Monthly Archives: April 2015

21 Apr

taking notes

Jackson State’s Melvin Rodriguez is having a season worthy of Ferriss Trophy consideration. The senior from Puerto Rico leads NCAA Division I in batting. He currently sits at .446 with five homers, 44 runs and 52 RBIs for the Tigers (25-15, 11-6 SWAC). He also has a .505 on-base percentage and 11 steals in 12 tries. … Southern Miss (21-14-1, 9-8 C-USA), leads its conference in ERA (2.82) and fielding (.974). Those stats may bode well for USM’s chances of winning in the postseason, when those aspects of the game are magnified. … Ole Miss ranks last in the SEC in hitting at .247 and 13th in runs (187). Mississippi State is ninth in batting at .273 and sixth in runs (230). The schools rank 10th and 11th in ERA, State at 4.14, UM at 4.15. It’s little wonder both have struggled to win in the league. … Delta State has 36 homers this year, its most this decade, the school reports. Ethan Gill leads the Statesmen with eight. … Millsaps (25-10 with a game tonight against Mississippi College) will host Rhodes, Hendrix and Sewanee this weekend in a Southern Athletic Association double-elimination tournament. The winner advances to the SAA’s best-of-3 championship series. The Majors are 19-4 at Twenty Field. … Belhaven University improved to 6-0 against Tougaloo this season with a 14-4 win on Monday. BU is 32-20 overall but just 10-16 in the Southern States Athletic Conference heading into a season-ending series at rival William Carey this weekend. WCU is 25-19 (heading into a twinbill at Tougaloo today) and 16-9 in the league. Tyler Richardson continues to shine for the Crusaders, with a .374 average, 43 runs and 28 RBIs in 40 games. … Hinds Community College snatched first place in the MACJC with its dramatic sweep of Northwest on Sunday. The NJCAA Division II top-ranked Eagles (31-4) are 18-4 in the league and take on Jones County JC (14-8) in Raymond on Wednesday. Northwest (16-6) visits East Mississippi (16-6) on Wednesday, and Meridian (also 16-6) has a twinbill at last-place Coahoma that day. … A bunch of Hinds players have nice numbers, but none are more impressive than Austin Sanders’. The Ole Miss signee is 3-0 with nine saves and a 1.48 ERA.

21 Apr

big league chew

Houston sits atop the tightly packed American League West, and Pascagoula’s Tony Sipp has played a key role in the Astros’ 7-6 start. Sipp, a left-handed reliever, got the win in Monday night’s victory over Seattle. His ERA over six games (7 2/3 innings) is now 1.17, and he has three holds. This is Sipp’s second season in Houston. … Ole Miss product Zack Cozart homered in Cincinnati’s win over Milwaukee and now has 14 hits in his last 34 at-bats. Cozart is batting .326 with two homers and five RBIs. … Ex-Mississippi State standout Kendall Graveman, making his third start for Oakland, was staked to an early lead but was pulled in the fourth inning of the victory over the Los Angeles Angels. He had allowed four hits, three walks and two earned runs. Graveman, rocked for seven earned runs in his first start (the first of his short MLB career), is now 1-1 and has trimmed his ERA to 6.94.

20 Apr

ballpark fare

Yes, tonight is Free Hot Dog Night at Trustmark Park. On Tuesday, there is a cap giveaway, and then there’s Thirsty Thursday and Friday Night Fireworks. Just in case you needed some other reason to head out to the ballpark in Pearl this week, the Mississippi Braves are hosting what Baseball America touts as one of the most talented teams in the minors. The Chattanooga Lookouts, now a Minnesota Twins affiliate, feature No. 2 overall prospect Byron Buxton, No. 13 Miguel Sano and No. 36 Jose Berrios, plus quite a few more of the Twins’ top prospects. Buxton, an outfielder with all the tools, is batting just .225. Third baseman Sano is at .200 with two homers, and Berrios is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA. Shortstop Jorge Polanco, No. 8 on Minnesota’s list, is hitting .324, and Ole Miss product Stuart Turner (No. 13) is batting .250. The Lookouts’ top hitter is Dalton Hicks at .385. Of course, the home team also trots out a few prospects, including right-hander Jason Hursh (Atlanta’s No. 6), third baseman Rio Ruiz (No. 10) and center fielder Mallex Smith. Hot hitters for the M-Braves, off to a 5-4 start, include Chris O’Dowd, who is 6-for-13 with a homer and seven RBIs; Matt Lipka (.393); Daniel Castro (.361); and Smith (.361, six steals, nine runs). In tonight’s series opener at 7 p.m., Hursh (0-1, 9.00) faces Chattanooga’s Tyler Duffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 13 2/3 innings).

19 Apr

lost weekend

Millsaps College wears purple, which, oddly enough, is the color of royalty but also the color of a bruise. The Majors went into a weekend series at rival Rhodes sitting on the throne in the Southern Athletic Association. They came home late Saturday feeling a little beat up. The Lynx swept the Majors in three games, handing Millsaps as many SAA losses as it had accumulated all season to that point. Birmingham-Southern, at 15-4-1 in the conference with a game to play today, appears to have captured the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference postseason. Millsaps (25-10, 15-6) will still host a four-team tournament next weekend at Twenty Field with a chance to advance to the best-of-3 championship series. BSC will also host a four-team double-elimination tourney. Millsaps stumbled in Game 1 at Memphis 5-4 on Friday despite out-hitting the host Lynx 11-7. Rhodes put up a four-spot, aided by an error, in the second inning against Smokey Ethridge (4-3) and the Majors couldn’t recover. In Game 2 on Saturday, Rhodes handed Keith Shumaker his first loss of the season (against eight wins). He allowed 11 hits and a walk in losing a 3-2 duel against Adam Putnam (7-2), who checked the Majors on six hits. In Game 3, a seven-inning nightcap on Saturday, the Lynx (26-11, 14-6) pounded out 18 hits against four Majors pitchers, blowing the game open with a six-run sixth and winning 11-2. Was the Majors’ confidence shaken by the lost weekend, or will they come out angry and motivated in the tournament next weekend?

17 Apr

junk and stuff

On this date in 1934, Columbus native Red Barber called his first game on the radio, doing play-by-play for the Cincinnati Reds in a 6-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Crosley Field. It was the first major league game Barber had ever seen. He would go on to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster best known for his work with the Brooklyn Dodgers. … It’ll be interesting to see how Bobby Bradley fares this season. The former Harrison Central High standout, only 18, has been placed by Cleveland in the Class A Midwest League to start his second pro season. He is one of just two 18-year-olds on the Lake County roster. Bradley, a left-handed hitting first baseman, was drafted in the third round by the Indians in 2014 and stamped himself as a true prospect by batting .361 with eight homers and 50 RBIs in the rookie Arizona League. He even got into a big league spring game in March. Through his first seven games for Lake County, Bradley is 4-for-20 with a homer and a triple. “His swing is pretty sound, especially for his age,” Captains manager Shaun Larkin said in a story on an Indians blog site. … Stan Cliburn, the former big leaguer out of Forest Hill High, will manage the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the independent Atlantic League this season. On the Blue Crabs’ roster are Fred Lewis, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, and 39-year-old Daryle Ward, onetime Jackson Generals standout. Both Lewis and Ward are big league vets who played in the APBL last year. Opening Day in the league is April 24.

17 Apr

coming attractions

Starkville’s Dudy Noble Field is a hot spot in the state this weekend — weather permitting, as always — with Mississippi State hosting SEC foe Florida as part of Super Bulldog Weekend. At Braddy Field in Jackson, Jackson State faces a SWAC showdown with Alabama A&M. Down in Hattiesburg at Taylor Park, Southern Miss has a big C-USA series against Florida Atlantic. Up in Cleveland, Ferriss Field will fill up for Delta State’s Gulf South Conference battle with Shorter. Mississippi Valley State will host Belhaven in Itta Bena today and then travel to Jackson’s Smith-Wills Stadium on Saturday for a twinbill against the Blazers. And on Sunday at Smith-Wills, perhaps the most compelling matchup of the weekend will see NJCAA Division II No. 1-ranked Hinds Community College take on No. 16 Northwest Mississippi CC. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. Hinds dropped a pair to Southwest at Smith-Wills on Thursday, falling into a tie atop the MACJC standings with Northwest at 16-4. Hinds (29-4 overall) has gotten prolific production from Jonathan Washam (.402 entering the Southwest set), Madison’s Matt Jones (.394, 34 runs), Cleveland’s Marshall Boggs (.349) and Clinton’s Chase Lunceford (.353, five home runs). Randy Bell (7-0, 2.36 ERA) of Woodville and Houston Case (6-1) of Brookhaven are the top winners on the mound for the Eagles, and Madison’s Austin Sanders has nine saves. Northwest (25-8) has won 12 straight games, including a sweep of Northeast on Tuesday in which the Rangers scored 21 runs on 29 hits. Clay Casey, the former DeSoto Central star, has swung a mighty bat, with a .358 average, eight homers, 28 RBIs and 30 runs. Ole Miss transfer Dalton Dulin leads the Rangers with a .382 average and has a school-record 36 stolen bases. Coldwater’s LeeMarcus Boyd is batting .320 with 30 runs. Myrtle’s Colt Smith is Northwest’s ace, having posted a 6-0 record with a 0.54 ERA, and Tupelo’s J.G. Lipscomb is 4-1, 1.48.

16 Apr

unbroken — so far

Oxford High is three games away from an undefeated regular season. That’s not easy to do in any sport but particularly in baseball. Size and speed, so critical in other games, can be neutralized in baseball. A hot pitcher, a funny hop or a bad call can take you down on any given day. The Class 5A Chargers (24-0), the highest ranked Mississippi school (at No. 31) in the MaxPreps national poll, play Saltillo on Friday, Water Valley on Monday and West Point on Tuesday. Chris Baughman’s team has dominated most of its competition, outscoring opponents 207-37. Junior Jason Barber has been a two-way star, batting .339 with five homers and 29 RBIs and posting a 7-0, 0.00 pitching ledger. Ben Bianco, a sophomore, is batting .394, and junior Grae Kessinger, son of former Ole Miss star Kevin and grandson of UM and MLB great Donnie, is hitting .380. Don’t bet against the Chargers running the table. But don’t forget that baseball can be a strange game.

16 Apr

worth noting

Former Ole Miss standout Lance Lynn notched career win No. 50 (against just 29 losses) in St. Louis’ 4-2 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday. Lynn, who told the media he “wasn’t sharp,” allowed six hits and a walk but just one run over five innings as the Brewers went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Lynn is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11 innings for the Cardinals this season. … Mississippi State product Tyler Moore got his first hit of 2015 (in his 13th at-bat) and later belted a two-run home run to help Washington topple Boston 10-5. Moore made the club with a good spring, but his hold on a roster spot with the Nationals still seems rather tenuous. … Ex-UM star Zack Cozart, under a little pressure to hit more (.221 in 2014) in Cincinnati, has a five-game hitting streak that has lifted his average to .267. … Corey Dickerson, the Meridian Community College alum, went hitless for just the second time in nine games but still is raking at .361 with two homers and 10 RBIs for Colorado. … UM product Alex Presley, who accepted a minor league assignment with Houston, is 3-for-9 in two games for Triple-A Fresno.

15 Apr

at a glance

Too early to draw any conclusions about the 2015 Mississippi Braves, but it is clear that their starting pitching needs to improve. Four of the five, including Jason Hursh and Tyrell Jenkins, had rough first outings as the M-Braves dropped three of five to Tennessee to open the season at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves, typically near the top of the Southern League in staff ERA, are last with a 5.20. They’ve walked 27 batters in 45 innings. The offense is batting just .214 but has managed to score 23 runs, fourth in the league, and swipe seven bases, tops in the SL. Returnees David Rohm and Daniel Castro are hitting .417 and .389, and newcomer Kyeong “K.D.” Kang is at .250 with the team’s lone homer and four RBIs. Touted prospects Rio Ruiz (.222) and Mallex Smith (.188) have started slowly. The M-Braves begin a five-game series today at Jackson (Tenn.). P.S. The list of M-Braves alumni to reach the majors has topped 90 with the appearances this season of Brandon Cunniff and Cody Martin with Atlanta, Sean Gilmartin with the New York Mets and J.R. Graham with Minnesota.

14 Apr

state of the state

Both Mississippi State and Ole Miss popped up in various national preseason polls. Then the games started. Since winning its first 13 (all at Starkville) and rising in some polls, State has gone 9-16, a tailspin that seemed to start with a home loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 3. The Bulldogs are 6-9 in the SEC West, a game back of Ole Miss (7-8). State has won just one SEC series (South Carolina), UM two (Florida and Vanderbilt). The Rebels, playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, are just 18-18 overall, apparently missing the eight MLB draftees taken from last year’s College World Series club more than some people thought they would. There is, of course, lots of baseball still to be played in the SEC. But State and Ole Miss have lots of work to do to get back in the polls and, more importantly, back in the NCAA regionals. … Southern Miss is 20-12-1 (2-0 in the Trustmark Park College Series) and 8-6 (fifth) in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles, who have the league’s top hitter in Taylor Braley (.398), have won two straight C-USA series. … In the SWAC, Jackson State is 10-5 and third in the East, with Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State tied in the cellar at 3-14. JSU, the defending league tournament champ, is 21-14 overall. … Delta State is 17-13 and 12-8 (t-fifth) in the Gulf South Conference. The Statesmen celebrated Mike Kinnison’s 800th career win last week and then took two of three from Mississippi College in the renewal of their old rivalry. … MC, ineligible for the GSC title as it transitions to NCAA Division II, is 12-27, 4-22 in what will be coach Brian Owens’ final season in Clinton. … Millsaps, 25-7 and ranked 10th in NCAA D-III, is first in the Southern Athletic Association standings at 15-3. … In the NAIA Southern States Athletic Conference, William Carey (15-9) is third, Belhaven (10-16) seventh and Blue Mountain (7-18) 10th. Carey (24-19 overall) swept league foe Martin Methodist over the weekend. BU celebrated another Maloney Trophy Series championship by beating Millsaps last week, then got swept by No. 1-ranked Faulkner in the SSAC. … NAIA Tougaloo, under first-year coach Earl Sanders, is 5-30. … In the jucos, No. 1-ranked Hinds Community College (29-2) is tops in the MACJC at 16-2, having won its showdown with East Mississippi CC last Saturday. Northwest has moved to No. 2 in the league at 14-4, and EMCC is third at 13-5.