teams as the 11-12 Wallace All-Stars begin state tournament play Saturday.

The Natchez Wallace League captured the sub-district title in Natchez three weeks ago, and the district tournament two weeks ago at Summit.

Natchez head coach David New, Jr. said he thinks despite the long layoff his team will be ready.

&uot;Everybody’s looking good right now,&uot; New said. &uot;Everyone’s real upbeat, and just looking forward to getting back out on the field and playing against someone other than themselves.&uot;

New said the temporary hiatus his team took was well worth it.

&uot;I think it helped much more than it hurt,&uot; he said. &uot;I think they were tired coming off the sub-district and district tournaments, so I believe the time off helped them get some of their strength back.&uot;

New said another reason the layoff helped is because it gave a few of his players a chance to nurse some injuries.

&uot;We had one guy who was kind of banged up after the district tournament (Wesley Davis) and this time off gave him a chance to let his injury heal.&uot;

The Wallace League will take on West Lauderdale Saturday at 6 p.m. in Laurel.

New said a combination of hitting and pitching will determine how well his team will do in the tournament.

&uot;Our hitting is starting to come around, and our pitching is doing just as good as it ever has, so I feel like we’re ready,&uot; he said