around the horn

If Mississippi State wins the College World Series, it will be a first for the Magnolia State, which has never won a Division I baseball national championship. But don’t forget, the state does claim two national crowns: Delta State won a Division II title in 2004 and William Carey an NAIA title in 1969. State, 51-18 and unbeaten in Omaha, plays UCLA in the best-of-3 championship series starting Monday night. … State slugger Hunter Renfroe, who hit a big home run in Friday’s win over Oregon State, was a first-team All-America pick by Baseball America, as was Ole Miss catcher Stuart Turner. Bulldogs closer Jonathan Holder was a second-team selection. … Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson is 2-for-9 with three runs and two RBIs in two games for Class A Kannapolis. And, yes, he is playing shortstop. Anderson was the Chicago White Sox’s first-round pick earlier this month. … Southern Miss product Brian Dozier belted his seventh home run for Minnesota on Friday, his fourth round-tripper in five games. … MSU alum Mitch Moreland returned to the Texas lineup on Friday after a stint on the disabled list and went 1-for-4. … Southwest Mississippi CC product Jarrod Dyson has been activated from the DL by Kansas City. … Former Mississippi Braves ace Zeke Spruill pitched a scoreless inning for Arizona on Friday in his big league debut. Spruill is the 76th M-Braves alum to advance to The Show. … Ex-M-Braves shortstop Brent Lillibridge is on the move yet again, having been traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees. He was playing in Triple-A for the Cubs. … Former Ole Miss standout Alex Presley was recently sent back to Triple-A by Pittsburgh, the third time he has been optioned out this year. In 17 games over two stints with the Pirates, the outfielder is batting .293.