Tag Archives: Blue Mountain Christian

18 Apr

answering the bell

Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Jackson State each dealt with a sense of urgency on Thursday. Two of them — USM and JSU — got the result they needed. In Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles faced Georgia State on Hill Denson Bobblehead Night with an announced 5,408, including the former coach, on hand at Taylor Park. If ever there was a must-win game … . USM made the Hall of Fame coach proud with an 8-1 win, belting five homers to back the brilliant pitching of J.B. Middleton. Nick Monistere hit his 13th homer — fifth in three games — and Middleton (7-1) tossed eight innings (three hits, one run, 12 strikeouts) as USM moved to 26-12, 11-5 Sun Belt. At Braddy Field in Jackson, JSU, which had lost seven of eight, rode a dominant outing from Erick Gonzalez to a 2-0 victory against Alabama A&M. Gonzalez (4-3) worked 8 2/3, allowing six hits and punching out 10. The Tigers (18-17, 6-10 SWAC) cobbled together two runs in the second inning on a sac bunt, an error and a sac fly. Alas, Ole Miss, coming off a clunky home loss to Arkansas-Little Rock, went to Columbia, S.C., and dropped a 3-2 decision to South Carolina, one of the worst teams in the SEC at 3-13. Hunter Elliott (5-2) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings to take a hard-luck loss for the nationally ranked Rebels (27-11, 9-7 SEC). UM has lost three in a row and four of five. … Incidentally, d1baseball.com projects Ole Miss to host a regional that will include USM. The website also put Mississippi State in the 64-team field. The Bulldogs (23-14, 5-10) open a big SEC series today against Florida (25-14, 4-11) at Starkville. … Also on tap this weekend: William Carey University visits Blue Mountain Christian in an SCAC series. Ranked No. 9 in NAIA, Carey (31-9, 20-4) leads 34-8 in the all-time series with BMC. But the Toppers (21-22, 10-14) won the regular season series in 2024 before losing a league tournament game to the Crusaders. P.S. In MLB: Cool moment at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Thursday when Tampa Bay’s Jake Mangum faced former Jackson Prep teammate Will Warren, the New York Yankees’ starting pitcher, in the second inning. Mangum hit a high hopper that Warren fielded, but with no one covering first base for some reason, Mangum got an infield hit. That was the rookies’ only clash. Mangum had two hits to raise his average to .345; Warren (5.17 ERA) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, yielding one run. The Yanks won 6-3. … Former Jackson Mets and big league manager Clint Hurdle is the new hitting coach for Colorado, which dismissed Hensley Meulens on Thursday.

02 Apr

numbers to crunch

From April 1, no foolin’:
.636 — Jake Mangum’s batting average through three MLB games after a 3-for-4 effort in Tampa Bay’s 7-0 win Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Today, the Mississippi State product gets to face Paul Skenes.
5 — RBIs by both Nick Monistere and Ozzie Pratt in Southern Miss’ 13-6 win over Tulane.
5 — RBIs by Judd Utermark in Ole Miss’ 18-7 romp past Jackson State.
2 — RBIs by Owen Abney on a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, putting Belhaven ahead in its 4-1 victory vs. Millsaps in the Maloney Trophy Series.
4 — Stolen bases by Hayden Redding in Blue Mountain Christian’s 7-6, 10-inning win at Williams Baptist. Redding leads NAIA in steals with 41 in 43 attempts.
0 — Hits allowed by K.K. Clark over five innings for Pearl River Community College in a 14-0, run-rule win against Meridian CC. No. 2-ranked PRCC swept the doubleheader to move to 31-5, 11-1 MACCC.
1 — Hit allowed by Will Warren over five innings for the New York Yankees, who blew a late lead and cost the ex-Jackson Prep star his first big league win.
10 — Strikeouts in 22 at-bats by former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley, reflective of Atlanta’s offensive woes in an 0-6 start.
7 — Strikeouts recorded over five innings by Hurston Waldrep, the Southern Miss alum who won his season debut for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta system.
90 — Career minor league homers by ex-MSU star Justin Foscue, who went deep for Triple-A Round Rock (Texas affiliate) in a win over Toledo.

07 Mar

eye on …

The most intriguing college series of the weekend might be Rust College at Wiley College, a matchup of two of the best teams in the HBCUAC (formerly GCAC). Rust, making the trip from Holly Springs to Marshall, Texas, has won five straight to reach 7-8 and 3-0 in the league. The NAIA Bearcats scored a jaw-dropping 81 runs in their win streak, albeit against overmatched competition. Wiley (13-8, 5-1), the defending GCAC regular season champ, will pose a much bigger challenge. Kyrent Cole, a sophomore from Chicago, has been the sparkplug for Rust. He is batting .333 with a .554 on-base percentage; he has more walks (16) than hits (11). He has scored 17 runs, driven in 14 and stolen 14 bags. Malik Berrien leads the Bearcats in hitting at .432. Wiley’s top pitchers, whom the Bearcats are sure to face, are Isaac Burciaga, 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA, and Keyon Guillory (3-3, 3.06). Ivan Del Villar is batting .395 with five homers and 23 RBIs for the Wildcats. … Of note: William Carey University, ranked No. 12 in the new NAIA coaches poll, hosts SSAC foe Point U. this weekend in Hattiesburg, and Blue Mountain Christian welcomes NAIA No. 13 Faulkner for an SSAC series. Carey is 15-4 and 7-2 in the league, 10-2 at Wheeler Field. Point comes in at 6-15, 3-6. BMC has won seven of its last nine to reach 12-9 overall (5-4 SSAC). Faulkner, a traditional league power, brings a 14-3 (5-1 SSAC) record to the BMC SportsPlex.

11 Feb

small world

Home cooking was just what Delta State seemed to need. After a 1-3 start on the road, the NCAA Division II Statesmen returned to Ferriss Field in Cleveland and outscored Spring Hill 37-17 in a three-game sweep last weekend. Preseason All-Gulf South Conference pick Dylan Coleman has lived up to that billing, batting .467 with a homer, 10 RBIs and nine runs as DSU’s offensive leader. Jacob Hill is at .409 and Dylan Bundy at .346. More good news for the Statesmen: They start GSC play at home this weekend against Lee University. Lee is 5-2, having played only home games. … Mississippi College climbed over .500 on Monday with a 13-1 rout of Blue Mountain Christian in a small-college matchup at Frierson Field in Clinton. Jordan Evans went 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs for the Choctaws (4-3). Six MC pitchers combined on an eight-hitter and hung an 0-for-4 collar on BMC’s Hayden Redding, who came in batting .444 with three homers, eight RBIs and 10 runs for the now 5-4 Toppers. MC starts GSC play at home this weekend against West Georgia. … In a D-III matchup, Millsaps College beat MUW 14-1 on Monday in Jackson as E.J. Ousley drove in five runs for the Majors (1-0). … Bridley Thomas of William Carey University is 12-for-12 on steal attempts and is batting .381 with 13 runs. Carey (5-2) is ranked ninth in NAIA. … In the junior college ranks, Copiah-Lincoln Community College is 8-1 with eight straight wins, including a walk-off (on a Trey Davidson knock) on Sunday against St. Charles CC. Caleb Brooks is hitting .483 for the Wolves. … Hunter Azemar has belted four homers and driven in 13 runs to pace Holmes CC to a 7-1 start. … Meridian, ranked 20th in the NJCAA D-II preseason poll, is also 7-1. Brayden Martin is batting .360 with nine steals for the Eagles, and Connor Gehr is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in nine innings. P.S. Joe Gray Jr.’s long and winding road in pro ball has led the former Hattiesburg High star to Lake Country (Wisc.) in the independent American Association. Drafted in the second round by Milwaukee in 2018, Gray reached Double-A in the Brewers’ system in 2023 and again with Kansas City last year before being released. He played for three different Atlantic League teams after that, batting a combined .211.

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.

24 Jan

one week out

Opening day is coming … it’s practically here. The major college season in the Magnolia State begins a week from today, on Jan. 31, when five teams take the field in various locations. NCAA Division II Delta State opens against Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida, and Mississippi College takes on Arkansas-Monticello in the Houston Astros Winter Invitational. Also on Jan. 31: NAIA William Carey University hosts Pikeville (Ky.), NAIA Blue Mountain Christian welcomes William Woods (Mo.) for a twinbill and NAIA Rust College plays Miles (Ala.) in the Ron Washington Classic in New Orleans. DSU, Carey and BMC are coming off strong seasons that ended in the postseason. The Statesmen, who finished 33-24, bowed out in the D-II South Regional. The team returns, among others, third-team All-America selection Dylan Coleman, a Madison native who batted .398 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 2024. Carey went 37-16 and reached the NAIA World Series. Again. The Crusaders welcome back, among others, coach Bobby Halford, the NAIA Hall of Famer who is about to embark on his 40th season at the Hattiesburg school. BMC enjoyed its best season, going 31-23, reaching the final of the SSAC Tournament (losing to Carey) and getting an NAIA regional invite. Elsewhere, NAIA Tougaloo hosts Southeastern Baptist of Laurel on Feb. 4. NCAA D-III Millsaps College opens at fellow D-III member MUW on Feb. 11, and D-III Belhaven University begins against Mount Saint Mary (N.Y.) on Feb. 14 at Pearl’s Trustmark Park. … The NCAA Division I schools start the 2025 season on Feb. 14. Southern Miss opens at home against Lafayette (Pa.); Mississippi State, ranked in some preseason polls, welcomes Manhattan; Ole Miss begins against Arizona in the Shriners Showdown round-robin in Arlington, Texas; Jackson State plays Grambling State in the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic round-robin in Houston; Mississippi Valley State hosts Western Illinois; and Alcorn State, under new coach Carlton Hardy, will also play Western Illinois in Itta Bena. P.S. Ex-Southern Miss standout Tyler Stuart has received a non-roster invite to Washington’s big league spring camp. He’s one to watch — and hard to miss: The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Stuart, the Nationals’ No. 19 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), was acquired from the New York Mets last summer in a deal for big leaguer Jesse Winker. Right-hander Stuart is 11-10 with a 3.31 ERA over three pro seasons; he was outstanding in Double-A the past two years but scuffled after the Nats promoted him to the Triple-A level.

15 May

winners and losers

After routing Milligan (Tenn.) 24-5 on Tuesday, William Carey University is on the brink of a second straight trip to the NAIA World Series. Carey, 2-0 in the Opening Round tourney at Hattiesburg, is slated to play the winner of today’s Milligan-Mid-America Christian (Okla.) elimination game tonight in the championship round. The Crusaders need a win there to advance. Ferriss Trophy finalist R.J. Stinson provided spark in Tuesday’s victory, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs at the top of the order, while 3-hole hitter Jake Lycette homered, drove in five runs and scored three. … East Central Community College, ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division II, lost to Meridian CC on Tuesday in the first round of the Region 23 Tournament at Poplarville and faces Hinds today to stay alive in the regional. Host and second-ranked Pearl River beat Hinds on Tuesday and plays a winners bracket game today against No. 3 LSU-Eunice, which beat Jones College. Eighth-ranked Jones faces elimination today against Meridian. … Blue Mountain Christian’s season ended with a second straight loss in the NAIA Opening Round event at Shreveport, La. The Toppers (31-23) gave up 34 runs in their two losses.

10 May

noteworthy

Belhaven University is sitting pretty in the CCS Tournament. The NCAA Division III Blazers won their opener Thursday and have ace Brett Sanchez primed to go today against LaGrange (Ga.) in a winners bracket game at Maryville, Ky. With Colton Sylvester (7-1) tossing a six-hitter and Eli Britt and Hunter Harrell combining for six RBIs, second-seeded Belhaven whipped Huntingdon (Ala.) 8-1 Thursday. … William Carey University is the No. 2 seed behind Mid-America Christian (Okla.) in the four-team NAIA Opening Round tournament the Crusaders are hosting next week at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg. Blue Mountain Christian is the fifth seed in the five-team Shreveport Bracket hosted by LSU-Shreveport. The top-seeded Pilots feature several Mississippi juco players, including Hinds Community College alum Vantrel Reed, their top hitter at .393 with eight homers and 58 RBIs. … Jackson State’s Myles White was named the SWAC co-hitter of the week after going 9-for-15 with eight RBIs and four runs in the Tigers’ sweep of Mississippi Valley State last weekend. White, who went 0-for-4 in a 5-0 loss at nationally ranked Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday, is batting .346 with 31 RBIs and 36 runs for the 30-17 Tigers. … MUW’s season ended Tuesday with an upset loss to Westminster (Mo.) in in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Fulton, Mo. The Owls finished 22-15. … The New York Yankees have claimed ex-Mississippi State pitcher Colby White on waivers from Tampa Bay. White had a 17.61 ERA in nine appearances at Triple-A Durham; the right-hander, whose career ERA is 2.83, missed all of 2022 and a chunk of 2023 after arm surgery. … MSU product J.P. France, recently demoted to Triple-A by Houston, reportedly has a shoulder injury that may sideline him for a lengthy period. An 11-game winner in 2023, he was 0-3 with a 7.46 this season when the Astros sent him down. … Former Southern Miss star Matt Wallner, sent to the minors after a 2-for-25 start with Minnesota, hit his fifth homer for Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday. The lefty slugger is batting .353 with four homers in May. … Ex-Ole Miss standout Jacob Gonzalez, the first player drafted — 15th overall — out of the state in 2023, went 2-for-4 Thursday to boost his average to .306 for High-Class A Winston-Salem in the Chicago White Sox’s chain. Gonzalez, a shortstop, has three homers, 12 RBIs and five steals.

09 May

ouch

Having a rough week? Can’t be much worse than what the Ole Miss team is enduring. On Sunday, the Rebels squandered a ninth-inning lead and lost 10-9 at Auburn on a walk-off passed ball. On Wednesday, back in Oxford, they squandered a sixth-inning lead — for the first time all season — and lost 12-9 in 15 innings to Murray State. And now the Rebels get a day to recover before Texas A&M, 41-8 and ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, comes to Swayze Field for a three-game SEC series. The Rebels (25-23) used 10 pitchers against Murray State — a 31-win team — and they combined to allow 12 hits with eight walks and two HBPs in the 5-hour, 40-minute marathon. To their credit, UM relievers hung up zeroes from innings 10-14, but a grand slam — the Racers’ third bomb — spelled doom in the 15th. Ole Miss’ staff ERA is 6.06, and they have allowed double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. A&M’s hitters, who have 113 homers (fourth in the nation), must be licking their chops. Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, a Golden Spikes finalist, has 24 of those 113 and is batting .342 with 76 RBIs. P.S. The Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament at Maryville, Tenn., was pushed back a day because of weather. Second-seeded Belhaven plays Huntingdon (Ala.) today in the tourney opener. … The NAIA Tournament field will be announced today. SSAC champion William Carey is hosting an Opening Round (regional) at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg. Blue Mountain Christian, SSAC runner-up, has earned an at-large invite.

03 May

to the victors

A couple weeks ago, in Hattiesburg, Blue Mountain Christian took a regular season series from longtime rival William Carey University for the first time ever. On Saturday, in Jackson, Tenn., the two will meet again with much more on the line. With wins Thursday in conference championship pool play, Carey and BMC have clinched berths in Saturday’s Southern States Athletic Conference title game. Both also have clinched bids to the NAIA Tournament. BMC, the No. 8 seed in the league championship event, beat top-seeded Faulkner (Ala.) on Wednesday and followed that up with a win against Loyola of New Orleans on Thursday. Carey, the No. 2 seed, is 2-0 in pool play with wins against Thomas U. and Middle Georgia State. BMC plays Mobile and Carey gets Point U. in meaningless pool-play games today. For the record, Carey leads the all-time series with BMC 33-8. … BMC’s Arderrius Townsend was named the SSAC’s player of the year and was joined on the all-conference team by fellow Toppers Hayden Redding and Chris Smith. R.J. Stinson and John Snyder were first-team picks from Carey. The Toppers had two Gold Glove winners: second baseman Josiah Rivera and outfielder Tyrese Roberson.