NEWPORT-With the 2013 high school baseball season quickly approaching, the Cocke County High School Fighting Cocks will get a tough test on Saturday afternoon.

One of the state’s best teams, Science Hill High School, will visit Newport for a scrimmage to give what Fighting Cocks coach Andy Chrisman said will be a barometer for his program.

"It's a tough challenge, and that might be an understatement, but that’s why we do it," Chrisman said. "To figure out where you are, you’ve got to play the best."

While Science Hill, which has advanced deep into the postseason each of the last five seasons, will present a challenge to a now experienced Fighting Cocks squad, Chrisman is more concerned with how his team will handle themselves in the environment. This year is the fourth straight season that the two teams have scrimmaged, after Chrisman was an assistant under Toppers coach Ryan Edwards at the Johnson City school in 2009.

"We scrimmaged Pigeon Forge last week and they're one of the best AA teams in the state and Science Hill is one of the best AAA teams in the state," Chrisman said. "Their third baseman is going to Wake Forest and their center fielder is going to UT - they’re very talented and we know that.

"I'm looking more about things with us though," Chrisman said. "I want to see good effort, good attitude and get a barometer of where we are and see things we need to work on."