NATCHEZ — While Monday was the first day of spring training for Major League Baseball teams, it was a time of preparation for the Adams County Christian baseball team as well.

ACCS is set to host its second-annual preseason tournament today through Friday. Tonight at 7, the Rebels will play in their first game of the tournament against Porter’s Chapel.

In addition to Porter’s Chapel, Amite School Center, Tensas Academy and Copiah Academy will also play in the tournament on different days. ACCS will play each day.

Rebels baseball coach Hunter McKeivier said his team has been practicing off and on since Jan. 4, and he’s glad the weather looks to cooperate this week with a sunny forecast.

“With it being as cold and rainy as it’s been, it’s been tough to practice consistently,” McKeivier said.

“I’m ready for warmer weather. I’m so tired of the cold and the rain. I think the guys are tired of seeing one another (in practice), and they want to play against someone other than themselves.”

McKeivier said practices have been focused on baseball fundamentals, and the tournament would serve to find out which players are going to step up as starters.

“We’ve been working out the kinks, and now we’re going to see who’s going to perform,” he said.

“We’re going to see who steps up and takes each position for us. We have a good nucleus of players, it’s just about fitting them in and getting them to work together as a unit.”

McKeivier said experience is major plus for his team this season, even though his squad is mostly young.

“We have probably eight people coming back that have played in games for me,” McKeiver said. “We also have two more kids that transferred from out of town that will look to get playing time.

“We have two seniors, eight juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen. We’re relatively young, but we do have experience. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing, until you see what we can do on the field.”

As far as hitting and pitching, McKeivier said he wouldn’t know how his team would fare until he sees his players in actual games.

“We had a scrimmage where our hitting was good, and another where it wasn’t good,” he said. “We had a scrimmage where our pitching was good, and another where it wasn’t good. You just never know.”

With ACCS being the first school in the area to play baseball, McKeivier said fans should show up to pass the time with America’s pastime.

“We’re having a fish fry on Friday, so anyone is welcome to come out and watch the game,” McKeivier said.

“Practice is about fundamentals, but as a kid, I can remember being ready to play a game. I can see that in my players eyes — they’re ready to play a game.”