Monthly Archives: May 2014

07 May

doing it all

Mitch Moreland got a hit in his first major league at-bat in 2010. On Tuesday night, the former Mississippi State standout made another debut and enjoyed another thrill. Moreland, an outfielder/DH for Texas, pitched in an MLB game for the first time, throwing a clean inning during the Rangers’ 12-1 loss at Colorado. Moreland, who went 3-0 with two saves and a 3.20 ERA as a junior at MSU in 2007, said pitching in the majors was a dream. “I’ve begged skip (Ron Washington) for years in situations like that,” the left-hander told mlb.com. Moreland, who last pitched in low-A ball (two innings) in 2008, threw 10 of 15 pitches for strikes and reportedly hit 94 mph on the gun. He also singled as a pinch hitter before he took the mound. P.S. Pittsburgh has recalled Ole Miss product Phillip Irwin, a right-hander who made one start early last season for the Pirates.

06 May

encore, encore

Ross Mitchell, Mississippi State’s junior left-hander, set a high standard for himself in 2013. He went 13-0 and posted a 1.53 ERA in 94 innings, all out of the bullpen for the national runner-up. He made several All-America teams. Mitchell’s encore in 2014, if not as spectacular as last year, has been pretty darn good. He is 7-4 for the 31-18 Bulldogs, with a 2.12 ERA in an SEC-leading 89 1/3 innings. He has made eight starts and won five of them since moving from the pen. Mitchell beat Auburn on Saturday with his first career complete game shutout, part of State’s sweep on The Plains. On Monday, the Tennessee native was named co-pitcher of the week in the SEC, the third time in 2014 he has received that honor. Mitchell is the definition of the crafty lefty: only 42 strikeouts this season but a .220 opponent batting average and just 22 walks. He figured to be a key player for the Bulldogs this season, and that he certainly has been for a team headed back to the NCAA postseason.

05 May

a just reward

He batted .355, belted three home runs, scored eight times — once from second base on a sac fly — and piled up 23 total bases. Those nifty numbers were good enough to earn Desmond Jennings the American League player of the week award, which was announced today. It’s the first time the former Itawamba Community College star, who has been with Tampa Bay since late in 2010, has won the weekly award. P.S. Former Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon didn’t win an award, but his numbers of late are also worth mentioning. After a sluggish start to this season, the Philadelphia closer has made 11 straight scoreless appearances during which he has yielded just six hits and two walks. He has saved nine of the Phillies’ 15 wins.

05 May

dust begins to settle

Jones County Junior College’s path to a state championship might have cleared a bit over the weekend. The top-ranked Bobcats rolled past Holmes to reach the MACJC Tournament, and they won’t have to face North Division champion East Mississippi in that four-team affair. The Lions, ranked eighth in NJCAA Division II, were upset in their best-of-3 series by South 4-seed East Central, which makes the final four with a 22-25 record. Hinds and Northeast also advanced. Northeast, as the highest surviving North seed, will host the tournament in Booneville starting on Thursday. Northeast won a three-game slugfest with Pearl River, taking Game 3 12-11 on Saturday. The Tigers blew a 7-0 lead, went up 12-9 on Easton Hall’s three-run homer in the eighth, then held on for dear life in the ninth. “It wasn’t pretty, but we’re on the dance floor,” Northeast coach Kent Farris said. ECCC’s upset of East Mississippi was fueled by two six-run innings in Saturday’s rubber game, a 12-3 Warriors win. John Morgan Berry had a big homer for the defending state champs. The bigger deal for the jucos is next week’s Region 23 Tournament. P.S. Delta State is 3-0 in the Gulf South Conference Tournament and has clinched a berth in the championship round, according to a school release. … Belhaven University will find out later this week what teams are coming to Smith-Wills Stadium for next week’s NAIA opening round tournament. … Mississippi College’s season is over. The Choctaws finished 21-19, apparently not good enough for an NCCAA regional berth. MC joins Millsaps, William Carey, Blue Mountain, Tougaloo and Rust on the sidelines.

04 May

it’s the big leagues

It’s a tough situation to walk into, but it’s also a safe bet Chris Coghlan isn’t concerned about the Chicago Cubs’ place in the standings. The former Ole Miss star is back in the big leagues, having been called up by the last-place Cubs to replace another outfielder, Ryan Sweeney, who went on the disabled list. Former National League rookie of the year Coghlan was hitting just .243 at Triple-A Iowa, but he is a career .270 hitter in the majors with 21 homers and 27 steals over parts of five years, all with the Florida/Miami Marlins. He signed a minor league deal with Chicago in the off-season. A left-handed hitter, Coghlan can play any of the outfield spots and even has experience at second and third base. With the Cubs facing St. Louis right-hander Lance Lynn, another Ole Miss product, at Wrigley Field tonight, Coghlan could be in the lineup. P.S. Brian Dozier is building a case for making the American League All-Star team. The ex-Southern Miss standout from Tupelo, now the Minnesota Twins’ second baseman, leads the league in runs (29) and has eight home runs and nine stolen bases. Dozier is batting just .246 but has a .365 on-base percentage and has reached in 11 straight games through Saturday. He is also playing great defense. Of course, the July 15 All-Star Game is at Minnesota’s Target Field, so Dozier would figure to get lots of support in the voting from hometown fans.

03 May

rise and shine

Jackson State needed a hero on Friday. Desmond Russell came through. The Bahamas native threw a complete game, with 14 strikeouts, and went 2-for-3 at the plate as the Tigers beat Alcorn State 9-3 at Braddy Field. Russell is 7-4 for JSU, now 27-21 overall and 9-13 in the SWAC East, in a virtual tie for third with the Braves (8-12). JSU, the defending league champ, has lost five straight SWAC series, including a rather embarrassing pratfall against hapless Mississippi Valley State. The Tigers need to get it in gear with the SWAC Tournament approaching. Other stars from a fun-filled Friday: Westin Stringer won his 10th game as No. 1-ranked Jones County Junior College beat Holmes 12-2 in the MACJC playoffs. … Chance Whitten delivered a decisive two-run double as East Central upset North Division champion East Mississippi 4-3 in the opener of that three-game series. LaDarious Clark homered for the Lions. … Jonathan Andrews drove in four runs to lead Delta State past Christian Brothers 15-2 in the first round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament. … Chris Ellis improved to 7-0 as Ole Miss beat Arkansas 3-2. … Conor Fisk won his fifth game and Connor Barron homered as Southern Miss topped Tulane 4-2. … C.T. Bradford hit his first homer and Jonathan Holder notched his sixth save as Mississippi State beat Auburn 3-0. … In MLB, former MSU and Meridian CC star Tyler Moore hit his second homer — off former MCC standout Cliff Lee — to help Washington beat Philadelphia 5-3. … Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings belted his third homer and stole two bases as Tampa Bay knocked off the New York Yankees 10-5 in 14 innings.

02 May

opportunity knocks

Tony Sipp, the ex-Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star from Pascagoula, has signed a major league deal with Houston and reportedly will be in the Astros’ bullpen tonight when they host Seattle. Sipp had been at Triple-A Tucson in the San Diego system but was granted his release so he could sign with the Astros. Sipp, 30, came up with Cleveland and spent last season with Arizona. The left-hander has a 3.84 career ERA in 304 games. P.S. There has been nothing new today on Billy Hamilton’s injured left hand. The Taylorsville High product sprained his knuckles Thursday night making a diving catch. Word last night was that he might not miss more than a game or two. He is batting .245 with 11 steals for Cincinnati.