Familiar names will be competing in the 2000 Dixie Youth/Taco Bell AAA State Tournament beginning in Natchez. Just check the record books to find Natchez Confederate, Hattiesburg, Franklin County and Cleveland, which will be four of nine teams competing at Duncan Park.

The 1991 Natchez Confederate team holds the record for most hits in a game with 22.

Franklin County’s Andy Lee holds the record for strikeouts in a game with 13 in 1989 and is tied with four other players for most home runs in a game with two.

Christopher Dunn, who played at Copiah-Lincoln before recently signing with Southern&160;Miss, is one of nine players who holds the 9-10 record for runs with four when playing for Simpson American.

Opening ceremonies were held Friday at Carroll-Jones Field with a home run derby starting off the festivities. Natchez Confederate’s Dustin Carroll won that contest with the only home run in the event.

The tournament begins today at 6 p.m. with Magee facing Cleveland at 6 p.m. on the Carroll-Jones Field, while Columbus Nationals meets Franklin County at 6 p.m. on the Ballew-Bowlin Field.

At 8 p.m., the Natchez Confederates face Hattiesburg American at Ballew-Bowlin, while Carthage tangles with Philadelphia on Carroll-Jones.

East Central takes on the winner of Carthage-Philadelphia Sunday.

Sunday’s games are tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on both fields, but a meeting is being held today to discuss pushing those games back to 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. because of the heat.

Three games will be played on Monday and Tuesday. Two games are set for Wednesday, with the championship game being played Thursday.

Natchez hosted the 9-10 state tournament in 1991 and 1996.

&uot;I’ve never been to Natchez where everybody didn’t have a good time,&uot;&160;said Mississippi Dixie Youth State Director Houston Stuckey. &uot;It’s always runs perfect because you have a national board member here (Clarence Bowlin) and you have some great local board members. I didn’t even make an inspection because I didn’t need to. The people who run this program can’t be beat. I always look forward to coming to Natchez.&uot;