Mariners holding tryout camp in Ely

For at least one day, Ely will be the hotbed of some of the top amateur baseball talent in the upper Midwest.That day would be this Saturday, when the Seattle Mariners hold a one-day tryout camp at Veterans Memorial Field.Elyite Paul Starkovich is directing the camp and has lined up top prospects from high school and college baseball programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.Starkovich, who played in the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles organizations during a seven-year professional career, joined the Mariners this year as a Midwest scout.He will be joined by other officials from the Mariners scouting department as they assess talent for possible selection in next month’s major league amateur draft.Starkovich and the Mariners have invited nearly 30 prospects, from leading area high school talent including Josh Mathson of Babbitt-Embarrass-Soudan-Tower to top regional college players such as Tim Battaglia of the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Grant Schara of the College of St. Scholastica.The camp begins at 9 a.m. and is open to the public, although scouts from other major league organizations are not allowed entry.