The great expanse of Trustmark Park will make for some adventurous play for outfielders from St. Aloysius and West Union during this week’s Class 1A state championship series.

Since 2005, Trustmark Park, has been the  home of the Atlanta Braves’ Class AA affiliate, the Mississippi Braves and the Mississippi High School Activities Association baseball championships.

St. Aloysius vs. West Union

at Trustmark Park

Game 1: Thursday, 1 p.m.

Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m.

Game 3:  Monday, TBA

With its long width from foul pole to foul pole, high school outfielders more often than not found it difficult to play there.

Still, St. Al left fielder Regan Nosser is looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s going to be great. I’ve been thinking about this since Saturday night,” Nosser said on Monday, two days after the Flashes (26-4) punched their ticket to the 1A championship series after beating Stringer 7-5 in Game 3 of the South State 1A championship series. Game 1 of the best-of-three state title series begins Thursday at 1 p.m.

“I know you’re going to have to cover a lot of ground. You have to have more range,” Nosser said.

Flashes’ right fielder in senior Corey Jones, is unfazed.

“I won’t let it get to me. It’s just means more covering-wise,” he said.

Since the Flashes were able to return to Vicksburg’s Bazinsky Field this season — after playing the final two weeks of the 2008 regular season and the playoffs while Bazinsky was repaired after suffering tornado-like wind damage — playing in Trustmark’s spacious confines won’t seem so out of place.

“Bazinsky is not really a high school field. So Trustmark shouldn’t bother us too much,” St. Al center fielder Blake Haygood said.

Still, Haygood remembers the problems Vicksburg High right fielder Brian Fitzgerald had last year in the 4A championship series against East Central. Fitzgerald had two dropped balls and misjudged another. Trustmark’s background of covered seats, luxury boxes and embankment of lights made for a big an adjustment for the Gator outfielders.

“The ball just seemed to fall early on him,” remembered Haygood, who attended the 4A final last year.

Haygood also remembered something else about Trustmark.

“The biggest thing was the ball Stanton (Price) hit. He just crushed a ball. It would’ve been way out of Bazinsky but it just hit the warning track at Trustmark,” Haygood said.

For teams that hit mainly line drives, that could be good news for teams like St. Al.

Singles tend to turn in doubles and doubles become triples.

“There are a lot of gaps. An inside-the-park home run is more possible than hitting it out. You just have to be on top of your game when you’re out there,” Haygood said.

“A lot of balls are going to be falling on both sides,” Nosser said.

“I think it’s going to be a better place for us to hit,” Jones added. “It won’t be good for the other team.”

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com