Two local baseball players got their chance to showcase their skills by playing and practicing in front of more than 300 professional scouts at Joker Marchant Stadium, the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla., Aug 1-4.

Mandeville High senior Garrett Cannizaro and Northshore High junior Ryan Eades took part in the East Coast Professional Showcase.

Cannizaro and Eades were selected to be there after being evaluated in the East Coast Professional Showcase Tryout, which was held June 10 in Jackson, Miss., where 60 participants competed for 22 spots.

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There were 132 players on six different teams from all over the country taking part.

Cannizaro and Eades were on a team representing the San Diego Padres, which finished with a 3-1 record. The Padres consisted of players from Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, the Panhandle of Florida and Mississippi.

The squad was coached by scouts from the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cannizaro, who verbally committed to Tulane University over the summer, went 3-for-9 with two runs batted in during the event, using a wooden bat. He started two games at shortstop, one at third base and another at second base. Cannizaro said he learned a lot from the men in charge of the team.

“The coaches were incredible,” Cannizaro said. “They helped you out a ton on the field and answered any questions you had about baseball. They hung out with you in your room. They were great guys to talk to.”

Cannizaro also said he faced a lot of quality pitching in Florida.

“It was the best pitching I’ve ever seen. You weren’t going to see an average pitcher. They were throwing in the low 90s,” Cannizaro said.

He admitted he peeked at the stadium’s radar gun.

“A kid would throw a fastball. You would glance up to see how fast it was and see 94 and then kind of smile,” Cannizaro said.

Cannizaro’s brother Andy is an infielder for the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple A squad of the Cleveland Indians. He was traded there from the Tampa Bay Rays organization

Since Andy, an infielder, has been with Buffalo, he is hitting .302 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 15 games played.

Eades, who verbally committed to Louisiana State University near the beginning of the high-school baseball season, got his opportunity to pinch run, be a designated hitter and pitch. Eades, a switch hitter, went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple from the left side and a double right-handed. Both of his hits went to right-center field.

On the mound, Eades lit up the radar gun by hitting 94 miles per hour three times. In his only mound appearance, he threw two and one-third innings, giving up one run on three hits with two strikeouts.

Eades said he enjoyed his opportunity to play in front of that many scouts and feels it will pay off in handling different environments.

“It was a very good experience,” Eades said. “I was just honored to have the privilege to go down there and play.”

He added that he had butterflies going in, but said he worked through them.

“When I first got there, I was a little nervous, but the more I played, the more comfortable I got,” Eades said.

Cannizaro and Eades were teammates this summer on the Louisiana Knights 18s squad, which posted 39-13 record. The Knights is a premier summer travel team, designed to give players a chance to showcase their skills in front of scouts.

Cannizaro was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and received the Golden Glove Award for his defense.

Cannizaro was the second leading hitter on the team behind Zac Hawkins, who topped the Knights with a .385 average. Cannizaro batted .374 with a team-leading six home runs, 42 runs batted in and 42 runs scored in 131 at bats. He also showed his versatility by pitching in two games, getting a save in each one. Eades went 4-1 on the mound for the Knights with a save and a stingy earned run average of 1.50. He recorded 35 strikeouts and 21 walks in 37 and one-third innings of work.

At the plate, he hit .292 with four homers, 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 72 at bats.

Both players are also important to their high-school teams as both were named first-team all-district players last season.

Cannizaro led Mandeville with 20 runs scored in district. He batted .380, during the district year, with three home runs, five doubles and posted 15 runs batted in. He also helped the Skippers on the mound, going 5-0 with a pair of saves, while recording a 1.91 earned run average in 25 and one-third innings. He tallied 25 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Eades went 3-0 against the district with a save in a 30 and a third innings of work. He finished with a 4.15 earned run average with 34 strikeouts and 22 walks.

At the plate, Eades batted .243 with two homers and 10 runs scored.