Last season, Vicksburg High coach Ryan Grey relied on standout seniors Lamar Anthony, Clyde Kendrick and Cameron Cooksey to carry the team while his young and inexperienced infield matured.

It worked. The Gators went 16-12 and finished second in Division 3-6A.

Now into the summer schedule, Grey is banking on his younger players to show what they’ve learned — and through six games, they have. The Gators swept a pair of doubleheaders from Tri-County and St. Aloysius before playing back-to-back twinbills against Warren Central Thursday and today.

Warren Central swept Thursday’s doubleheader at Bazinsky Field, 6-0 and 8-6. The teams play today at WC’s Viking Field at 4 and 6 p.m.

“We started three sophomores in the infield last season and that led to some tough games for us, but now, they’ve been in the fire and should be ready to step up,” Grey said. “If we play defense behind our young pitchers, we’ll have a good team.”

Shortstop Michael Rorher came on late in the season and made the All-County team. Second baseman John Pittman had a handful of big games, including a three-hit performance in an 18-11 win at Warren Central. Third baseman Chris Williams saw plenty of action when Cooksey pitched, while first baseman Gabe Bufkin was the lone underclassman who had plenty of game experience in 2011.

All four must play big roles in leading the Gators next year.

“To have those guys returning helps us a lot,” Grey said. “That’s a whole infield plus the catcher (Josh Sterling) who are back. It’s a close knit group, too. They hang out together and they’ve shown they are capable of getting the job done. They are a big start towards us having a talented team.”

The big losses are on the mound and in the outfield as Anthony, a Jones County Junior College signee, departs after four years of patrolling center field. He hit .426, scored 25 runs and stole 27 bases. Kendrick, a Hinds Community College signee, was the team’s ace pitcher. He went 5-4 with 80 strikeouts, and also was a big threat with the bat with a .412 average and 26 runs scored.

Both started in the Crossroads Diamond Club All-Star game earlier this month.

Cooksey hit .347 and was second in Warren County with 28 RBIs. He also had a 1.88 ERA as the Gators’ No. 2 pitcher.

For Grey, Anthony’s spot in center field spot is the biggest hole to fill.

“Right now, we’re looking at Darius Kendrick and Tyler Smith in center,” Grey said. “Darius played in left when Clyde pitched, so he has some experience.”

Smith, who had a standout relief stint to beat Greenville-Weston in a key division game last season, will be counted on to lead the pitching staff. Jekori Reed, who went 2-2 with 32 innings pitched, is back and Grey said that Bufkin is expected to return to the mound in 2013.

“Gabe was supposed to be our No. 3 last year, but he had an elbow injury in February and we had to shut him down,” Grey said. “He’s back and has already pitched for us this summer. We’re not going to have that dominant guy on the mound, but what we will have is eight to 10 guys who can pitch at any time.”