By JOSHUA PARROTT
jparrott@jacksonsun.com

Back in May, the University School of Jackson baseball team fell to Goodpasture in heart-breaking fashion in the Class AA state final. The Bruins, though, received better news today as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association released its Class AA all-state team. USJ's Josh Liles, Clayton Gant and Benjie Fesmire were among the seven area players named to the team. Liles was The Jackson Sun's 2007 baseball player of the year, while Gant and Fesmire were first-team all-area picks. No other Class AA team in the state had more all-state selections this season. "That's pretty awesome," Gant said via cell phone Thursday night from Orlando. "We've had two (all-state selections) a few times, but I don't remember ever having three. I'm glad to see everybody get that." Liles capped a stellar high school career with an impressive senior season in which he helped lead USJ to the Class AA state final for the second consecutive season. The University of Tennessee signee hit .525 with a state-record 84 runs scored, 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. He also finished as the state's all-time leader in runs scored with 313 and saw the Bruins go 188-43 in his five varsity seasons. In early June, Liles was selected in the 40th round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners. Last week he was named the 2007 Louisville Slugger Tennessee High School Baseball Player of the Year. Gant excelled both on the mound and at the plate as a junior. He posted a 14-1 record with a 1.87 ERA and hit .413 with 42 runs scored, six home runs and 53 RBIs. Gant said he has already visited Tennessee and Mississippi State and plans to visit the LSU campus before the start of his senior season. Fesmire was one of the state's top sophomores, going 11-0 with a 2.41 ERA. He also hit .318 with 33 runs scored and 23 RBIs. Other area players to receive all-state honors in Class AA include Bolivar's Will Irvin, Crockett County's Craig Massey, Dyer County's Derek Sims and Milan's Jake Ramsey. Irvin hit .429 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs as a junior and added a 9-1 record and 1.64 ERA on the mound. Massey, a Bethel signee, was a major offensive threat, hitting .545 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs. Ramsey, who also signed with Bethel, hit .490 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs. Sims went 15-1 with a 1.53 ERA. Eight area players earned all-state honors in Class A, including Clay Fowler and Greg Wood from Jackson Christian School's Class A state runner-up team. Humboldt's Joey Blankenship, Huntingdon's Spencer Clifft, Union City's Craig Lowrance, Hall's Leamond Arthur, Adamsville's Preston Sloan and McKenzie's Glenn Smith also made the team. Fowler, Wood, Blankenship, Clifft and Sloan were all first-team all-area picks this past season. Fowler, The Jackson Sun's 2007 male athlete of the year, posted a 12-1 record with a 1.58 ERA and hit .425 with 30 RBIs. He plans on joining the Ole Miss football team as a preferred walk-on player this fall. "It's an honor after seeing all the great players we saw at state," Fowler said of his all-state selection. "It's hard to believe I made the team." Wood hit .405 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs as a senior. The Freed-Hardeman signee also was 8-1 with a 1.38 ERA. Blankenship was brilliant on the mound as a sophomore, going 9-0 with five complete games and a 1.01 ERA. He also hit .314. Clifft, who signed with Walters State, posted a 10-1 record with a 1.34 ERA and hit .333 with 36 RBIs. Sloan hit .381 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs. Smith hit .427 with four home runs and 36 RBIs as a senior. The Bethel signee also went 6-3 on the mound. To be considered for the TSWA all-state teams, players and coaches must be nominated by area coaches and sportswriters. TSWA members then determine which players are most deserving of all-state honors. -Joshua Parrott, 425-9634