The Morgan Academy Senators are set to kick off the season with baseball and softball classics that will welcome teams from across the state to Selma.

Morgan will host the Morgan/Pepsi Baseball Classic and the Morgan/Pepsi Softball Classic on Friday and Saturday.

Baseball games will take place at Morgan Field on the Morgan Academy campus and at Bloch Park.

Softball games will take place at the Dallas County Sports Complex.

Morgan Academy athletic director Bob Taylor said the classics will be good for the county, city and Morgan.

“We feel like we’re probably one of the premier schools in the AISA. Bringing teams in to get a lot of games early, all the coaches are excited about it. Selma is a central location and it allows people from all over the state to come and drive in and be able to play,” Taylor said. “It keeps us ahead of the game, so to speak I guess. We’re fortunate that the city of Selma has worked with us to allow us to use their facilities, and I think it’s going to be a great thing for the city of Selma, Dallas County, and Morgan Academy.”

At Morgan Field, Friday’s games will start at 8 a.m. with Morgan versus Autauga Academy, followed by Marengo versus Meadowview Christian School at 10 a.m., Autauga versus Pike Liberal Arts at 12 p.m., Clarke Prep versus Cornerstone at 2 p.m., Meadowview versus Clarke Prep at 4 p.m., and Pike versus Morgan at 6 p.m.

Friday’s games at Bloch Park will start at 9 a.m. with Wilcox Academy versus Edgewood, followed by Sumter versus Macon East at 11 a.m., Edgewood versus Monroe Academy at 1 p.m., Macon East versus Wilcox at 3 p.m., Monroe versus Sumter at 5 p.m., and Cornerstone versus Marengo at 7 p.m.

Friday’s softball games will take place on four different fields, starting at 11 a.m. with Morgan versus South Choctaw on field one, Sumter versus Tuscaloosa on field two, Macon East versus Monroe on field three, and Marengo versus Edgewood on field four.

Games will also take place on the four fields at 12:20 p.m., 1:40 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:20 p.m., 5:40 p.m., and 7 p.m.

Teams also participating in the softball tournament include Cornerstone, Clarke Prep, Kingwood, Pike, and Autauga.

Saturday’s softball games are in a tournament format and will start at 9 a.m., with the last game of the day starting at 3 p.m.

Saturday’s baseball games at Morgan Field will start at 9 a.m. with Morgan versus Cornerstone, followed by Cornerstone versus Meadowview at 11 a.m., Pike versus Wilcox at 1 p.m., Monroe versus Pike at 3 p.m., Macon East versus Monroe at 5 p.m., and Wilcox versus Morgan at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s baseball games at Bloch Park will start at 9 a.m. with Clarke Prep versus Macon East, followed by Autauga versus Marengo at 11 a.m., Edgewood versus Clarke Prep at 1 p.m., Sumter versus Autauga at 3 p.m., Marengo versus Edgewood at 5 p.m., and Meadowview versus Sumter at 7 p.m.

Jennifer Moore, assistant softball coach of Morgan Academy, said the tournament will give coaches an early look at their team against different competition.

“Coaches really hope that it will help to get the girls ready to play through the area,” Moore said. “We have a couple of area games coming up in the next week, and we’re just hoping that we can get ready and figure out who our best nine are to put on the field, get our bats going and find some good pitchers. Just use this to get better.”

Moore said the tournament is also a good event for community involvement.

“I think it’s great for the school and the town. I know it’s a big weekend for Selma already, but I think it’s great that we get so many people to come into Selma and see what we as a school can do, and get all of the parents involved, get the community involved,” Moore said. “The kids get to spend a couple of days with kids from other schools. I think it’s good overall for community involvement.”