28 Nov

totally random

Exavier Pente Logan, better known as Nook, was born on this date in 1979 in Natchez. A switch-hitting center fielder, he had a nice, though brief, big league career, batting .268 with 56 steals in 321 games over four seasons. He likely was one of the fastest players ever from the state. All told, Logan stole 322 bases in pro ball. He was a third-round draft pick out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College by Detroit in 2000 and reached the majors in 2004. Twice he swiped 23 bases in a season, including his final season, 2007, with Washington, when he hit .265 with 21 RBIs and 39 runs in 118 games. In December of 2007, Logan — who played at 6 feet 2, 180 pounds and hit two career home runs — was among the players named in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs. He later admitted to using HGH to help him recover from an injury he suffered while in the minors. He never played another game in affiliated ball after 2007, though he did spend a couple of seasons in independent leagues.

21 Jul

odds and ends

A way-too-early mock draft for 2023 by MLB Pipeline has Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez going second overall to Cincinnati and former Southern Miss pitcher Hurston Waldrep ninth to the Los Angeles Angels. Waldrep reportedly has transferred to Florida. … Former Petal High star and ex-big leaguer Anthony Alford, who turned 28 on Wednesday, is batting .244 with four homers and 17 RBIs for the KT Wiz in the Korean Baseball Organization. Alford, who has played in 102 MLB games, had four at-bats with Pittsburgh this season. … Oddly coincidental: Mississippi natives Nook Logan and Craig Tatum debuted in the big leagues on this date five years apart. Logan, a Copiah-Lincoln Community College product from Natchez, went 1-for-3 in his first game for Detroit in 2004, while Hattiesburg native Tatum, a Mississippi State alum, was 0-for-2 for Cincinnati in 2009. Logan was one of three Mississippians, along with Dmitri Young and Marcus Thames, who started for the Tigers on July 21, 2004, against Kansas City. Logan hit .268 with 56 steals in 321 games over four MLB campaigns. Tatum hit .223 over parts of three seasons. … The Double-A Mississippi Braves, off to a 14-4 start in the second half of the Southern League season, return to the field on Friday at Montgomery. The M-Braves have won six straight. The Biloxi Shuckers (6-12) return on Friday against Pensacola at MGM Park. … The state semi-pro tournament is slated for this weekend at Mississippi College’s Frierson Field. The venerable Hattiesburg Black Sox are the presumptive favorites. … The Triple-A Nashville Sounds are having a Tim Dillard Bobblehead Night on July 29 and will retire the former pitcher’s number in a pregame ceremony. Dillard, a Saltillo High and Itawamba Community College alum, pitched with the Sounds for parts of nine seasons and spent parts of four years in the big leagues with Milwaukee. … On July 30, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame will formally induct ex-Delta State star Barry Lyons and Ole Miss product David Dellucci, both former major leaguers, as part of its Class of 2022.

16 Mar

juco showdown

Pearl River Community College, ranked No. 3 in the country but standing just sixth in the MACCC, gets a chance to validate its poll position today when Copiah-Lincoln, ranked 20th but tied for first in the conference, visits Poplarville for a twinbill. PRCC (15-5 overall, 5-3 MACCC) features a ton of power, its 40 home runs ranking second among all NJCAA Division II schools. Von Seibert has eight homers and Graham Crawford and Tate Parker, both batting over .400, have seven bombs apiece. The Wildcats also can run a little: 71 stolen bases. Landon Gartman has been PRCC’s best pitcher; he is 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA and 31 strikeouts over his five starts. The Wildcats swept a non-conference doubleheader from Co-Lin in Wesson in early February, but the Wolves (12-8, 8-2) have been on a roll of late, with nine wins in their last 11 games. Marquez Hudson and Tom Biggs have sparked the Co-Lin attack. Hudson is batting .338 with five home runs, Biggs .414 with 24 RBIs. Jacob Spinks (2-2, 5.97) is the top Co-Lin starter. P.S. The other state schools ranked in the NJCAA DII poll released Monday are Meridian (No. 10), Jones (14), Itawamba (16) and East Central (19). ECCC is 8-2 in conference, tied for first with Co-Lin.