31 Jan

and the beat goes on

There are great expectations at William Carey University this season. So … what else is new? The defending Southern States Athletic Conference champs, slated to open the 2025 season at home today against Pikeville, were picked preseason No. 1 in the league by the coaches and are ranked ninth in the NAIA preseason poll. “It’s always good to receive positive accolades with regard to our program,” said Carey coach Bobby Halford, who knows about positive accolades. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame last fall and is about to begin his 40th season at Carey with countless coach of the year awards and 1,337 wins on his ledger. The 2024 Crusaders, 37-16, reached the NAIA World Series for the second straight year and third time overall under Halford. The team welcomes back Jerod Williams (.299, 16 steals), Bridley Thomas (.284, 48 runs), two-way standout Preston Ratliff (.316, 2-2, 1 save), Luke Lycette (7-1, 4.04) and Andrew Shirah (8-5). They’ll launch the season with a three-game series at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg against NAIA foe Pikeville (Ky.), 30-19 in 2024. The first SSAC series is Feb. 14 at Abraham Baldwin in Georgia. P.S. Blue Mountain Christian, pegged seventh in the SSAC poll, opens this weekend with two doubleheaders against William Woods (Mo.). Back for the Toppers (31-23 in ’24) is Carson Gault, who hit .359 with nine homers and 54 RBIs. … Rust College is slated to play today against Miles (Ala.) in the Ron Washington Classic in New Orleans. The Bearcats’ Ja’Shaun Franks (.376) was pegged as a first-team HBCU preseason elite by Black College Nines. Also today, NCAA Division II Delta State opens against Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida and fellow D-II Mississippi College takes on Arkansas-Monticello in the Houston Astros Winter Invitational.

31 Jan

a growing list

Coming off an outstanding first full season in pro ball, Matthew Etzel is the latest Mississippian in the minors to get an invitation to major league spring training. The former Southern Miss star will go camping next month with Tampa Bay, which acquired the 22-year-old outfielder in a trade with Baltimore last summer. Etzel, drafted out of USM in 2023 by the Orioles, batted .272 with 11 homers, 66 RBIs, eight triples and 45 stolen bases in 2024, playing for three different teams. He finished the season at Double-A Montgomery. He joins a growing list of non-roster invitees with state ties:
Tim Anderson (East Central CC), Los Angeles Angels;
Gavin Collins (Mississippi State), St. Louis;
Blaine Crim (Mississippi College), Texas;
Tim Elko (Ole Miss), Chicago White Sox;
Matthew Etzel (USM), Tampa Bay;
Jacob Gonzalez (UM), Chicago White Sox;
Dakota Hudson (MSU), Los Angeles Angels;
Cooper Johnson (UM), Texas;
Braden Montgomery (Madison Central), Chicago White Sox;
Konnor Pilkington (MSU), Washington;
Drew Pomeranz (UM), Seattle;
Cooper Pratt (Magnolia Heights), Milwaukee;
Ethan Small (MSU), San Francisco;
Tyler Stuart (USM), Washington;
R.J. Yeager (MSU), St. Louis.
P.S. The Mississippi Mud Monsters have hired Robert Carson III, former Hattiesburg High standout and ex-big leaguer, as their pitching coach. Carson pitched in 31 games for the New York Mets in 2012-13 and spent seven seasons in independent leagues, most recently in 2021. He been an indy league pitching coach the last three years. The independent Mud Monsters will start their inaugural season in the Frontier League in May at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The “Mud-sters” have announced three signees to date, none of them pitchers.