August 1, 2025 - All Mississippi Baseball

ode to jucos

In the display case honoring Scott Berry at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, there is a green jersey emblazoned with EAGLES. It’s a nod to Meridian Community College and, by extension, to juco baseball in the state, which doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves. Berry, who’ll be formally inducted into the state’s Hall of Fame on Saturday, is best known as the former coach at Southern Miss, where he is the all-time leader in victories, including numerous championships. But Berry also spent 10 years as a coach at MCC, the last four as head coach after succeeding the highly successful Corky Palmer. Berry’s legacy at MCC is powerful: Over his four seasons, the Eagles were a perennial Top 10 team in the NJCAA, per the MCC website. His teams went 185-58, twice reaching the Juco World Series. The 1997 team, his first, was ranked No. 1 all season before falling in the district round of the postseason. He won numerous coach of the year awards, including two national honors, and he was inducted into the MACCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. More than 25 players advanced from Meridian CC to Division I schools during Berry’s tenure. Among that group was Cliff Lee, who went on to Arkansas and then to the big leagues, where he was an All-Star and Cy Young Award winner. All told, MCC has produced seven MLB players, including Corey Dickerson, Tyler Moore and Jamie Brown. There’s an impressive list of state juco alums from other programs who’ve made it to the big leagues: Roy Oswalt (a recent Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee), Jarrod Dyson, Matt Lawton, Tim Anderson, Marcus Thames, Greg Hibbard, Bill Selby, Fred Lewis and Wendell Magee. Among the decorated coaches in addition to Berry and Palmer who’ve served in the state juco ranks are Ken and Cooper Farris, Rick Clarke, George McQuitter, Donny Castle, Keith Case, Sam Temple, Chris Kirtland, Rick Collier, Neal Holliman and Marc Carson. Kirtland won a national title at Jones, and current Pearl River coach Michael Avalon won the national crown in 2022. Current USM coach Christian Ostrander previously coached at Jones. Every season, and throughout each season, several state jucos will appear in the NJCAA Division II national rankings. That green EAGLES jersey in the museum display case serves as a subtle reminder of the quality and rich history of juco ball in Mississippi.

catching up

The week’s trade winds — trade storms? — have subsided, and a handful of Mississippi products have landed in new places. To recap:
Khal Stephen: The former Mississippi State standout is now in the Cleveland system, assigned to Double-A Akron. A 2024 draft pick, he was 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA over three levels in the Toronto chain. Traded straight up for big leaguer Shane Bieber, the 6-foot-4 Stephen is slotted in as the Guardians’ No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Victor Figueroa: The lone Mississippi Valley State alum in affiliated ball, he is now in the Baltimore organization, having been dealt by San Diego as one of the six prospects sent to the Orioles for major leaguers Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano. Figueroa, who played at Valley in 2023, was at Low-Class A Lake Elsinore, where he was batting .262 with seven homers. The Florida native, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound lefty hitter, hit .400 with eight homers and 14 steals at Valley in 2023 before transferring to a Florida juco. He was an 18th-round pick last summer.
Blaze Jordan: The slugger from DeSoto Central High is now in the St. Louis system and has been sent to Triple-A Memphis, 15 minutes from his Southaven home. A 22-year-old corner infielder, he is batting .308 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A in his fifth pro season. He has 55 career homers.
Nate Dohm: The 6-4 right-hander, drafted out of MSU in the third round in 2024, also has moved to the St. Louis system and was placed on the High-Class A Peoria roster. He was 3-5 with a 2.87 ERA as a starter in A-ball in the New York Mets’ organization.
Nick Fortes: The ex-Ole Miss catcher was dealt to Tampa Bay by Miami and already has played in three games for the Rays. A fifth-year big leaguer, Fortes, known for his defense, is batting .231 with two homers and 10 RBIs on the year.
Matthew Etzel: The former Southern Miss standout went to Miami from Tampa Bay in the deal for Fortes. Etzel, currently on the injured list, was assigned to Double-A Pensacola. He is batting .230 with five homers, 34 RBIs and 17 steals this season, his third in the minors.
P.S. MSU product Adam Frazier, traded from Pittsburgh to Kansas City on July 16, is hitting .261 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs in eight games for the Royals, having played four different positions. … Ex-Ole Miss standout Tim Elko homered again Thursday — No. 18 — for Triple-A Charlotte; he is on a rehab assignment with the Chicago White Sox. … Former USM star Justin Storm threw two shutout innings for his fifth save as High-A Beloit beat Peoria 3-0. The 6-foot-7 lefty, in his third pro season, has a 4.08 ERA in 31 games.