college baseball Archives - All Mississippi Baseball

15 Nov

he is worthy

Ace is a status that must be earned. And Garrett Crochet did exactly that in his first season with Boston, which traded a boatload of prospects to get the Ocean Springs native from the Chicago White Sox last off-season. Crochet went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA for a playoff team. In just his second year as a starter, he led the American League in quality starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting to Tarik Skubal, garnering four of the 30 first-place votes. The lefty also made the All-MLB first team. Crochet’s season — one of the best ever by a Mississippi-born pitcher — is worthy of the Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the top performance by a Mississippian (native or school alum) in the big leagues. “He was phenomenal,” Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, recently told mlb.com. “It’s what we had hoped he could be when we traded for him, but to see that actually materialize is great.” Crochet’s second-place finish in the Cy Young voting is the best by a Mississippi native. Weir’s Roy Oswalt placed third in 2004. Crochet was two wins shy of becoming the sixth Magnolia State native to win 20. That club includes Reb Russell (22 in 1913), Guy Bush (20 in ’33), Claude Passeau (20 in ’40), Boo Ferriss (21 in 1945 and 25 in ’46) and Oswalt (20 in both 2004 and ’05). … Other winners of AMB’s Bell Award: Brent Rooker, Justin Steele, Austin Riley, Tim Anderson, Corey Dickerson, Mitch Moreland, Brian Dozier, Desmond Jennings, Lance Lynn, Cliff Lee, Oswalt and Chris Coghlan. P.S. Nick Sandlin, former Ferriss Trophy winner out of Southern Miss, has been outrighted off the 40-man roster to Triple-A by Toronto. Sandlin, in his first year with the Blue Jays, had a 2.20 ERA in 19 games but ended the regular season on the injured list and missed the postseason. … It’ll be interesting to see if former USM pitcher Tyler Stuart and ex-DeSoto Central High slugger Blaze Jordan make the 40-man roster in their respective organizations. Both would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft next month if they aren’t protected on the big league roster. Stuart, a 6-foot-9 right-hander, went 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 10 games in an injury-curtailed 2025 season in the Washington system. He has a career 3.44 ERA and has pitched in Triple-A. Jordan, St. Louis’ No. 18 prospect, belted a career-high 19 homers in 2025, playing in Triple-A in both the Boston and Cardinals systems. Still only 22 years old, the fifth-year pro hit .270 with 99 RBIs all told last season. … Madison Central High alum Braden Montgomery compiled some amazing numbers in the Arizona Fall League. The White Sox’s top prospect went 15-for-41 (.366) in 12 games for Glendale, with a homer, six doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs, 12 runs, three steals and 13 walks. His OBP was .527. A switch-hitting outfielder, Montgomery batted .270 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs over three minor league levels in his first pro season. (He was acquired by the ChiSox in the Crochet trade with Boston.) … Brandon Woodruff, the ex-Mississippi State standout from Wheeler, has until Nov. 18 to make a decision on the one-year/$22.025 million qualifying offer he received from Milwaukee. Woodruff, who has spent his entire pro career in the Brewers’ system, became a free agent after the World Series ended. … MSU’s 2026 signing class was ranked No. 8 by Baseball America. The feature signee is catcher Will Brick from Memphis; he ranks among the top 10 prep prospects on Perfect Game’s latest chart.

21 Oct

hot dates

This much we know about the 2026 college season: Cal-Santa Barbara, Nevada and Hofstra will be making trips to the ‘Sip in mid-February. Each of the state’s Big 3 NCAA Division I schools have released their schedules, with Southern Miss doing so today. The Golden Eagles will host UCSB, a 36-win team from the Big West, in a three-game series beginning Feb. 13, the national starting date for D-I. Ole Miss welcomes Nevada (34-23, Mountain West) and Mississippi State will launch the Brian O’Connor era against Hofstra (18-36, Coastal Athletic Association) that same weekend. Each of the Big 3 is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and should have high expectations again for 2026. But, at this stage, who knows? Each will get some early season tests in round-robin events in Texas. USM will play in the Round Rock Classic in Texas from Feb. 20-22; Purdue, Oregon State and Baylor are also in that field. MSU will play in the Amegy Bank Series at Arlington, Texas, from Feb. 27-March 1. Arizona State, Virginia Tech and UCLA (and highly touted shortstop Roch Cholowsky) are in the field. And Ole Miss is slated to play in Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston from Feb. 27-March 1. Also in that field: Ohio State, Coastal Carolina and Baylor. Other notable dates: MSU will visit USM on March 3 and host the Golden Eagles on March 24. MSU hosts Jackson State on March 17, travels to Ole Miss for their SEC series March 27-29 and meets the Rebels again on April 28 in the annual Governor’s Cup at Pearl. Ole Miss will host JSU on Feb. 18, visits USM on March 10 and plays the Eagles again on April 14 in Pearl. USM also hosts Alabama on Feb. 24 and plays Nicholls State in Biloxi on March 17. … JSU has yet to release its 2026 schedule or a fall ball roster. One player not on that roster is Joseph Eichelberger, one of the top hitters the past couple years; he has transferred to Gardner-Webb. P.S. Somewhere, former USM star and Ferriss Trophy winner Nick Sandlin is celebrating Toronto’s thrilling win in the American League Championship Series. Sandlin is on the Blue Jays’ roster but on the injured list with an elbow issue. He isn’t expected to be active for the World Series. … Sandlin is on a rather lengthy list of Mississippians who have played for Toronto over the years. Included is Spencer Turnbull, the Madison Central High alum who went 1-1 with a 7.11 ERA in three games back in June before being released. Among the others with state ties who’ve played for the Jays since their inception in 1977: Dave Parker, Corey Dickerson, David Dellucci, Jarrod Dyson, Chris Coghlan, Kendall Graveman, Fred Lewis and Bobby Kielty. Former Mercy Cross High star Howard Battle debuted with Toronto 30 years ago. Ole Miss alum Jacob Waguespack broke in with the Jays in 2019. … Toronto, returning to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 1993, wasn’t expected to do this. In its season preview issue, Baseball America ranked the Blue Jays 19th overall, calling them “fairly average.” Lindy’s magazine pegged the Jays as the fifth-place team in the American League East, which they won. They’ve also won two postseason series without their star shortstop, Bo Bichette, down with a knee injury — but planning to return for the World Series.

20 Sep

it’s that time

Fall baseball — the college variety — is in the air. Mississippi State, now in the Brian O’Connor era, played the first of its 11 intrasquad scrimmages Friday at Dudy Noble Field. The Bulldogs’ first exhibition game is Oct. 18 against Florida State in Pensacola, Fla., and they’ll host a second fall game on Nov. 1 vs. Louisiana Tech. Southern Miss, which recently extended the contract of coach Christian Ostrander, started practice Friday and will conclude its fall season with a best-of-5 intrasquad series in early November. Ole Miss, under 25-year coach Mike Bianco, will play two exhibitions, both at Swayze Field: Oct. 4 against Arkansas-Little Rock and Oct. 18 vs. Tulane. This is a particularly significant fall season for NCAA Division I schools and players: The new 34-man roster limit goes into effect on Dec. 1. … MSU was ranked No. 4 in Baseball America’s way-too-early 2026 poll. The magazine hails the arrival from Virginia of the veteran O’Connor — who faces “perhaps the highest expectations in the country” — and several portal additions. State also welcomes highly touted freshman Jacob Parker from Purvis and returns Ace Reese, SEC newcomer of the year in 2025. Ole Miss, with Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley and Hunter Elliott back in the fold, was ranked No. 24 by BA. The ’26 season starts Feb. 13. Of note: Ole Miss is slated to play in Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston from Feb. 27-March 1. Also in the field: Ohio State, Coastal Carolina and Baylor. USM will play in the Round Rock Classic in Texas from Feb. 20-22. Purdue, Oregon State and Baylor are also in that field.

24 Jun

ratings game

With the college season finally done and a national champion crowned in NCAA Division I, it’s time to close the book on the Magnolia State season, another very good one. Ranking the teams on the 80-20 scouting scale — with 50 being average, 80 exceptional and 20 the pits — there are three teams that probably deserve a 65 rating.
Start with Belhaven University, which reached a Super Regional in NCAA D-III, the only state school to get that far. The Blazers went 34-15, 13-5 (second in the CCS), won the Maloney Trophy (over Millsaps), reached the finals of their conference tournament and won a regional on the road in their first postseason appearance in 14 years.
Give a 65 also to Southern Miss and Ole Miss, ranked No. 21 and No. 19, respectively, in Baseball America’s final poll. The Golden Eagles won 47 games, finished second in the Sun Belt, reached the finals of the SBC Tournament (losing to Coastal Carolina) and reached the finals of the regional they hosted. They also produced the SBC player of the year (Nick Monistere) and two first-team All-America selections (Monistere and J.B. Middleton, the Ferriss Trophy winner). Ole Miss won 43 games (16-14 SEC), won the Governor’s Cup, reached the final of the SEC Tournament (beating national champ LSU along the way), earned a No. 10 national seed and made the finals of their regional. And they were unranked at the start of the season.
At the 55 level, there are four. William Carey University won 38 games (17 on the road), won the SSAC title (24-6) and reached the finals of the league tournament. However, the Crusaders went 2-and-out in the NAIA Opening Round tourney they hosted. Delta State went 33-20, won the Gulf South regular season championship and went to an NCAA D-II regional, where the Statesmen went 1-2. Mississippi College finished 35-23, swept Delta State in the regular season finale, went 2-2 in the GSC Tournament and upset the No. 1 team in the nation (Tampa) in their D-II regional before bowing out. Millsaps went 29-15, won the SAA regular season title and went to a D-III regional. The Majors also produced a D-III All-America pick: Bradley Pelle.
Coming in with a 50 is Mississippi State. The Bulldogs wound up 36-23, 15-15 SEC, and lost in the first round of the SEC Tournament. They got a regional bid but lost twice to host Florida State. They also endured a midseason coaching change and coaching search. Give interim coach Justin Parker some props for navigating that with a 10-4 record. Jackson State also rates a 50 after going 30-21, 16-12 SWAC, and putting together a clutch 10-game win streak late in the year. They bowed out in three games in the SWAC Tournament. Blue Mountain Christian also scores a 50; the Toppers finished 28-24, 16-14 SSAC (beating Carey two of three), and won a game in the league tourney. Give a 50 also to D-III MUW, which posted a 21-17 mark (with a win over Millsaps), went 14-4 in the SLIAC and made the league tournament finals.
Rust, of the NAIA-level HBCUAC, comes in at 40. Rust went 22-28 (13-17) and was 0-2 in the league tourney. A shade below at 35 are Tougaloo, Mississippi Valley State and Southeastern Baptist. Tougaloo was 14-32 and 9-20 HBCUAC. Valley finished 12-29, 7-23 SWAC. Southeastern Baptist, an NCCAA program in Laurel, went 20-19, beat Alcorn State and went 2-2 in a Christian college regional.
Alcorn State gets stuck with a 25. Under new coach Carlton Hardy, who got a late start with the program, the Braves finished 6-43, winning only one of 30 SWAC games (against Southern University). Hardy, who has a good track record, has a lot of work to do in Lorman.

18 May

there and here

MLB’s “rivalry weekend” featured a St. Louis-Kansas City series at Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals honored their 1985 and 2015 World Series championship clubs. There were Mississippi natives on both of those teams: Greenville’s Frank White was a slick-fielding, power-hitting second baseman for the ’85 Royals, who beat St. Louis in seven games in the memorable I-40 Series, and McComb’s Jarrod Dyson was a dash-fast outfielder for the ’15 team, which was managed by former Jackson Mets catcher Ned Yost. There are two state natives on the current Royals: Crystal Springs’ Hunter Renfroe and Tupelo’s Chris Stratton, both Mississippi State alums. … Former Ole Miss star Tim Elko had a nice debut in Chicago’s Crosstown Classic, hitting his second homer for the White Sox in their loss Saturday to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. UM product Drew Pomeranz, a Cubs reliever, did not work in the first two games of that series. … Ex-MSU star Nathaniel Lowe homered for Washington in its win over beltway rival Baltimore on Friday, then drove in two more runs in a win on Saturday in the slumping Orioles’ first game after manager Brandon Hyde’s dismissal. … Seedings and brackets are set for this week’s NCAA Division I tournaments. Mississippi State is seeded 11th in the SEC field and opens with Texas A&M in an elimination game on Tuesday at Hoover, Ala., while Ole Miss, seeded seventh, plays Wednesday against the Florida-South Carolina winner. Southern Miss is the 2-seed in the Sun Belt and will play on Wednesday at Montgomery, Ala. Jackson State is seeded sixth in the SWAC Tournament and draws Alabama State on Wednesday at Birmingham’s historic Rickwood Field. … The season is over for Delta State and Millsaps College, both of which lost elimination games in NCAA regional play on Saturday. Both were regular season champions in their respective conferences. … Pearl River Community College won the NJCAA Region 23 championship on Saturday with a 10-0 win over East Central CC in the deciding Game 3. Jacob Johnson (12-1) threw a brilliant seven innings. The No. 2-ranked Wildcats (50-8) are off to the Junior College World Series in Enid, Okla. … The MHSAA championship matchups are (almost) set: In Class 7A, it’s Madison Central-Brandon; in 6A, Saltillo-George County; in 5A Lafayette-South Jones; in 4A, it’s Purvis vs. the West Lauderdale-Newton winner from today; in 3A, Mooreville-Seminary; in 2A, East Union-Clarkdale; and in 1A West Union-Taylorsville. The seven best-of-3 series begin this week at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

17 May

down goes no. 1

That crash you heard coming from central Florida on Friday was the fall of the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II, Tampa, taken down in its own backyard by a surging Mississippi College team. MC, which has won nine of its last 11 games, whipped the Spartans 13-5 in a winners bracket game in the South Region. The Choctaws (34-21) likely will meet Tampa (44-8) again tonight for the championship of this half of the region bracket. Hot-hitting Bryce LaRocca belted two of MC’s four homers and drove in five runs in a 4-for-6 performance. He had three hits and three RBIs in the first-round win against Lynn. J.T. Vance and Jordan Evans also homered Friday in MC’s 18-hit attack. The Choctaws roughed up Tampa’s C.J. Williams, who came in with a 12-2 record, for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. … MC stole the spotlight on what was a big day for Mississippi schools. On the other side of the D-II South Region bracket, Delta State stayed alive with a four-run rally in the ninth inning to beat West Florida 6-5. Tyler Janos got the game-winning hit. Belhaven ran over Rhodes 14-1 in the NCAA D-III Tournament and D-I schools Southern Miss (which has won 14 in a row), Ole Miss (two in a row over No. 2 Auburn), Mississippi State (Hunter Hines breaks career homer record) and Jackson State (a shutout of Southern U.) all won. In the NJCAA D-II Region 23 finals, East Central Community College forced a Game 3 by beating host Pearl River CC 6-4 as Pablo Roque drove in three runs. The winner of today’s game goes to the juco World Series. Millsaps suffered a tough loss in its D-III regional opener: Ace Nick Tarantino gave up seven runs in the first inning as the Majors fell to host East Texas Baptist 11-4.

16 May

back on right track

Andrew Gipson can’t say that he predicted his Belhaven University team would crash the postseason for the first time in 14 years. But after overhauling the roster from 2024, he liked what he saw when the current Blazers first hit the field.
“As we started fall ball, I felt like, “The pieces are here to make this work,'” the second-year coach said.
The pieces came together for a second-place finish in the Collegiate Conference of the South regular season race, a runner-up finish in the league tournament and a hard-to-come-by at-large invitation to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Belhaven plays Rhodes College today in the first round of the Webster (Mo.) Regional.
Meanwhile, just down Riverside Drive, Millsaps College is also celebrating a regional berth. For the first time in 10 years, Jim Page has the Majors back in the D-III postseason; they open today against region host East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas.
The Majors finished last in their conference in 2024. “It was heartbreaking game after heartbreaking game all of last year,” Page said. “I told the team afterward, people can call me crazy, but if we could just re-do this season, it’d be completely different.”
With virtually the same cast of players back for 2025, it was essentially a re-do. And it was completely different: The Majors won the league’s regular season title and earned the program’s ninth D-III regional bid in Page’s 37 seasons.
BLAST FROM PAST
Gipson was an assistant coach under Hill Denson in 2011, the last time the Belhaven made a postseason tournament. That’s when the school was in the NAIA. Gipson played under Denson during the “glory days” of Blazers baseball, when the team was routinely winning conference championships and making it to NAIA regionals. The Blazers, with Gipson on the team, made a trip to the NAIA World Series in 2010.
After the transition to non-scholarship NCAA Division III, the program endured a stale period. When Gipson took the head coaching job in the summer of 2023, coming from the staff at D-I Southeastern Louisiana, he told the administration, “I’ll get it back to where we were.”
His first team went 25-17. With 33 new players added to the roster, the current team is 31-13 and stands 19th in the D-III NPI rankings.
“This thing means a whole lot to me,” Gipson said. “Just to get it back in the manner we have … I’m proud of it. I’m proud of the guys.”
Eight Blazers were named either first- or second-team All-CCS.
Included is today’s starter, Kade May (7-1, 1.51 ERA), from Florence by way of Copiah-Lincoln Community College. “The kid can really pitch,” Gipson said.
Other arms of note are No. 2 starter Colton Sylvester (7-2, 4.37) and Lane Alack, who fills a crucial swing role.
Gipson said one key to the team’s surge early this season was the way shortstop Austin Canale and third baseman Dathan Cummings, both freshmen, solidified that side of the infield defense.
The big bat for the Blazers belongs to Tristan Pearson, from Biloxi via Jones College. He is hitting .401 (.554 on-base percentage) with 54 runs. “He and Hunter Harrell have been sparkplugs,” Gipson said, “and Blake McCarthy has been driving those guys in all year.”
The Blazers hit .321 as a team with a .439 OBP, testament to their gritty approach. They have 105 stolen bases. They hit just 16 homers — home-field Trustmark Park is a big yard — but pounded out 80 doubles.
“Big picture, I wanted us to be multiple,” Gipson said, “to be able to do whatever the particular scenario requires. We can play matchups, run different lineups out there depending on what type of pitcher we’re facing. Our ability to be multiple is probably our biggest strength.”
MAJORS ON A MISSION
The Millsaps’ players mantra this season, Page said, was “Get Some.” The veterans wanted to erase the memory of a ’24 season full of hard luck and disappointment. “It’s been a tremendous team,” Page said. “We’ve got older guys who’ve led the way and kept us on track. Going worst to first like we did, that’s a tribute to the kids. They played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
From 14-27, 4-17 Southern Athletic Association, in 2024, the Majors went 13-5 in the SAA and are 29-13, ranked 23rd in the NPI. (Two of the losses were to Belhaven in the Maloney Trophy Series.) Page won the league’s coach of the year honors, and Bradley Pelle and Nick Tarantino were honored as player and pitcher of the year.
“Almost everybody we’ve played has told us, ‘You guys are really good,'” Page said.
Tarantino, a senior who’ll go today vs. ETBU, is 10-1 with a 2.94 ERA, 85 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. Program veteran Wil Wood and Jackson Hood have also stood out on the bump. Pelle, a senior, is hitting .393 with 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 15 steals. “When the pitcher misses (location), he doesn’t miss,” Page said. Gray Berry, a vocal senior from West Point and East Mississippi CC, is at .407 with 64 runs. A new strength-and-conditioning program has noticeably improved the Majors’ defense, Page said.
Millsaps has built a strong tradition under Page, a recent Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee with more than 850 career wins and multiple conference awards and titles. The team rose to the No. 1 ranking in D-III in 2009. In 2013, the Majors made a run to the D-III World Series. There had been a postseason drought since 2015, but that has now ended. And the current team has enough depth in arms, firepower in the lineup and playmakers on defense to make a tournament run, Page said.
“Eight teams get to the World Series, but it’s not always the top eight or the best eight,” he said. “It’s the eight that get through. We can be one of those.”

16 May

full throttle

Pearl River Community College still needs one more win to advance to the NJCAA Division II World Series, but there doesn’t appear to be any stopping this train. The Wildcats, ranked No. 2 in the nation, barreled through No. 5 East Central CC 22-1 on Thursday in Poplarville, scoring 17 runs in the third inning of the five-inning contest. “The focus we have right now is special,” coach Michael Avalon said in a school release. PRCC is 49-7 and has won 15 of its last 16. The Wildcats are 4-0 in this postseason, having outscored their opponents 53-6. Jaxon Milam drove in six runs Thursday. Chap Cook hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the 17-run inning, and Nico Williams also went yard in that frame. Ace K.K. Clark (10-2) called it a day after three. Game 2 of the best-of-3 Region 23 title series is tonight at Dub Herring Park. “We have to show up and be ready to play. East Central is going to bounce back,” Avalon said. The winner of the series gets the automatic berth in the juco World Series at Enid, Okla. East Central (41-13) made that trip the last two seasons. PRCC last went in 2022, when the Wildcats won the national title. P.S. Eight was a magic number on Thursday night for the state’s Big 4 NCAA Division I schools. Mississippi State hit eight homers — a school record — in a 25-7 rout of hapless Missouri at Columbia, Mo. Hunter Elliott struck out eight batters for his eighth win as Ole Miss upset Auburn 9-2 in Oxford. In another matchup of nationally ranked teams, Joey Urban’s eighth-inning homer provided the winning run for Southern Miss in a 4-3 victory at Troy (Ala.). And Jordan McCladdie’s two-run knock in the eighth inning propelled Jackson State to an 8-7 win over visiting Southern University. Worth noting: Three MSU players hit two homers each Thursday, including Hunter Hines, who tied Rafael Palmeiro’s career homer mark with 67. Hines, a senior out of Madison Central High, now has 13 homers on the year. … In the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament at Tampa, Fla., Mississippi College rolled to a 13-9 win over Lynn as Bryce LaRocca and Tyler Jacobsen drove in three runs each. In the other side of that regional, at Lakeland, Fla., slumping Delta State stumbled to a 7-3 loss against West Florida. Gulf South Conference pitcher of the year Drake Fontenot gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss, DSU’s sixth in a row. The Statesmen face elimination today. MC moves into a winners bracket game vs. No. 1-ranked Tampa.

06 May

wins and losses

Behind the stout pitching of Blake Gollott and Dylan Cope, Mississippi College beat Valdosta State 3-2 Monday in an elimination game and moved into the semifinal round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament. MC (32-20) takes on West Alabama, unbeaten in the tournament, today. Gollott (5-0) allowed one run over five innings and Cope one over four as the fourth-seeded Choctaws eliminated No. 2-seed Valdosta at Oxford, Ala. MC put out top-seeded Delta State on Sunday. J.T. Vance had the big hit against Valdosta, driving in two runs for a 3-0 lead in the third inning. The Choctaws entered the event on a five-game roll that included a first-ever sweep of Delta State in Clinton to conclude the regular season. … Belhaven fell to Huntingdon (Ala.) for the second straight day in the title game of the CCS Tournament, losing 3-1 Monday at Maryville, Tenn. The Blazers (31-13) scored 35 runs in their first three tourney games, two in the two losses to Huntingdon. NCAA Division III Tournament at-large bids are hard to come by, but BU might have a shot at one. … In the twin NJCAA Region 23 tournaments: Meridian Community College beat Northwest 6-0 Monday in the play-in game at Poplarville and Holmes knocked off Southwest 6-2 in the Decatur play-in. For MCC, Connor Gehr threw 5 2/3 innings of lockdown relief and also got two hits; Brennon Wright drove in two runs. Mississippi Gulf Coast, behind Eli Waters’ three-hitter, beat Northeast 7-1 Monday in a first-round game at Poplarville, where host Pearl River will play Meridian today. At Decatur, Copiah-Lincoln, with Tucker Jones and Riese Thomas combining for seven RBIs, beat Jones College 13-6 in a first-round contest; host East Central gets Holmes today in the first round. P.S. Belated kudos to state juco alums — and former major league players — Corey Dickerson (Meridian) and Tim Dillard (Itawamba) on their recent induction into the MACCC Athletics Hall of Fame. Now the coach at Jackson Academy, Dickerson also celebrated his team’s dethroning of MAIS 6A champion Jackson Prep in the state playoffs last week.

05 May

frozen ropes

Belhaven University gets a second crack at the Collegiate Conference of the South championship today when the Blazers play Huntingdon (Ala.) at Maryville, Tenn. The Blazers (31-12) were unbeaten in the tournament and riding an eight-game win streak before the Hawks took them down 2-1 Sunday night. NCAA Division III Belhaven last won a conference title in 2011 when the program was in the NAIA Southern States Athletic Conference. Hill Denson was the coach. The Blazers won five titles in the NAIA-level GCAC under Denson between 2004-10. … Mississippi College eliminated Delta State 9-3 in a losers bracket game in the GSC Tournament as Jordan Evans doubled, homered, drove in two runs and scored three. MC meets Valdosta State next in Oxford, Ala. … William Carey lost to Loyola (La.) 9-7 in the SSAC Tournament title game, but the Crusaders will move on to an NAIA Opening Round tourney starting May 12 in Hattiesburg. … Capping Super Bulldog Weekend with a 6-1 win Sunday for a sweep of Kentucky, Mississippi State moved to 4-0 under interim coach Justin Parker. MSU pitchers yielded just 15 runs over the four games against Memphis and the Wildcats under their (former) pitching coach. Next up for State: Ole Miss at Dudy Noble Field. Won’t that be fun? … Ole Miss salvaged a win in the series finale at Oklahoma, climbing to 13-11 in the SEC but falling to No. 18 in the new Baseball America poll. … Southern Miss, 35-13 with a nine-game win streak, swept Arkansas State in a three-game Sun Belt set in Hattiesburg, getting its fifth walk-off win on Friday on a Matthew Russo home run. … Jackson State has won 10 in a row, including a home sweep of Mississippi Valley State; the Tigers are 27-17, 14-10 SWAC. … In MLB, DeSoto Central High alum Austin Riley hit two homers totaling 842 feet to power Atlanta past the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Riley, with 161 career homers, now ranks ninth among Mississippians on the career list. (Technically, he was born in a Memphis hospital, but he grew up in Southaven.) … Colt Keith, ex-Biloxi High star, homered for the third time in five games — and third time all year — to help Detroit beat the Angels 13-1. … Kansas City set a franchise record with seven homers in a wild win over Baltimore; former MSU standout Hunter Renfroe (192 career bombs) was not among the Royals who went yard and has yet to homer this season in 75 at-bats. … Ole Miss product Nick Fortes came off the injured list Sunday for Miami and went 1-for-3 as the starting catcher.