02 Aug

good old summertime

The NJCAA National Team, which includes five MACJC alums, begins play in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday against the San Diego, CA Force. Pitchers Shemar Page of Pearl River Community College and Tyler Spring of Jones County, catcher Tucker Childers of Northeast and outfielders Brandon Parker of Mississippi Gulf Coast and Brant Blaylock of Northwest are on the NJCAA team roster. Hinds coach Sam Temple is on the coaching staff. Parker, from Saucier and West Harrison High, was the NJCAA Division II player of the year as a freshman. … Southern Miss All-American Matt Wallner is hitting .250 with four homers, 11 RBIs and four steals in 80 at-bats for Falmouth in the Cape Cod League, which concludes its regular season today. Falmouth has clinched a playoff berth. Wallner, who did not make the final cut for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, has had a streaky tour in the CCBL. He had a seven-game hit streak that included three homers in mid-July. He is 6-for-13 with three RBIs over his last four games. … The Hattiesburg Black Sox, champions of the Mississippi Baseball Congress state tournament, are participating in the inaugural Bluegrass World Series in Louisville, Ky. The six-day, eight-team tournament, created by the owners of the minor league Louisville Bats, includes various amateur and semi-pro teams, most notably the Louisville Stars, a collection of former major leaguers. Managed by Johnny Bench, the Stars’ listed roster includes, along with Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson and Johnny Damon, former Holmes Community College star Roy Oswalt and Mississippi State alum Jonathan Papelbon. The Black Sox played the Stars on Wednesday; they lost 15-2. … The North Delta Dealers are the 2018 Cotton States League champions; they beat HillCountry 6-2 in the summer league’s title game in New Albany on Sunday. Collin McPherson, a Freed-Hardeman alum, homered, scored three times and pitched six innings for the Dealers. Northwest Mississippi CC’s Hunter White had a hit and scored twice and Southaven’s John Wesley Ray had two hits and an RBI for the Dealers. … Chad Girodo, ex-Mississippi State star and onetime big leaguer, is pitching for the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association. (The Dogs’ bench coach is Jackson native Stan Cliburn.) Girodo was released from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization in June. Through 10 games with the Dogs, the 27-year-old lefty has a 3.17 ERA.

02 Aug

call for help

The New York Mets, who seemingly need all kinds of help, have called up Ole Miss product Bobby Wahl from Triple-A Las Vegas. The Mets recently acquired Wahl, a relief pitcher, from Oakland in the Jeurys Familia trade. Wahl was drafted out of UM by the A’s in 2013 and made his big league debut last year, appearing in seven games before an injury curtailed his season (see previous post). He had a 2.27 ERA and 11 saves at Triple-A Nashville this year before the deal and had allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings at Las Vegas. The right-hander, who has hit 100 on the radar gun, has averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings in his minor league career. The Mets host Atlanta tonight. … Wahl becomes the 26th Mississippian (native or college alum) to appear on a major league roster this season.

02 Aug

triad

This might have happened before, but it’s gotta be pretty rare. A pitcher from each of the state’s Big 3 appeared in the same big league game on Wednesday. Southern Miss alum Cody Carroll made his MLB debut with Baltimore, ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn made his New York Yankees debut and Mississippi State product Jonathan Holder also worked an inning for the Yanks. Combined, the three pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a game won by Baltimore 7-5 at Yankee Stadium. Lynn, acquired from Minnesota, replaced struggling starter Sonny Gray in the third inning and delivered a solid 4 1/3 innings, yielding five hits and fanning five. Carroll, acquired from the Yankees by the Orioles last week, pitched the seventh inning and allowed one hit. Holder, who has become a significant piece of New York’s formidable bullpen, worked the top of the ninth, reducing his ERA to 2.06. P.S. As if following a Hollywood script, former USM star Brian Dozier introduced himself to Dodgers fans with a 3-for-4 debut, including a home run and a double, in Los Angeles’ 6-4 win against Milwaukee. Dozier now has 17 homers on the season. … Down on the farm, Atlanta’s No. 5 prospect, Cristian Pache, made his Mississippi Braves debut on Wednesday at Trustmark Park, going 2-for-2 in the second game of the night against Birmingham. Pache, 19, is an athletically cut 6 feet 2, 185 pounds. He batted .285 with eight homers at Class A Florida and is reportedly a plus defender in center field. He is one to watch.