Tag Archives: college baseball

02 Apr

poll positions

The Magnolia State has seven college teams ranked in various polls this week — not bad for a football state. Mississippi State (20-10), with a big SEC series at LSU looming, is up to No. 9 in Baseball America’s latest NCAA Division I poll, while Ole Miss (21-8) is down to No. 23 on the heels of being swept at Alabama last weekend. Belhaven University (28-11), which whipped Millsaps 10-7 in a Maloney Trophy Series game on Tuesday, dropped to 13th in this week’s NAIA poll. Jones County Junior College (28-4), which blanked Copiah-Lincoln in a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, is No. 1 in NJCAA Division II, with East Mississippi fifth and Mississippi Delta 10th. But no team in the state is hotter than Delta State, which has won 11 in a row and is ranked 12th in Collegiate Baseball’s newest NCAA Division II poll. The Statesmen are 21-6 with a home game today against Arkansas-Monticello and a home Gulf South Conference series this weekend against Lee University. DSU is hitting .334 as a team, led by Will Robertson (.385), Carlos Leal (.382) and Dex Herrington (.369), the former Senatobia High and Northwest CC star who has four homers, 23 RBIs and 30 runs. The staff ERA is 2.34, and Michael Manley, from Terry by way of Meridian CC, is 6-0 with a 0.98.

30 Mar

big sunday

The state’s Big 3 Division I schools find themselves in very different positions heading into series finales today. Ole Miss seeks to avoid a sweep at Alabama; Mississippi State will play a rubber game against Arkansas at Dudy Noble Field; and Southern Miss goes for the sweep at Florida Atlantic. Worth noting, too, is a doubleheader in Lorman, where Jackson State will try to rebound from a 4-3 loss to struggling Alcorn State in Saturday’s SWAC series opener. Ole Miss, coming off a thumping by USM at Trustmark Park in Pearl last Tuesday, saw ace Chris Ellis (0.67 ERA) get KO’d early by Alabama in a 7-6 loss on Friday, then fell 6-5 in 10 innings on Saturday. The Rebels, ranked ninth, are now 21-7, 4-4 SEC. State, ranked 13th, moved to 5-3 in the league and 19-10 overall by beating Arkansas 5-1 in Game 2 on Saturday after dropping Game 1 of the twinbill 4-0. USM clinched its third straight Conference USA series win with a 5-2 over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. The Golden Eagles won the opener 2-0 on Friday. USM has won four straight games overall to reach 15-12 and 6-2 C-USA. P.S. Jackson native and Ole Miss alum Seth Smith hit his first homer of the spring in San Diego’s last exhibition game on Saturday. The left-handed hitting Smith, batting .325 with seven RBIs in his first camp with the Padres, should see plenty of playing time early on, though he may sit in tonight’s opener against Los Angeles Dodger lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Padres put Carlos Quentin on the disabled list — where he joins Cameron Maybin — and sent Kyle Blanks to Triple-A, reducing the crowd in their outfield. Smith is one of five on the opening day roster.

27 Mar

small things

Neither Mississippi College nor Millsaps seemed particularly impressed that Belhaven University broke into the NAIA top 10 this week. No. 8 Belhaven, which has announced its intention to move to NCAA Division III, lost to both the current D-III schools, falling to 26-9. On Tuesday night at Frierson Field in Clinton, MC — which is in the process of returning to NCAA Division II, by the way — beat BU on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth after squandering a 7-4 lead in the seventh. Blake Mcilwain, now 3-1, earned the win for 9-11 MC with two scoreless innings. On Wednesday afternoon at Millsaps’ Twenty Field, the Majors erupted for eight runs in the third inning and whipped the Blazers 12-5. Keith Shumaker had a three-run homer and Stephen Gates a three-run double in that pivotal third for the Majors (13-11). Millsaps is now 3-0 in the Maloney Trophy Series, with BU 1-2 and MC 1-3. Millsaps and Belhaven hook up Monday at Smith-Wills Stadium. … Delta State, nationally ranked in D-II, is heating up, having stretched its win streak to eight after beating Ouachita Baptist twice in Cleveland this week. Ben Pickard, a sophomore from Biloxi, went 7-for-7 with five RBIs and five runs in the two games against Ouachita. DSU is 18-6 overall and takes a 14-3 Gulf South Conference record into a weekend series at West Georgia.

24 Mar

star search

The college season is still relatively young, but the individual stats are starting to mean something. Stars are forming. Ferriss Trophy candidates are coming into focus. Here’s a few worth noting: Auston Bousfield is hitting .379 for Ole Miss, and not far behind is Will Allen at .357 with four home runs and 32 RBIs. The Rebels’ top pitcher to date: Chris Ellis, 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA. Brett Pirtle leads Mississippi State with a .310 average, and Preston Brown tops a long list of strong pitchers at 3-0, 1.12. For Southern Miss, Matt Durst is batting .312 with three homers and 16 RBIs, and Bradley Roney has a 0.87 ERA and six saves. Tilur Smith leads Jackson State hitters with a .377 mark, and Jamal Wilson is 3-0 with a 3.06. Charles Moses tops Alcorn State at .370, and Arrington Smith leads Mississippi Valley State — which finally won a game over the weekend — with a .297. Dex Herrington is hitting .368 with four homers and 17 RBIs for Delta State, now 14-3 in the Gulf South Conference after sweeping Alabama-Huntsville in a matchup of nationally ranked NCAA Division II clubs. Co-aces Michael Manley (0.77) and Ricky Winters (1.45) are both 5-0 for the Statesmen. Paul Pickerrell leads Belhaven hitters with a .348 average, and on the bump Ben Allison is 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA. Not to be overlooked is Tyler Akins, a .345 hitter with 32 RBIs who has 10 saves and a 1.29 ERA. At William Carey, Sean Hodges is hitting .319, and Scott Fabre has five homers. Gavin Culpepper (3-2, 2.60) has been the Crusaders’ steadiest arm. For Millsaps, Logan Patterson is hitting .375, Andrew Rafferty .359 and Isaac Glenn .356, and as a pitcher, two-way standout Keith Shumaker is 3-0 with a 1.05. Marty Stringfellow leads Mississippi College hitters with a .447 average (in just 11 games), while Spencer Wilson is at .333. Brooks Fortenberry is 2-1 with a 2.80 ERA for the Choctaws, who swept LeTourneau, nationally ranked in D-III, over the weekend.

19 Mar

wild night at the pete

Streaming highlights from Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg: Louisiana-Monroe (once known as Northeast Louisiana) vs. Southern Miss. Pricey tickets. Chilly weather. Wind blowing out to left-center. Tough sun field in right. Smallish crowd. Green T-shirts. Corky Palmer in the house. Loud p.a. Very loud p.a. Walks and a hit batsman. Two runs in the first for USM. Wind picks up. Burger and boiled peanuts. Big hit for Connor Barron. Line drive homer to left by Matt Durst. Six-run fourth for the Golden Eagles. Base-running blunder by the visitors. Gritty five innings of work by USM right-hander Cody Carroll. More HBPs by ULM. Two more USM homers. Six-run seventh for the Eagles. P.S. Home runs by Durst, Dylan Burdeaux and Mason Robbins led a 17-hit attack as the Eagles beat the Warhawks 18-2. USM also benefited from five walks and eight HBPs. The Eagles are 10-11 heading into a home C-USA series with Texas-San Antonio this weekend.

14 Mar

the new season

Road tests are in order as conference play begins this weekend for the state’s Big 3. Ole Miss is at South Carolina, Mississippi State is at Georgia and Southern Miss is at Marshall. All three series are big in their own way, but it’s USM’s that seems most compelling. The Golden Eagles are scuffling at 7-10. They’re hitting .230 as a team, with a .301 slugging percentage. They aren’t running much either: 7-for-12 on steals. Keep in mind that USM started sluggishly in 2013 and wound up winning the Conference USA regular season title and making the tournament championship game. No need for panic at this stage. Note, too, that the pitching has been generally good. Cameron Giannini, slated to start Sunday, is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in four starts, and Bradley Roney (a .302 hitter) has five saves and a 0.96 ERA in seven relief appearances. Perhaps the bats will get going at Marshall, which is 5-10 overall — but 2-1 in the league. P.S. Two other key series are going on this weekend: Jackson State hosts Mississippi Valley State in the SWAC and Belhaven visits Faulkner in a Southern States Athletic Conference clash. JSU is 13-6 (2-1 SWAC) and has won six straight games, with Melvin Rodriguez (.317, 15 RBIs) swinging the hot bat. Valley is 0-15 and 0-4. … Belhaven is 22-4 with seven straight wins. Faulkner is 22-5 – and ranked No. 1 in NAIA. The teams are tied atop the SSAC at 7-2. The Blazers love to run; they’ve got 96 steals. The Eagles love to mash; they’ve got 17 home runs.

02 Mar

road trippin’

If you had the means, which is to say a lot of free time, some disposable income and a dependable car (or, better yet, a helicopter), you could see some pretty good baseball (teams and/or players) around the state this week. … Start today in Hattiesburg, where Southern Miss is hosting Troy. The Golden Eagles are scuffling along at 5-6, but Mason Robbins is swinging a hot bat at .304 with a homer and 10 RBIs. On Monday, zip up to Jackson and catch Belhaven-Millsaps in a Maloney Trophy Series game at Twenty Field. The Blazers are 15-4, led by Paul Pickerrell, who’s hitting .373 with 15 RBIs and 16 runs. The Majors are 7-5, and their lineup features the red-hot Isaac Glenn (.455). Head for Cleveland on Tuesday for Delta State’s game against Harding. The Statesmen are 6-5 as of today, and Dex Herrington is rocking along with a .381 average. On Wednesday, in Starkville, surging Mississippi State (9-4 with five straight wins as of Sunday morning) takes on South Alabama. Wes Rea has been a power source for the Bulldogs, with three homers and 19 RBIs. Wheel over to Senatobia on Thursday to see nationally ranked Northwest Mississippi Community College (8-4 heading into a Wednesday doubleheader with unbeaten Jones County JC) play Arkansas Baptist CC. Luke Latham has belted five homers for the Rangers. Over in Oxford on Friday, Ole Miss hosts Arkansas-Little Rock. As of Sunday a.m., the Rebels were 10-1 with four straight one-run wins, all walk-offs. Luke Allen (.391, three homers, 17 RBIs) was responsible for two of those. Wind up the whirlwind week on Saturday in Clinton, where Mississippi College plays American Southwest Conference foe East Texas Baptist in a twinbill. The Choctaws were 2-6 at the start of the week, though Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer Marty Stringfellow has contributed a .462 average. … If you had the means, it would be a heckuva road trip.

14 Feb

blue skies ahead?

Weather has come out swinging this week, knocking out home openers at Millsaps (Tuesday), Delta State (Wednesday) and Southern Miss (today) and forcing Mississippi State to find a new opponent (Western Carolina replaces Hofstra). While USM will have to go on the road (Lake Charles, La.) to start its season on Saturday, there are some big games on state campuses this weekend. MSU, ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, will play a three-day, three-game set at Dudy Noble Field. Jackson State plays Texas Southern and South Dakota State (two games with each) at Braddy Field starting today, and Alcorn State hosts Bradley for a three-game series at McGowan Stadium in Lorman. Millsaps, off to a 3-0 start, plays Trinity (Texas) in a doubleheader Saturday and single game Sunday at Twenty Field. Blue Mountain hosts a three-game set in New Albany with NAIA No. 1 Faulkner. Belhaven, 7-1 after a 9-2 win over St. Francis on Thursday, hosts Campbellsville today and Missouri Baptist on Saturday at Smith-Wills Stadium. William Carey has a three-game set at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg against Spring Hill (single game today, twinbill Saturday). Delta State (1-2) hosts West Alabama for three games (two Saturday, one Sunday) in Cleveland. DSU went 25-3 at Ferriss Field last year and has a .772 winning percentage there all-time. But even the Statesmen can’t beat bad weather. Fingers are crossed all over the state, hoping the skies stay sunny.

13 Feb

4 for 4

Aspirations are high, as they always are, at Mississippi’s Big 4 NCAA Division I schools. Three of the four earned NCAA regional bids in 2013, and Southern Miss was one victory short. It would be sweet to see all four make it this season. And with that in mind, here are four players who could be key in making such a grand slam a reality. At Mississippi State, which won 51 games and reached the finals of the College World Series, there will be pressure to replace Hunter Renfroe’s thunderous bat. But pitching is more important in college baseball these days, and it would serve the Bulldogs well to get another season from Ross Mitchell like the one he had in 2013. The slightly built left-hander was brilliant in the middle relief role State’s coaches prize, posting a 13-0 record, two saves and a 1.53 ERA in 34 appearances (94 innings). At Ole Miss, which went 38-24 last season, keep a sharp eye on newcomer Braxton Lee, a left-handed hitting outfielder who transferred from Pearl River Community College. Lee hit .406 last year and .365 with 29 steals in 2012. He is penciled in as the Rebels’ leadoff batter and left fielder. “He’ll cause havoc out there,” UM coach Mike Bianco said. At USM, which went 30-27 and got to the final of the C-USA Tournament in 2013, Golden Eagles fans would love to see — but can’t really expect — a big year from highly touted, oft-injured ex-Sumrall High star Connor Barron. However, those fans likely can count on another solid year from Mason Robbins, the state’s 2011 Mr. Baseball from George County. The lefty-hitting outfielder, who can also take the mound, batted .317 with 40 RBIs as a sophomore and .330 as a freshman. He’s a gamer. At Jackson State, 34-22 and Southwestern Athletic Conference champion in 2013, much attention will be focused on conference preseason player of the year Charles Tillery, a senior outfielder from Starkville who batted .352 last year. Yet you can’t overlook junior right-hander Alexander Juday, who put up a 7-5 record with a 3.51 ERA. Juday is the kind of workhorse (115 1/3 innings in 22 games, 10 starts) that every successful staff must have. P.S. The Big 4 start Friday: State hosts Hofstra, Ole Miss is at Stetson, USM is home vs. Stony Brook and JSU hosts Texas Southern.

01 Feb

opening acts

And so it begins. Belhaven University got the college baseball season started on Friday with a 6-1 loss to LSU-Alexandria at Smith-Wills Stadium. The Blazers, anticipating a big year, didn’t look sharp, managing just four hits, committing three errors and getting an uneven start from Southern Miss transfer Boomer Scarborough (seven hits and four earned runs in five innings). The Blazers and Generals play a twinbill today. William Carey, ranked No. 24 in NAIA, was rained out Friday in its scheduled opener at Webber International in Florida. The Crusaders had a pair of games slated for today at Babson Park, Fla: Embry-Riddle and then Webber International again.
Other Magnolia State lid-lifters:
Blue Mountain, now in the Southern States Athletic Conference with BU and Carey, opens today at home against Union University.
Tougaloo starts Feb. 4 against Belhaven at Smith-Wills.
Millsaps plays Feb. 7 against Randolph-Macon in Huntingdon, Ala.
Delta State, ranked as high as sixth in NCAA Division II, opens Feb. 7 against Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida.
Mississippi College rolls out on Feb. 18 at Belhaven.
The NCAA Division I schools start on Feb. 14: Mississippi State, ranked as high as No. 2, hosts Hofstra; Southern Miss hosts Stony Brook; Ole Miss is at Stetson in Florida; Jackson State hosts Texas Southern; Alcorn State hosts Bradley; at Mississippi Valley State is at Dallas Baptist.